Men's Basketball Opens CBI With San Jose State

Game #34 • San Jose State at Creighton • Tuesday, March 15, 2011 • 7:05 p.m.
San Jose State Spartans at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads, 3-0
Last Time: Creighton won 84-77 on Dec. 5, 1988, in Omaha, Neb.

Next Game
Creighton (19-14) opens its 14th straight postseason bid with its first appearance in the College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen.
    The Bluejays will open play on Tuesday against San Jose State (17-15) in a 7:05 pm (Central) game at Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) in Omaha, Neb.
    The winner of the Creighton/San Jose State game will play the winner of Tuesday's James Madison at Davidson game on March 21st at a site to be determined.

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
Tuesday's game will not be televised.

Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of Tuesday's game. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register at http://www.gocreighton.com, then clicking on the Jays Video link in the top right. Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95. The charges renew automatically unless cancelled.
    Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Creighton radio broadcast, begins approximately 15 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha.

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 19-14 record into its 14th straight postseason appearance. The Bluejays tied for fourth in the MVC after finishing with a 10-8 league record.
    Freshman Doug McDermott, son of first-year head coach Greg McDermott, leads Creighton in scoring (14.2 ppg.) and in rebounding (7.6 rpg.). He's been in double-figures in 27 of 33 games and paces the MVC with eight double-doubles. He is the first MVC freshman to be named first-team all-MVC since 1951-52.
    Second on the team in scoring is junior point guard Antoine Young. Young averages 13.4 points per game and leads the MVC in assists (151), assists per game (4.6), assist/turnover ratio (2.22) and minutes (1,186).
    Giving the Jays a big tandem inside is sophomore Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 1.8 bpg.) and senior Kenny Lawson Jr. (9.2 ppg., 5.6 rpg.). Lawson was voted preseason MVC Player of the Year and has paced the league in blocked shots each of the previous two seasons, while Echenique is second in rejections this season.
    Creighton owns an impressive 458/394 assist/turnover ratio and has made almost as many free throws (431) than the opposition has attempted (482).

Scouting San Jose State
San Jose State makes the postseason for the first time since 1996, and its 17-15 record is its most wins in one season since 1981.
    SJSU defeated Oregon, 75-72, on Nov. 20, one of eight wins in 17 games away from home this season.
    The Spartans are led by a high-scoring backcourt that features the nation's third-leading scorer, senior Adrian Oliver (24.3 ppg., 5.5 rpg.). Oliver ranks second in SJSU history with 1,736 career points, just 32 shy of Ricky Berry's school-record of 1,767 from 1986-88.
    Point guard Keith Shamburger averages 12.0 points per game and is one of the highest-scoring freshmen in school history. Also in double-figures is Justin Graham, an all-WAC defender who averages 14.3 points per game and tops the club with 137 assists and 70 steals.
    SJSU averages 72.4 points per game and allows 72.5 per contest. The Spartans outrebound foes by 1.8 caroms per contest and shoot a sparkling 75.7 percent at the line.

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 299-209 in 17 seasons, a 168-145 mark in 10 Division I years and an 19-14 mark in his first year at Creighton.
    He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
    George Nessman (North Dakota, 1994) owns a record of 68-118 in six seasons as a head coach, all with San Jose State. He has led SJSU to its first postseason bid in 15 years, and is also the first man to lead the Spartans to consecutive wins in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. He is assisted by Brent Davis, Talvin Hester and Donald Williams.

The Series With San Jose State
Creighton leads the all-time series with San Jose State, 3-0. The teams first met in 1969 in Las Cruces, N.M., and also met in Omaha in both 1971 and 1988.
    Greg McDermott is 0-0 against George Nessman and has never faced San Jose State.

MVC Tournament Recap
Fifth-seeded Creighton went 1-1 at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo., defeating fourth-seeded Northern Iowa (60-57) before falling to top-seeded Missouri State (60-50).
    Kenny Lawson Jr. led Creighton in scoring in both games, and averaged 15.0 points per contest in St. Louis, while Gregory Echenique led Creighton with 7.5 rebounds per game.

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, Kent State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, Xavier and Utah State have already reached 20 wins this season.

Postseason x 14
Creighton has made the postseason in 14 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
    The only nine schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.

Postseason History
Creighton is a combined 17-30 in the postseason all-time. The Bluejays have gone 9-17 in 16 NCAA Tournaments, 5-10 in 10 National Invitation Tournaments, 1-2 in two National Catholic Invitational Tournament appearances and 2-1 all-time after their first CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament appearance.
    This is the Jays first appearance in the CBI.
    Last year marked the first time in school history that Creighton won consecutive postseason games, a mind-boggling fact for a program in its 29th all-time postseason appearance.

Against Common Opponents
Creighton and San Jose State have played no common opponents this season.

Against Postseason Opponents
Creighton is 7-10 against teams that made the postseason this season. That includes an 2-3 mark vs. NCAA Tournament qualifiers (wins over Indiana State and Alabama State), an 0-6 mark vs. NIT teams, a 2-0 mark vs. CBI qualifiers (two wins over Evansville) and a 3-1 mark over CIT teams (two wins over Northern Iowa and one over Northern Arizona).
    San Jose State is 6-10 against teams that made the postseason this season. That includes an 0-4 mark vs. NCAA Tournament qualifiers, a 0-0 mark vs. NIT teams, a 2-2 mark vs. CBI qualifiers (wins over Oregon and Weber State) and a 4-4 mark over CIT teams (two wins over Idaho and one over Hawaii and San Francisco).

Creighton/San Jose State Connections
At first glance, there doesn't appear to be much in common between Creighton and San Jose State. About the closest parallel is that Omaha Nighthawks QB Jeff Garcia is an SJSU grad.

Past MVC Teams In The CBI
Though this is just the fourth year of the College Basketball Invitational, Creighton isn't the first Missouri Valley Conference team in the field.
    In 2008 the MVC went 4-2 in the the CBI, as Bradley won its first three games before alternating losses and wins in a best-of-3 championship series loss to Tulsa.
    In 2009, the MVC went 1-1 in the CBI. Wichita State defeated Buffalo before falling to Stanford.
    Last year the MVC went 0-1 in the CIT, as Indiana State fell at Saint Louis, 63-54.

Home Sweet CBI Home
Having the home-court advantage during the CBI continues to be a tremendous edge.
    In the three-year history of the event, home teams are a combined 32-18, including a 20-6 mark after the first round.
Home Court Records, CBI, By Round
Year    Rd. 1    Rd. 2    Rd. 3    Finals    Total
2008    5-3    4-0    1-1    3-0    13-4
2009    4-4    3-1    1-1    2-1    10-7
2010    3-5    3-1    2-0    1-1    9-7
Totals    12-12    10-2    4-2    6-2    32-18

Historical CBI Crowds
The CBI averaged more than 5,000 fans per game in both 2008 and 2009 before falling to an average of 2,570 per gate last season, with just one total crowd of more than 5,000.
    2008    2009    2010
Largest 1st round crowd    5,365    6.647    3,542
Smallest 1st round crowd    1,169    1.045    665
Average 1st round crowd    3,813    2.833    1,712
Largest quarterfinal crowd    6,460    8.812    4,235
Smallest quarterfinal crowd    3,082    2.541    640
Average quarterfinal crowd    5,433    5,801    2,347
Largest semifinal crowd    5,852    4.759    4,682
Smallest semifinal crowd    5,339    2.363    3,352
Average semifinal crowd    5,596    3,561    4,017
Largest finals crowd    9,014    12,000    5,612
Smallest finals crowd    7,337    8,029    4,386
Average finals crowd    8,269    10,676    4,999
Average crowd (all rounds)    5,190    5,001    2,570

Does The CBI Help?
Has playing in the CBI served as a springboard for future success? Six teams playing in this year's NCAA Tournament participated in last year's CBI. Let's take a closer look:
    2010 CBI    2011    2011
Team    W-L    W-L    Postseason?
VCU    5-0    23-11    NCAA
Saint Louis    3-2    12-19    --
Princeton    2-1    25-6    NCAA
Boston    2-1    21-13    NCAA
Morehead State    1-1    24-9    NCAA
Green Bay    1-1    14-18    --
Charleston    1-1    24-10    NIT
IUPUI    1-1    19-14    --
Oregon State    0-1    11-20    --
Hofstra    0-1    21-11    CBI
Eastern Kentucky    0-1    15-16    --
Akron    0-1    23-12    NCAA
Colorado State    0-1    19-12    NIT
Duquesne    0-1    18-12    CBI
Indiana State    0-1    20-13    NCAA
George Washington    0-1    17-14    --

    2009 CBI    2010    2010
Team    W-L    W-L    Postseason?
Oregon State    5-1    14-18    CBI
UTEP    4-2    26-7    NCAA
Richmond    2-1    26-9    NCAA
Stanford    2-1    14-18    --
Northeastern    1-1    20-13    NIT
Vermont    1-1    25-10    NCAA
Wichita State    1-1    25-10    NIT
Charleston    1-1    22-12    CBI
Boise State    0-1    15-17    --
Houston    0-1    19-16    NCAA
Troy    0-1    20-13    NIT
Buffalo    0-1    18-12    --
Green Bay    0-1    22-13    CBI
St. John's    0-1    17-16    NIT
Nevada    0-1    21-13    NIT
Wyoming    0-1    10-21    --

    2008 CBI    2009    2009
Team    W-L    W-L    Postseason?
Tulsa    5-1    25-11    NIT
Bradley    4-2    21-15    CIT
Houston    2-1    21-12    CBI
Virginia    2-1    10-18    --
Utah    1-1    24-10    NCAA
Valparaiso    1-1    15-17    --
Ohio    1-1    15-17    --
Old Dominion    1-1    25-10    CIT
Richmond    0-1    20-16    CBI
Rider    0-1    19-13    CIT
Brown    0-1    9-19    --
Nevada    0-1    21-13    CBI
Cincinnati    0-1    18-14    --
Miami (Ohio)    0-1    17-13    --
Washington    0-1    26-9    NCAA
UTEP    0-1    23-14    CBI

Postseason Features Last-Second Endings
Eight of Creighton's last nine postseason runs have included a game that was decided in the final seconds.
    In fact, Creighton's postseason openers in the past nine years have had three games decided by one point (including a double-OT finish), two by two points, two by six points (including an OT finish) and two games by 11 points.
    In 2009, Creighton rallied from a 14-point deficit and would hang on to beat Bowling Green, 73-71 in the first round of the NIT. The Jays needed a last-second defensive stand, as BGSU's Darryl Clements' game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
    The following game, Creighton led Kentucky by one with 36 seconds left, only to miss two free throws and see UK All-American Jodie Meeks convert a three-point play. CU's Booker Woodfox, the nation's No. 2 three-point shooter, missed an open trey as time expired, and Creighton lost 65-63.
    In 2008, Creighton rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 3:07 to top Rhode Island, 73-72, in the first round of the NIT. Cavel Witter hit the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left to give CU its first lead of the game since 3-0.
    In 2007, Creighton had the ball for a final shot in a tie game against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nate Funk's shot attempt missed, and a tip-in try was also not converted. The Jays would eventually lose 77-71 in overtime.
    In second round of the 2006 NIT, Miami (Fla.) guard Guilermo Diaz drained a free throw with 2.6 seconds left to beat Creighton 53-52. A last-second shot attempt by Bluejay senior Johnny Mathies was knocked out of his hands.
    In the 2005 NCAA Tourney, Nate Funk had his three-point try with seven seconds left blocked by Tyrone Sally, and Sally raced downcourt for a breakaway dunk with 2.4 seconds left to give West Virginia a 63-61 win. Funk's three-point try from the corner missed at the buzzer.
    In 2004, Creighton fell 71-70 to Nebraska in the NIT. The Jays led nearly the entire second half before NU's go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left. Nate Funk's game-winning jumper from 18-feet away was blocked by Husker guard Jake Muhleisen.
    In 2003 Creighton lost 79-73 to Central Michigan in the NCAA's. The Jays trailed 50-24 with 16:24 left but a furious rally got them within two points (72-70) with 1:20 left, only to turn it over the next three possessions.
    In the 2002 NCAA's, Creighton beat #15 Florida, 83-82, in Chicago. Terrell Taylor hit a game-winning trey with 0.2 seconds left in double-overtime, his final three of 28 points after a scoreless first half.

McDermott In The Postseason
Creighton coach Greg McDermott is making his first postseason appearance at Creighton, and fourth overall as a Division I head coach if you include his time at Northern Iowa.
    McDermott's Division I teams own an 0-3 record in three postseason appearances (all NCAA Tournament appearances at UNI).
McDermott's Division I Postseason Appearances
Year    Tourney    Postseason W-L
2003-04 (UNI)    NCAA    0-1
2004-05 (UNI)    NCAA    0-1
2005-06 (UNI)    NCAA    0-1
2010-11 (CU)    CBI    0-0

Combo Number Five
The College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen is the fourth different postseason event that Creighton has participated in during the last five years.
    In 2007, Creighton played in the NCAA Tournament. Creighton was in the 2008 and 2009 NIT. Last year the team was in the CIT, and this year it's the CBI.
    On a national basis, the only schools to be in all four tournaments in the past five years are Creighton and Austin Peay. However, Austin Peay has no fifth-year seniors that have been on the roster for each event, while Creighton has fifth-year seniors Kenny Lawson Jr. and Casey Harriman who can claim that.

Shooting Star
With 17 career games of 30 or more points, San Jose State standout Adrian Oliver can certainly fill it up. Oliver currently ranks third nationally with 24.3 points per game, trailing only Jimmer Fredette's (BYU) 28.5 ppg., and Marshon Brooks' (Providence) 24.6 ppg.
    Oliver, who had a career-high 42 points on Dec. 22nd vs. Puget Sound, has the ability to challenge Qwest Center Omaha record of 42, done in 2008 by Creighton's Cavel Witter against Bradley.
    The most points in Qwest Center Omaha history by a non-Creighton player is 34 by Dayton's Brian Roberts on Nov. 26, 2005.
    Both of the last two high-scoring guards to come to Qwest Center Omaha finished well below their average. Fredette had a season-low 13 points against the Bluejays on December 1st, well below his current average of 28.5 ppg., and below his average of 24.8 ppg. on gameday.
    In the 2009 NIT, Kentucky's Jodie Meeks brought a 24.0 points per game scoring average into Qwest Center Omaha, but finished with just 16. He ended the year averaging 23.7 points per contest.
    Before Fredette and Meeks, the last visiting student-athlete to play at Creighton, average at least 24.0 points and finish in the top-10 of the year-end NCAA scoring rankings was Bradley's Hersey Hawkins. Hawkins, who led the nation with 36.3 points per game in 1987-88, had 35 points in BU's visit to Omaha on Feb. 18, 1988.

Searching For 300
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott enters the postseason with 299 career wins as a head coach (299-209), one shy of 300.
    His next win will also mark the eighth time in 17 years as a head coach that he's won 20 games in a season.

Big Mac's Attack
Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 19-14 mark so far this year, the second-most wins by any first-year coach in school history. Tom Apke went 20-7 in 1974-75.
    McDermott's 19 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 19 wins are tied for 12th-most of that group.
    Among his peers, the only other Valley coaches to more than 19 games in their first year was Illinois State's Tim Jankovich (25 in 2007-08) and Indiana State's Greg Lansing (20 this season).
    Below is a list of the new coaches with 18 or more wins so far this season, through March 14.
School    Coach    W-L    Next Game
UTEP    Tim Floyd    25-9    3/15
Marshall    Tom Herrion    22-11    3/15
Iona    Tim Cluess    22-11    3/16
St. John's    Steve Lavin    21-10    3/17
Northern Colorado    B.J. Hill    21-10    3/17
Hofstra    Mo Cassara    21-11    3/15
Clemson    Brad Brownell    21-11    3/15
Colorado    Tad Boyle    21-13    3/16
Boston College    Steve Donahue    20-12    3/15
Boise State    Leon Rice    20-12    3/15
Indiana State    Greg Lansing    20-13    3/18
Creighton    Greg McDermott    19-14    3/15
UCF    Donnie Jones    19-11    3/16
Wright State    Billy Donlon    19-14    --
Hawaii    Gib Arnold    18-12    3/15
Sam Houston St.    Jason Hooten    18-13    --
Robert Morris    Andrew Toole    18-14    --
East Carolina    Jeff Lebo    18-15    3/15

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 247 wins in the decade, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to March 14, 2011)
        MVC    only          All Games
Team    W    L    Pct.    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    135    63    .682    247    112    .688
Southern Illinois    129    69    .652    230    127    .644
Northern Iowa    109    89    .551    205    143    .589
Wichita State    109    89    .551    205    145    .586
Missouri State    108    90    .545    206    146    .585
Illinois State    90    108    .455    180    161    .528
Bradley    91    107    .460    182    172    .514
Drake    83    115    .419    162    175    .481
Indiana State    71    127    .359    144    196    .424
Evansville    65    133    .328    125    199    .386

Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team    NCAA    NIT    CBI    CIT    Total
Creighton    5    4    1    1    11
Southern Illinois    6    1    0    0    7
Wichita State    1    5    1    0    7
Northern Iowa    5    0    0    1    6
Bradley    1    2    1    1    5
Missouri State    0    4    0    1    5
Illinois State    0    4    0    0    4
Indiana State    2    0    1    0    3
Drake    1    0    0    1    2
Evansville    0    0    1    1    2

Game Tested
Fifth-year senior Kenny Lawson Jr. has played in 137 games as a Bluejay, more than any other player in school history.
    Kaleb Korver, who has played in 129 games to date, will tie for third when he suits up on Tuesday.
    Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
    GP    Name    Years
    137    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    135    Nate Funk    2002-07
    130    Dane Watts    2004-08
    129    Kaleb Korver    2007-Pres.
    128    Bob Harstad    1987-91
    128    Kyle Korver    1999-03

Six Out Of 13 Tourney Titles
Despite its current four-year drought, Creighton still owns six league tournament titles in the last 13 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Duke (10), Gonzaga (10), Winthrop (9), Creighton (6), Kansas (6), Kentucky (6) and Utah State (6).
    Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles all-time are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).

Award Winning
Creighton had quite the haul of conference awards this season.
    Doug McDermott was named MVC Freshman of the Year, MVC Newcomer of the Year, first-team all-MVC and also had spots on the all-Newcomer and all-Freshman teams. He was the first freshman to be named first-team all-Valley since Wichita State's Cleo Littleton in 1951-52.
    In addition, Antoine Young was named second-team all-MVC and to the Most Improved Team, Jahenns Manigat was named all-Freshman and all-Bench, and Gregory Echenique was named to the All-Newcomer and All-Defensive squads.

All About The Bench
In Creighton's 19 wins, the bench has scored 410 points (21.6 ppg.), but in the 14 losses it's scored just 162 points total (11.6 ppg.), with a high of 18.
    Creighton is 16-1 this season when its bench scores 18 points or more, but just 3-13 when it scores 17 or fewer.

10 Conference Wins x 15
Creighton went 10-8 in MVC play this year 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 15 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas, which extended its streak to 17 earlier this season.

Consistent Challengers
Creighton has finished in fourth place or better in each of the last 14 years, with nine of those teams finishing first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five 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 14 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
Tied for 4th Place    2010-11

An Impressive Start
Freshman forward Doug McDermott led all players with 18 points in his Nov. 4 exhibition debut, making 6-of-9 shots from the field and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. His 18 points were the most by a Bluejay in their exhibition debut since Rodney Buford scored 24 points on Nov. 14, 1995 vs. Poznan (Poland).
    McDermott was equally impressive on Nov. 12 vs. Alabama State, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. McDermott's 16 points and seven rebounds made him the first Bluejay freshman since at least 1973 to have 15 or more points and five or more rebounds in the season-opener.
    McDermott's 468 points are second-most in Creighton history by a newcomer. Only Paul Silas, with 551 in 1961-62 had more. That was Silas' sophomore season since freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition then.

“State” Games Give Jays Issues On Road
Creighton has played seven games away from home against teams with the word “State” in their name. They beat Illinois State by 11 points, but lost the other six games by a combined 18 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 1-5 in games decided by three points or less this season.

Young's Passing Fancy
Antoine Young ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring with 13.4 points per game. His team, however, sometimes succeeds when he takes on a secondary scoring role. Creighton is 14-2 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 441 points and 151 assists so far this year. It had been 25 years since Creighton has had a player with 400 or more points and 140 or more assists, as Vernon Moore in 1984-85 (671 points/159 assists) was the last to do so.
    Young's 151 assists this season are tied for 10th most in Creighton single-season history.

Senior Class
Creighton has five seniors, a group consisting of Darryl Ashford, Casey Harriman, Kaleb Korver, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Wayne Runnels. Over the past four years, Creighton is 86-49 with two 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances (two NIT's, one CIT, one CBI).
    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 66 games, including 34 starts, and has 403 points, 210 rebounds and 40 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 401 points, 263 rebounds and 154 assists. He is a career 39.2 percent shooter from three-point range, making 111 of those attempts. He was recognized on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team as a sophomore, junior and senior.
    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 152 blocked shots, seventh with 731 rebounds and 20th with 1,258 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 237 points, 196 rebounds and 42 assists at Creighton.

Double-Double Doug
Doug McDermott had 16 points and 16 rebounds at Akron on Feb. 19, his Valley-best eighth double-double of the season. 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 250 rebounds are also the most by a Bluejay since Chad Gallagher's total of 280 in 1990-91.
    Currently second in the MVC with 7.6 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 over the course of an entire season.

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 7-8 in its last 15 games. That includes a perfect 6-0 mark at home, 1-1 at neutral sites, and an 0-7 road record in that same span. The seven wins have been by a combined 79 points, while the eight losses have been by a combined 40 points.

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 468 points this season, McDermott has already claimed Creighton's freshman scoring record, passing Rodney Buford's 421 points in 1995-96.
    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
Doug McDermott, Creighton (2010-11)    468    250
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
Eddie Bird, Indiana State (1987-88)    429    130
Rayvonte Rice, Drake (2010-11)    428    149
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
Benoit Benjamin, Creighton (1982-83)    400    259

Young Follows His Elders
Junior point guard Antoine Young has 305 assists in his career. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his predecessors:
Name    Young    Dotzler    McKinney    Sears
Games    101    117    110    124
Starts    66    96    97    124
Points    849    422    570    1311
PPG    8.4    3.6    5.2    10.6
Assists    305    388    430    570
APG    3.0    3.3    3.9    4.6
Turnovers    150    200    188    252
A/TO Ratio    2.01    1.94    2.29    2.03
Steals    67    196    119    283
SPG    0.66    1.68    1.08    2.29
Min./Game    25.1    23.0    26.5    33.7
MVC Tourn. Titles    0    1    3    2

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.

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 four of its last seven games, and the play of wings Jahenns Manigat and Josh Jones has been a key reason why.
    In the last seven games, Manigat and Jones have averaged a combined 15.4 points per game on 37-of-62 shooting from the field (59.7 percent), 19-of-37 shooting from downtown (51.4 percent) and 15-of-18 at the line (83.3 percent) to go with a 25/21 assist/turnover ratio.
    Creighton is 7-2 when either Jones or Manigat score in double-digits.
    Creighton is also 8-2 when Manigat and Jones combine for 13 points or more and 7-0 when Manigat, Jones and fellow wing Darryl Ashford combine for 20 or more points.

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.

He's The Manigat
Freshman Jahenns Manigat has started 10 of Creighton's last 11 games and appears to be showing no signs of hitting the proverbial 'freshman wall'. In those 10 starts, Manigat is making 51.7 percent of his shots from the floor and averaging 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 steals per game. Creighton is 6-4 in those starts.

Look At These Numbers
Doug McDermott has averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 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 14.2 points and 7.6 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.

Freshman Sensation
With seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors to his name, Creighton freshman Doug McDermott was a slam-dunk candidate to capture MVC Freshman of the Year accolades. McDermott is averaging 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds per game.
    According to MVC associate commissioner for communications Mike Kern, McDermott became the first freshman to be named 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 owned 12 games of 15 or more points in MVC play, second-most in the MVC behind Andrew Warren (13).
    In addition, Doug McDermott's 14 conference games of seven or more rebounds was the most in the MVC. SIU's Mamadou Seck (13) was next in that category.
    Not surprisingly then, Doug McDermott was 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 was Warren, Seck and Kyle Weems with five.
Most MVC Games, 15+ Points
    15+ Pt. Games    Name, School
    13    Andrew Warren, Bradley
    12    Doug McDermott, Creighton
    10    Carlton Fay, Southern Illinois
    10    Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa
    10    Colt Ryan, Evansville

Most MVC Games, 7+ Rebounds
    7+ Reb. Games    Name, School
    14    Doug McDermott, Creighton
    13    Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois
    12    Will Creekmore, Missouri State
    10    Gabe Blair, Wichita State
    9    Kyle Weems, Missouri State
    8    Gregory Echenique, Creighton
    8    Carl Richard, Indiana State
    8    Tony Lewis, Illinois State
    8    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
    5    Andrew Warren, Bradley

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    19-14    26-7
Games/Games Started    33/33    33/32
Points/Game    14.2    15.0
Rebounds/Game    7.6    5.5
Minutes/Game    29.7    28.8
FG-FGA    183-360    178-422
FG%    .508    .422
3FG-3FGA    34-91    56-162
3FG%    .374    .346
FT-FTA    68-95    84-111
FT%    .716    .757
20-Point Games    3    5
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 March 14, 2011
    Streak    Name, School    Next Game
    32    Brandon Knight, Kentucky    3/17
    31    J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State    3/18
    30    Tobias Harris, Tennessee    3/18
    28    Terrence Jones, Kentucky    3/17
    27    Doug McDermott, Creighton    3/15
    27    Tristan Thompson, Texas    3/18
    26    Harrison Barnes, North Carolina    3/18
    26    Perry Jones, Baylor    --
    26    Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan    --
    25    Rayvonte Rice, Drake    --

Most Double-Doubles, Freshmen (Nationally)
Source - STATS, Inc. - Through March 14, 2011
    D-D    Name, School    Next Game
    17    Jared Sullinger, Ohio State    3/18
    14    Augustine Rubit, South Alabama    --
    11    Terrence Jones, Kentucky    3/17
    9    Tristan Thompson, Texas    3/18
    8    Doug McDermott, Creighton    3/15
    8    Tobias Harris, Tennessee    3/18
    8    Alex Francis, Bryant    --

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, two more than the 12 attained by Southern Illinois.
Most Double-Doubles, MVC Players, 2010-11
    8    Doug McDermott, Creighton
    7    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
    4    Andrew Warren, Bradley

Most Double-Doubles, MVC Teams, 2010-11
    14    Creighton
    12    Southern Illinois
    10    Missouri State

Return To Sender
Gregory Echenique was second in the MVC with 30 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.

Nearing The Top Five
Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks sixth in Creighton history with 731 career rebounds. Four of the five men above him played in the NBA (all but Bob Harstad).
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.    731    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    7.    716    Rodney Buford    1995-99

A Freshman Who Rebounds
Freshman Doug McDermott isn't anywhere close to senior Kenny Lawson's career totals, but his 250 rebounds through 33 games this year are nearly double the 143 caroms Lawson had through his first 33 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.

Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton was 6-6 in the MVC after the 12th game of the league slate before finishing 10-8.
    This is the 16th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well each time.
Year    W-L After 12    W-L Final 6
2010-11    6-6    4-2
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)    63-33 (.656)

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.

Full House
This year Creighton is averaging 15,026 fans per home game, which ranks 14th 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 3/14)
    Rk.    School    Average    Next Home
    1.    Kentucky    23,603    Done
    2.    Syracuse    22,312    Done
    3.    Louisville    21,832    Done
    4.    North Carolina    19,144    Done
    5.    Tennessee    18,952    Done
    6.    BYU    18,714    Done
    7.    Wisconsin    17,230    Done
    8.    Memphis    16,768    Done
    9.    Kansas    16,300    Done
    10.    Illinois    15,851    Done
    11.    Marquette    15,586    Done
    12.    Indiana    15,259    Done
    13.    Ohio State    15,125    Done
    14.    Creighton    15,026    3/15
    15.    New Mexico    14,879    3/15
    16.    Michigan State    14,797    Done
    17.    Maryland    14,910    Done
    18.    Purdue    13,916    Done
    19.    Vanderbilt    13,802    Done
    20.    North Carolina State    13,779    Done
    21.    Arizona    13,680    Done
    22.    Texas    13,669    Done
    23.    UNLV    13,253    Done
    24.    Minnesota    13,241    Done
    25.    Georgetown    12,574    Done

Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
    Home Att.    School    Year
    302,676    Creighton    2008-09
    276,000    Creighton    2007-08
    270,470    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
    15,026 so far    Creighton    2010-11
    14,495    Creighton    2009-10
    13,901    Creighton    2005-06
    13,674    Louisville    1974-75

No TV, No Problem
Creighton has won 25 straight non-televised home games at Qwest Center Omaha, dating to a March 20, 2006 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the NIT.

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.

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

Qwest Center Omaha Records Fall
Five Qwest Center Omaha single-season records fell this season.
    Doug McDermott has 132 rebounds this season at home, passing the Qwest Center Omaha mark of 124 set by Dane Watts in 2007-08. His 7.3 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 83 this year and McDermott, with 87.
    Antoine Young has played in 619 minutes at home, ahead of the previous building mark of 582 by Johnny Mathies in 2005-06.
    From a career perspective, Lawson already owns the facility mark with 273 defensive rebounds. He has tied Nate Funk's mark of 253 field goals and is five offensive rebounds shy of Watts' record career mark of 118.

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.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 16 Years
Year    First 20 W-L    Final W-L    Postseason
2010-11    13-7    ? ? ?    CBI
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    ---

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 31 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
    Creighton's 31 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Wichita State (5), Indiana State (3), Missouri State (2), Evansville (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    5-4
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)    97-47 (.674)

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 544 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 58-14 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.806) 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    Won 1    6-2
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 7.6 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, NIT or CBI all 16 times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.

A Sketch on Ech
Gregory Echenique has made an immediate impact for Creighton, as the Jays are 14-10 since he became eligible on December 17th.
    With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 62.2 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 41.8 percent shooting from the floor (compared to 43.2 percent).
    In addition, Creighton has outrebounded foes by +4.8 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 46.3 percent and its three-point percentage has improved from 31.7 percent to 37.7 percent.

The Echenique Effect
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 9.7 points per game to the line-up has been a big boost, he's made a similar impact on the defensive end of the floor in the lane. Echenique has blocked 42 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 18-7 over the past two seasons when Jones scores five or more points, but 13-21 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 (133 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-133 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 5-for-18 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.

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). This season, he's at 31.6 percent (36-114) from downtown.
    At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 75.5 percent from the stripe (111-147).
    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 35.9 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 13 years (including this season), 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 731 rebounds, 152 blocked shots and 107 games started. He also ranks 20th 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.    1,258    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pr.
    21.    1,254    Gary Swain    1983-87

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 672, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
    Lawson (386 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
    152    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    138    Brody Deren    2001-04
    136    Anthony Tolliver    2003-07

Qwest To Be The Best, 112 Times Over
Creighton has played 133 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
    The Bluejays own a 112-21 (.842) 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 9,736-8,286 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 568 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 12 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year, including this year's CBI appearance

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.

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