Men's Basketball Seeks CBI Title Wednesday at Oregon
3/29/2011 12:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #38 • Creighton at Oregon • Wednesday, March 30, 2011 • 9:05 p.m. Central
Creighton Bluejays at Oregon Ducks
Matthew Knight Arena (12,369) • Eugene, Ore.
Radio: KXSP AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: HDNet
Series History: Series tied, 1-1
Last Time: Creighton won, 84-76, on March 28, 2011, in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
Creighton (23-14) visits Oregon (19-18) in game two of the best-of-3 championship series of the College Basketball Invitational, presented by Zebra Pen.
The Bluejays and Ducks will tangle on Wednesday in a 9:05 pm (Central) game at Matthew Knight Arena (12,541) in Eugene, Ore.
With a win, Creighton would win the 2011 CBI championship series with a 2-0 sweep.
Game three, if Oregon wins on Wednesday, will also be held in Eugene. That game would be played at 9:05 pm Central on Friday.
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
Wednesday's game will be televised nationally by HDNet, with Rich Cellini and Craig Ehlo on the call.
HDNet can be found in Omaha on Charter Communications, Great Plains Cable TV and Huntel Cablevision. HDNet's coverage of the CBI is NOT part of ESPN's Full Court package.
HDNet is also available on channels 79 or 306 (DirecTV) or channel 362 (Dish Network).
Coordinates are as follows:
AMC 15, Transponder TX 03 (HDNet)
D/L Freq. 11760.000 (V), 36 MHz
105 degrees west, 38810700 bps
Sym. Rate 28.075826,
FEC 3/4
Video Webcast Information
Wednesday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Updates are also provided on the athletic department's Twitter page (@gocreighton).
Scouting Creighton
Creighton brings a 23-14 record into Wednesday's night's game, the program's 12th 20-win season in the past 13 years.
The Bluejays have posted four straight victories in the CBI thus far, an 85-74 victory over San Jose State on March 15, a 102-92 win over Davidson on March 21, an 82-64 triumph over UCF last Wednesday and an 84-76 win over Oregon on Monday. All four of those games took place at Qwest Center Omaha.
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 (15.2 ppg.) and in rebounding (7.5 rpg.). He's been in double-figures in 31 of 37 games and paces the MVC with nine double-doubles. He is the first MVC freshman to be named first-team all-MVC since 1951-52, and on Monday became the MVC's top scoring freshman in league history. McDermott has averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in four CBI games.
Second on the team in scoring is junior point guard Antoine Young. Young averages 13.2 points per game and leads the MVC in assists (186), assists per game (5.0), assist/turnover ratio (2.58) and minutes (1,324). He owns 35 assists and just four turnovers in four CBI games.
Giving the Jays a big tandem inside is sophomore Gregory Echenique (10.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg., 1.8 bpg.) and senior Kenny Lawson Jr. (9.2 ppg., 5.5 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 overall rejections this season. Echenique leads the MVC in blocked shots per game and field goal percentage.
Creighton owns an impressive 541/436 assist/turnover ratio and has made almost as many free throws (509) than the opposition has attempted (556).
Scouting Oregon
Led by former Creighton coach Dana Altman, Oregon is 19-18 on the season, including five wins in the last seven games. The Ducks finished 7-11 in conference play, then advanced to the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament semifinals with wins over Arizona State and UCLA.
Second-team all-conference pick Joevan Catron leads the Ducks in scoring (15.5 ppg.) and rebounding (6.7 rpg.).
E.J. Singler, brother of Duke standout Kyle Singler, is second on the team with 11.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range and is second on the club with 53 three-point baskets.
Malcolm Armstead paces the Ducks with 81 steals and 158 assists while chipping in 8.6 points per game.
Oregon averages 70.1 points per game and allows 69.6 per contest. They are outrebounded by 1.9 caroms per contest, but force 15.3 turnovers per game.
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 303-209 in 17 seasons, a 172-145 mark in 10 Division I years and a 23-14 mark in his first year at Creighton.
He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his first year as head coach of the Ducks. He owns a 19-18 mark at Oregon and a career record of 430-261 in his 22nd year as a NCAA Division I head coach. Creighton's all-time winningest coach with 327 wins, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team in 2007. He has led his teams to the postseason in 14 straight seasons, and is assisted by Kevin McKenna, Brian Fish and Tony Stubblefield.
The Series With Oregon
Creighton and Oregon have split two previous meetings.
Oregon won first meeting with Creighton, 75-64 on Dec. 26, 1974 in Portland, Ore. The Ducks were ranked 19th at the time, and the contest was played as part of the Far West Classic.
Creighton evened the series on Monday with an 84-76 win over the Ducks at Qwest Center Omaha.
Greg McDermott is 1-0 against Oregon, and is 3-9 when coaching against Dana Altman. Altman is 0-1 against Creighton.
20 Wins, Again
Creighton's March 15 win over San Jose State gave the Bluejays 20 or more wins for the 12th time in the last 13 years, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 13 Years
Seasons School
13 Duke
13 Florida
13 Gonzaga
13 Kansas
13 Syracuse
12 Creighton
12 Kent State
12 Kentucky
12 Texas
12 Utah State
12 Xavier
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 21-30 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.
Creighton is 4-0 in its 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 that has now made 30 all-time postseason appearances.
This season's four postseason wins are the most in school history for one year.
Against Common Opponents
Creighton and Oregon share just one common opponent this season.
Creighton beat San Jose State, 85-74, in Omaha, on March 15 in the CBI opener. Oregon suffered its first loss of the season on Nov. 20 to the same San Jose State team in a game played in Eugene. The score of that game was 75-72.
Against Postseason Opponents
Oregon is 10-14 against teams that made the postseason this season. That includes a 5-8 mark vs. NCAA Tournament qualifiers (two wins over USC and one win each over UC Santa Barbara, Washington and UCLA), a 2-3 mark vs. NIT teams (wins over Washington State and Texas Southern), a 3-2 mark vs. CBI qualifiers (wins over Weber State, Duquesne and Boise State) and a 0-1 mark vs. the CIT field.
Creighton is 11-10 against teams that made the postseason this season. That includes a 2-3 mark vs. NCAA Tournament qualifiers (wins over Indiana State and Alabama State), an 0-6 mark vs. NIT teams, a 6-0 mark vs. CBI qualifiers (two wins over Evansville, one win vs. Oregon, San Jose State, Davidson and UCF) and a 3-1 mark over CIT teams (two wins over Northern Iowa and one over Northern Arizona).
Wednesday will be Creighton's 10th consecutive game against a team that reached the postseason. The Jays are 6-3 in the first nine games of that run.
Oregon/Creighton Connections
Oregon head coach Dana Altman coached at Creighton from 1994-2010, where he went 327-176 in 16 seasons. He took the Jays to 13 straight postseasons, including seven NCAA Tournaments, and won three MVC regular-season and six MVC Tournament titles.
His son, Oregon video coordinator Jordan Altman, is a Creighton graduate.
Oregon assistant coach Brian Fish spent two seasons at Creighton as a film coordinator (1994-96) and six more as an assistant coach (2004-10).
Oregon assistant coach Kevin McKenna was a 1998 inductee into the Creighton Hall of Fame as one of the top players in school history. He was an assistant at Creighton for nine seasons (1994-2001 and 2005-07). He earned his undergraduate degree from Creighton in 1993 and his Master's in 1997.
Creighton assistant coach Darian DeVries worked with Dana Altman, Fish and McKenna, as did current Creighton Diversity & Inclusion Officer Len Gordy.
History Lesson
Winning game one is key in any best-of-3 series, and the numbers in the brief history of the CBI back that up.
In the first three years of the CBI championship series, the team that hosted game one has won all three championships.
In addition, the team to win game one has won all three championships.
In 2008, Tulsa won game one and three at home to topple Bradley.
In 2009, Oregon State won the first game at home before UTEP tied the series in El Paso in game two. The Beavers then beat the Miners in the third and final game, which was contested at UTEP.
In 2010, VCU beat Saint Louis in game one in Richmond, then won the title with a game two victory in St. Louis.
Creighton won game one on Monday, 84-76, and will look to become the third straight team to win the CBI title on an opponent's court.
Deep Into March
Wednesday's game in Eugene will take place on March 30th. That's the deepest into March that Creighton has ever played.
Before Wednesday, the latest game ever played in any Bluejay season was March 29, 1950, when the Jays played St. Francis (N.Y.) in the National Catholic Intercollegiate Tournament in Albany, N.Y.
Postseason Victors
Creighton has won eight postseason games in the last four years, including two in the NIT, two in the CIT and four in the CBI. On a national basis, Creighton's eight postseason wins since 2008 rank tied for 10th nationally.
Among teams without an NCAA victory in that group, Creighton's eight wins is tied for the most with Oregon State's eight.
Most Postseason Wins, Last 4 Years
Wins School
17 North Carolina
12 Kansas
11 Duke
11 Michigan State
10 Butler
10 VCU
9 Connecticut
9 Kentucky
9 Ohio State
8 Creighton
8 Dayton
8 Florida
8 Memphis
8 Oregon State
7 Baylor
7 Bradley
7 Syracuse
7 Villanova
7 West Virginia
7 Xavier
Most CBI/CIT/NIT Combined Wins, Last 4 Years
Wins School
8 Creighton
8 Oregon State
7 Bradley
7 Dayton
6 Mississippi
6 Tulsa
6 Virginia Tech
Against Former Coaches?
On Monday Creighton improved to 5-7 all-time when facing former head coaches. The Jays went 3-6 against Eddie Hickey (0-2 at Saint Louis, 3-4 at Marquette), and more recently were 1-1 against Eddie Sutton when he was at Oklahoma State. Creighton is 1-0 against Dana Altman. Below is that list:
Former Creighton Coaches vs. Creighton
Date Former Coach New School CU Score
03/28/11 Altman Oregon W 84-76
12/20/98 Sutton Oklahoma State W 66-60
11/22/97 Sutton Oklahoma State L 86-70
01/23/64 Hickey Marquette W 84-57
03/06/63 Hickey Marquette L 74-68
02/05/62 Hickey Marquette W 79-72
01/14/61 Hickey Marquette L 89-64
03/04/60 Hickey Marquette W 69-66
12/20/58 Hickey Marquette L 70-49
12/09/58 Hickey Marquette L 53-49
02/20/48 Hickey Saint Louis L 40-27
01/31/48 Hickey Saint Louis L 38-25
Former Cyclones Taking Title Turns
Greg McDermott is after something two former Iowa State co-workers have done this year, win a national postseason event.
Gene Chizik was head coach of Iowa State football for two years before accepting a head coaching job at Auburn. At Auburn, he went 8-5 in his first year before going 14-0 and winning a national title (against Oregon, no less) in year number two.
Cael Sanderson was head coach of Iowa State wrestling for three years before accepting a head coaching job at Penn State. At Penn State, he recently won a national title in his second season with the Nittany Lions.
McDermott served as Iowa State men's basketball coach for four seasons from 2006-10 before joining the Bluejay program 11 months ago.
For All The Zebra Pens?
This will be the fourth straight season that the Missouri Valley Conference will have a men's basketball team playing for a postseason national title, the longest active streak of any league.
In 2008, Bradley faced Tulsa in the CBI final, while the Braves faced Pacific in the 2009 CIT championship game. In 2010, Missouri State won the CIT over Pacific.
This season, Creighton is playing for the CBI title.
Postseason Titles
The only recognized postseason title in Creighton Athletics history was won in 2004, when the women's basketball team won the WNIT.
In 1918-19, the Creighton men's basketball team capped its second straight undefeated season by winning a two-game series against the U.S. Army's Camp Grant. By winning the series, the March 20, 1919 Creighton Chronicle reported “the Creighton team is recognized as the champions of the west, not only among the college teams, but professionals.”
Dr. Floyd Paynter took the success one step further when he wrote in the March 1934 Creighton Alumnus, “After this great season we claimed the basketball championship of the nation for Creighton University.”
Postseason Success
Creighton's eight postseason wins in the past four years is easily the best in any four-year span in program history. The group from 2007-10 combined for four postseason wins to hold the previous mark.
On HDNet?
Creighton has never lost when playing on HDNet, going 5-0 while averaging 89.4 points.
The Jays defeated IUPUI 99-52 on Nov. 25, 2002, then beat Notre Dame 80-75 the following night. Both of those games took place in Kansas City as part of the Guardians Classic, which was also run by the Gazelle Group.
Creighton defeated Davidson 102-92 on March 21, beat UCF 82-64 last Wednesday, and Oregon 84-76 on Monday to improve to 5-0 on the channel.
Home Sweet CBI Home
Having the home-court advantage during the CBI continues to be a tremendous edge.
In the four-year history of the event, home teams are a combined 46-19, including a 27-6 mark after the first round and a 14-1 record this year.
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
2011 7-1 4-0 2-0 1-0 14-1
Totals 19-13 14-2 6-2 7-2 46-19
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 2011
Largest 1st round crowd 5,365 6.647 3,542 4,375
Smallest 1st round crowd 1,169 1.045 665 989
Average 1st round crowd 3,813 2.833 1,712 2,414
Largest quarterfinal crowd 6,460 8.812 4,235 5,913
Smallest quarterfinal crowd 3,082 2.541 640 3,949
Average quarterfinal crowd 5,433 5,801 2,347 5,016
Largest semifinal crowd 5,852 4.759 4,682 6,392
Smallest semifinal crowd 5,339 2.363 3,352 6,157
Average semifinal crowd 5,596 3,561 4,017 6,275
Largest finals crowd 9,014 12,000 5,612 12,381
Smallest finals crowd 7,337 8,029 4,386 12,381
Average finals crowd 8,269 10,676 4,999 12,381
Average crowd (all rounds) 5,190 5,001 2,570 4,287
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. The MVC owns an all-time record of 10-5 in the event.
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.
In addition to Creighton's 4-0 start in the CBI this year, Evansville went 1-1 and was eliminated by Boise State in the quarterfinal round.
Like A Gazelle
Creighton's 4-0 performance in the 2011 CBI, presented by Zebra Pen, has extended the program's streak to 12 straight wins in events promoted by the New Jersey-based Gazelle Group.
Creighton went 4-0 in both 2002 and 2004 in the Guardians Classic (promoted by the Gazelle Group), and is now 4-0 in the 2011 CBI.
Oregon head coach Dana Altman dropped to 11-1 in Gazelle Group events with Monday's loss.
Postseason Features Last-Second Endings
Eight of Creighton's previous nine postseason runs have included a game that was decided in the final seconds, though this year's run has not yet had such an ending.
In fact, Creighton's postseason openers in the past 10 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 three 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.
Does The CBI Help?
Has playing in the CBI served as a springboard for future success?
One needs to look no further than this season's Final Four darling, VCU, for proof. Last year VCU won the CBI, and this year the Rams have already won five NCAA Tournament games, defeating USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas.
Of last year's CBI “Final Four”, VCU, Princeton and Boston all reached this year's NCAA Tournament.
Six teams playing in this year's NCAA Tournament participated in last year's CBI.
2010 CBI 2011 2011
Team W-L W-L Postseason?
VCU 5-0 28-11 NCAA*
Saint Louis 3-2 12-19 --
Princeton 2-1 25-7 NCAA
Boston 2-1 21-14 NCAA
Morehead State 1-1 25-10 NCAA
Green Bay 1-1 14-18 --
Charleston 1-1 26-11 NIT
IUPUI 1-1 19-14 --
Oregon State 0-1 11-20 --
Hofstra 0-1 21-12 CBI
Eastern Kentucky 0-1 15-16 --
Akron 0-1 23-13 NCAA
Colorado State 0-1 19-13 NIT
Duquesne 0-1 19-13 CBI
Indiana State 0-1 20-14 NCAA
George Washington 0-1 17-14 --
*advanced to NCAA Tournament Final Four on Sat.
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
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 a 4-3 record in four postseason appearances, including a 4-0 mark at Creighton.
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 4-0
On The Road, Again
On Wednesday, Creighton will be playing its first true road game since Feb. 23, 2011 when it lost in the final two seconds at Wichita State.
Creighton has suffered seven straight road losses since its last win in an enemy gym on Jan. 9 at Evansville. Those seven losses have been by a combined 30 points, and have seen the opponent score the go-ahead points in the last 15 seconds three times, as well as two other games where Creighton had a shot to tie in the final 15 seconds but missed a three-pointer.
Creighton is 3-9 in true road games this season, and lost won a non-conference road game on Dec. 6, 2008, beating Saint Joseph's at The Palestra.
Dish Network
Creighton had 21 assists on 28 field goals on Monday and now has assisted 83 or 120 field goals (69.2 percent) in the CBI.
Jahenns Manigat had a career-high with seven helpers, while Antoine Young had his fourth straight game with eight or more assists.
Young is the first Bluejay with four straight games of eight or more dimes since Ryan Sears from Jan. 8-19, 2000. Young's 186 assists this year are third-most in school history, and most by any Bluejay since Randy Eccker had 205 assists in 1976-77.
Monday was also the first time that Creighton had two players with seven or more assists in the same game since Feb. 10, 1991. In that game, Duan Cole had seven assists and Darin Plautz had eight assists.
An All-New 24?
Creighton seeks its 24th win of the season on Wednesday night in Eugene, which would tie it for third-most in the program history. This year's club has already won 23 games, tying it for fifth-most in school history.
Wednesday's game pits Dana Altman vs. Greg McDermott on the sideline. Those two men have led the Jays to seven of those 10 seasons of 23 or more victories.
W-L Season Head Coach
29-5 2002-03 Altman
27-8 2008-09 Altman
24-8 1990-91 Barone
24-8 2000-01 Altman
23-5 1921-22 Kearney
23-7 1973-74 Sutton
23-9 2001-02 Altman
23-10 1999-00 Altman
23-11 2004-05 Altman
23-14 2010-11 McDermott
School Records Within Reach?
Due in no small part to the fact that Creighton has played in more games than any other season before it, the Jays are chasing down some long-standing school records.
With 2,557 points, Creighton is 131 points from the record of 2,668 set by the 2002-03 club.
Creighton has attempted 721 three-pointers, 27 shy of the school-record set in 2007-08.
Creighton's opponents also own 109 blocked shots this season. The record for that is 113, set in 2006-07.
Creighton has already allowed 230 three-pointers to the opposition, 11 more than the previous mark set in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.
200 Or More Rebound Tandem, Again
For the second straight season, Creighton has two players with more than 200 or more rebounds. Last year it was Kenny Lawson Jr. (230) and Justin Carter (200), while this season it is Doug McDermott (276) and Lawson (204).
Before last season, the Jays hadn't had two men over 200 rebounds in the same season since 2006-07, when Anthony Tolliver (220) and Dane Watts (212) did so.
500 Point Duo?
Doug McDermott leads Creighton with 562 points, while Antoine Young has 488 points and can crack that elite list if he reaches his average of 13.2 points per game on Wednesday.
Creighton hasn't had two men go over 500 points in the same season since the “Dynamic Duo” 20 years ago. In 1990-91, Chad Gallagher had 620 points, while Bob Harstad had 570 points.
Ending With A Win
In a sport like basketball, only a small number of teams end the year on a win. Doug McDermott is trying to buck the odds and do so for a third straight year.
The freshman from Ames, Iowa, won back-to-back state titles at Ames High School, where he teamed with fellow freshman All-American Harrison Barnes, who now plays for North Carolina for back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Random Trivia
Heading into Wednesday's game in Eugene, only five teams nationally have a longer winning streak than Creighton.
Most people could probably guess Final Four qualifiers Butler (13), Kentucky (10), Connecticut (9) and VCU (5).
One team that will take a five-game win streak into next year is Savannah State. The Tigers won their final five games to finish 12-18, but as an independent had no conference tournament to parlay it into a postseason bid.
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.
McDermott Wins 300th
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott picked up his 300th career win with the March 15 victory over San Jose State. It also marked the eighth time in 17 seasons as a head coach that he's won 20 games in a year.
McDermott owns a career mark of 303-209, including 23-14 this year in his first season at Creighton.
Big Mac's Attack
Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 23-14 mark so far this year, the most wins by any first-year coach in school history. Tom Apke had the previous mark when he went 20-7 in 1974-75.
McDermott's 23 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 23 wins are fourth-most of that group.
Among his peers, the only other Valley coaches to more than 20 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 20 or more wins so far this season, through March 28.
School Coach W-L Next Game
UTEP Tim Floyd 25-10 --
Iona Tim Cluess 25-11 3/30
Colorado Tad Boyle 24-13 3/29
Creighton Greg McDermott 23-14 3/30
Marshall Tom Herrion 22-12 --
Clemson Brad Brownell 22-12 --
Boise State Leon Rice 22-13 -
UCF Donnie Jones 21-12 --
Northern Colorado B.J. Hill 21-11 --
St. John's Steve Lavin 21-12 --
Hofstra Mo Cassara 21-12 --
Boston College Steve Donahue 21-13 --
Indiana State Greg Lansing 20-14 --
Among The Best
The Missouri Valley Conference is 10-4 in the postseason this season, its most postseason wins in league history for one year.
Evansville won one game in the CBI, Missouri State won one game in the NIT, Northern Iowa won one game in the CIT. Creighton has four wins (so far) in the CBI, while Wichita State has three wins (so far) in the NIT.
All-Around Doug
Doug McDermott enters Monday's game with 562 points, 276 rebounds and 44 three-point baskets during his remarkable freshman season.
According to research by Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson and STATS Inc., the last two men to attain 525 points, 270 rebounds and 40 three-pointers in a season were über-freshmen Kevin Durant (Texas) in 2006-07 and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) in 2002-03.
The previous two men before them to do so, Quentin Richardson (1998-99 at DePaul) and Eddie Griffin (2000-01 at Seton Hall), like Durant and Anthony, were also named the National Freshman of the Year.
Durant had 903 points, 390 rebounds and 82 three-point baskets, Anthony had 778 points, 349 rebounds and 56 three-pointers, Griffin had 533 points, 323 rebounds and 41 three-pointers and Richardson had 586 points, 327 rebounds and 44 trifectas.
Below is the list, compiled by STATS Inc., of all 23 Division I players since 1996-97 to have McDermott's current levels of 562 points, 276 rebounds and 44-three pointers:
562+ Pts., 276+ Reb., 44+ 3FG Since 1996-97
Source: STATS Inc. & Creighton Sports Info
Name, School Year 3FG Reb. Pts.
Kevin Durant, Texas 2006-07 82 390 903
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 2002-03 56 349 778
Shane Battier, Duke 2000-01 124 285 778
Kyle Singler, Duke 2009-10 85 280 707
Keith Van Horn, Utah 1996-97 58 303 705
Ryan Anderson, Cal 2007-08 64 328 697
Matt Harpring, Ga. Tech 1997-98 52 302 691
Theron Smith, Ball State 2001-02 45 381 687
Jordan Hamilton, Texas 2010-11 90 276 671
Rasual Butler, LaSalle 2001-02 57 283 670
Brian Heinle, CS-Northridge 2000-01 52 293 646
Jamine Peterson, Providence 2009-10 51 315 609
James Posey, Xavier 1998-99 48 322 609
Kyle Singler, Duke 2008-09 69 284 609
Romain Sato, Xavier 2003-04 75 297 603
Quentin Richardson, DePaul 1998-99 44 327 586
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse 2009-10 51 299 577
Harding Nana, Delaware 2004-05 53 322 574
Gordon Hayward, Butler 2009-10 47 305 572
Lazar Hayward, Marquette 2008-09 53 302 570
Harding Nana, Delaware 2005-06 46 326 569
Jumaine Jones, Georgia 1998-99 48 284 564
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11 44 276 562
Freshmen listed in bold italic
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 251 wins in the decade, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to March 28, 2011)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 135 63 .682 251 112 .691
Southern Illinois 129 69 .652 230 127 .644
Wichita State 109 89 .551 209 145 .590
Northern Iowa 109 89 .551 206 144 .589
Missouri State 108 90 .545 207 147 .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 .359 144 197 .422
Evansville 65 133 .328 126 200 .387
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
Win It For 'Merf'
Creighton will be without assistant coach Steve Merfeld on the bench for this week's CBI championship series. Merfeld underwent long-scheduled hip surgery on Monday.
In 2008, Merfeld was an assistant coach on Bradley's team that reached the CBI finals.
This is the 10-year anniversary of his most famous moment in coaching. He led the 15th-seeded Hampton Pirates to an upset victory over second-seeded Iowa State in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Bench Carries Some Rare 0-Fer's
Despite Creighton averaging a staggering 88.2 points in three CBI games to date, it has done it despite some 0-fer's in the starting backcourt.
In the San Jose State game, Antoine Young was held scoreless.
Against Davidson, Kaleb Korver was scoreless, while Jahenns Manigat was 0-for-3 from the floor.
Most recently against UCF, Korver was scoreless and Manigat 0-for-3 from the field.
Helping to step up for Creighton has been strong play by its bench. The Bluejay bench has scored 109 points during the four CBI games, including an average of 12.0 points per game by Josh Jones, 8.8 ppg. by Kenny Lawson Jr. and 4.8 per contest from Wayne Runnels.
Offensive Floodgates Open
Creighton has scored 80 or more points in all four CBI games to date. It's their first streak of four-straight games of 80 or more points since four in a row midway through the 2007-08 campaign.
Creighton has also shot 50 percent or better in each of its last seven home games.
Down To A Dozen
By the time Creighton takes the floor on Wednesday night, only eight schools will still be playing nationwide.
There will be four teams headed to Houston on the road to the NCAA Tournament's Final Four, two teams remaining in New York City for the NIT finals and two teams in Eugene for the CBI championship series. The CIT title game (Santa Clara at Iona) starts at 7 pm Central on Wednesday night, and should be finished by the 9 pm Central tip-off.
As of Monday night, two of those 12 remaining schools will be from the Missouri Valley Conference, is Wichita State was still alive in the NIT. The only other league with multiple schools left was the SEC (Kentucky, Alabama) and the Pacific-10 (Oregon, Washington State).
Make Room For Gregory
Creighton big man Gregory Echenique missed the first nine games of the season, as he was required to miss the first semester due to his mid-year transfer from Rutgers one season earlier.
Echenique, however, has played in Creighton's last 28 games, which is enough for him to finally reach the league's minimum 75 percent participation requirement to show up among the league's statistical leaders.
Echenique's impact is made immediately evident. He's first in the league in field goal percentage (.605) and blocked shots per game (1.8), fourth in offensive rebounds per game (2.2) and ranks 10th with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Doug vs. Greg
Doug McDermott's 31 points and 10 rebounds vs. Davidson on March 21 moved him past his father, Bluejay head coach Greg McDermott, for family bragging rights in several areas.
Doug's career-high 31 points was two more than Greg's career-best of 29 points (vs. Western Illinois on March 1, 1986) when he played at UNI.
It was also Doug's ninth career double-double, one more than the eight his father attained in four years at UNI.
Earlier this year Doug had 17 rebounds at Bradley. Greg's career-high was 15 on Dec. 8, 1984 at Kansas State.
Qwest For 10,000
Creighton has scored 10,089 points all-time at Qwest Center Omaha, surpassing 10,000 points in the building on March 23 after a basket by Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. UCF.
Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 10,089-8,592 in 137 career games in the eight-year old facility.
Creighton is now 9-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (QCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
Little Mac, Big Production
Doug McDermott had a season-high 31 points in a March 21 win vs. Davidson, the most by a Bluejay freshman since Rodney Buford lit up Illinois State for 36 points on Feb. 5, 1996.
The 31 points were also the most by a Bluejay in any postseason game in school history, the most by a Bluejay in any game since Cavel Witter had 42 in a double-overtime game on March 1, 2008 vs. Bradley, and the most by a Bluejay in regulation since Nate Funk had 33 vs. Missouri State on March 3, 2007.
McDermott From Downtown
Doug McDermott was just 15-for-53 (28.3 percent) from three-point range in the first 20 games of his Bluejay career, but he's been a marksman in the 17 games since January 19th.
In that span, McDermott is 29-for-58 from downtown (50.0 percent). He's hit at least one trey in 16 of those 17 games, and is 17-for-33 (51.5 percent) from deep in his last nine games.
McDermott ranks second on the team with 44 three-point baskets and 39.6 percent accuracy from long-range.
Forever Young
Antoine Young had 22 points and nine assists in Creighton's win over Davidson on March 21while finishing his second straight game without a turnover.
Creighton had not had a player with 20 or more points and nine or more assists in the same game since Duan Cole had 21 points and nine assists vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 18, 1991.
To find a game with 20 or more points and 10 or more assists, you'd have to go all the way to Vernon Moore's 21 point, 12 assist performance vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 17, 1985.
Young, with 16 points and 10 assists vs. UCF on March 23, had Creighton's first point-assist double-double since Tyler McKinney in 2002.
For the CBI, Young has a 35 assist/4 turnover ratio. The impressive stretch has seen him improve his assist-to-turnover ratio from 2.22/1 (50th nationally) to 2.58/1 (20th nationally).
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to a win over San Jose State on March 15, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record four straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
Entering this year, Creighton was one of 18 teams with to win a postseason game each of the previous three postseasons. That list was as follows: Creighton, Dayton, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan State, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Xavier.
The following 10 teams are the only ones that extended it to four straight seasons, including this year: Creighton, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.
Taking it a step further, there were only seven schools that won both men's and women's basketball postseason games in each of the previous three years (not including 2010-11). That ultra-elite list consisted of Creighton, Duke, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue and Texas A&M.
Not Ready To Hang It Up
Kenny Lawson Jr. has played with an increased urgency as his senior year winds down. The center from Oceanside, Calif., has averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in just 16.5 minutes per game in March.
Lawson is shooting 54.5 percent from the field, including 53.3 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent at the line.
On March 21 vs. Davidson, his three-point play in the final 15 seconds helped Creighton crack the century mark and moved him past baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson for 18th on Creighton's all-time scoring list.
20-20-20 Vision
During last Monday's 102-92 win over Davidson, Creighton had three men score more than 20 points in the same game for the first time since Jan. 21, 1998.
On that night, Doug Swenson (23), Ben Walker (20) and Rodney Buford (20) turned the trick vs. Missouri State.
Last Monday, it was Doug McDermott (31), Antoine Young (22) and Josh Jones (21) that went for 20 or more points.
Points By The Bunch
Creighton put up 102 points vs. Davidson last Monday, its most points since a 111-110 double-OT victory over Bradley on March 1, 2008.
The Jays hadn't gone over 100 points in regulation since a 110-73 win over Houston Baptist on Dec. 17, 2007.
Creighton is now 43-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, and has won 16 straight games when scoring 100 or more since Feb. 26, 1977 vs. North Texas State.
Creighton's 102 points were a CBI record, as were the 194 combined points between Creighton and Davidson.
Creighton's 102 points were first time a Greg McDermott squad reached the century mark in a Division I game. His Wayne State team did so 15 times, most recently four times during the 1999-2000 season.
And Allowing Nearly As Many
Creighton's 92 points allowed to Davidson on March 21 were the most by a Bluejay opponent since Bradley had 110 in double-overtime on March 1, 2008, and most in regulation by a CU foe since Western Kentucky hung 95 on the Jays on Dec. 19, 2001.
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott had never won a Division I game when allowing more than 90 points, entering March 21st with an 0-3 mark.
Newcomers Lead The Way
Three players making their postseason debuts, sophomore Gregory Echenique and freshmen Doug McDermott and Jahenns Manigat, led the way in Creighton's CBI-opening victory over San Jose State on March 15.
Echenique had 18 points, his most in 25 games as a Bluejay, while also hauling down five rebounds and blocking two shots.
McDermott had team-high totals of 26 points and nine rebounds and tied a personal best with four three-point baskets. His 26 points were the most by a Bluejay in the postseason since Terrell Taylor's 28 vs. Florida in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, and the most ever by a Creighton freshman in a postseason contest.
Manigat had a season-high 17 points, and career-best five three-point baskets.
Echenique and McDermott had Creighton's first 20 points after halftime as the team rallied from a 43-40 halftime deficit to take the lead for good.
Last Monday vs. Davidson, Creighton's freshman class scored 34 points while its sophomores combined for 31 points.
During the CBI, Creighton's freshman class has scored 126 points, the sophomores 110, junior Antoine Young has 47 points, and the senior class owns 70 points.
Game Tested, Parts I, II & III
Wednesday will mark the 38th game of the season for Creighton, continuing to establish a school record. Creighton played 35 games in 2008-09 for the previous mark.
Monday was also Creighton's 22nd and final home game of the season, easily the most in program history. The 2008-09 team previously had 19 home games to hold the standard. Creighton 19 home wins is another record. The 2002-03 team went 17-0 in the final full season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Game Tested, Part IV
Fifth-year senior Kenny Lawson Jr. has played in 141 games as a Bluejay, more than any other player in school history. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
141 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
135 Nate Funk 2002-07
133 Kaleb Korver 2007-Pres.
130 Dane Watts 2004-08
Rewriting Qwest Center Omaha Records
Creighton's 36 free throws made on March 21 vs. Davidson were a CBI and Qwest Center Omaha record.
CU's 43 free throw attempts were a CBI record, and one shy of the Qwest Center Omaha mark.
Josh Jones' 4-for-4 showing from three-point range tied the Qwest Center Omaha mark for a Creighton player for most attempts from long-range without a miss.
Creighton is averaging 88.2 points in four CBI games this year. The CBI record for scoring average by one team is 87.3 by Boston University in 2010. Creighton is also on pace to set CBI team records for scoring margin (+11.8) and field goal percentage (.536).
Close Games This Year
Creighton has not had a game decided by more than 19 points this season, the first time it can say that since 1939-40.
The last time Creighton had a season without a 20-point win was 1994-95. The last time the Jays had a season without a loss by 14 or more points was 2004-05.
Last Wednesday, the Jays led 82-52 with three minutes to play until UCF closed the game with a 12-0 run to trim CU's final margin to 18.
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 23 wins, the bench has scored 519 points (22.6 ppg.), but in the 14 losses it's scored just 162 points total (11.6 ppg.), with a high of 18.
Creighton is 20-1 this season when its bench scores 18 points or more, but just 3-13 when it scores 17 or fewer.
Creighton's bench had a season-high 36 points vs. Davidson on March 21.
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
“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 1-5 in games decided by three points or less this season.
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 35.8 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.
Young has played an MVC-high 1,324 minutes this season. That's the most by any MVC player since at least 1996-97. According to available records, that's the most by any player in Creighton history, as seen below:
Most Minutes, Season
Minutes Name Year
1,324 Antoine Young 2010-11
1,193 Benoit Benjamin 1984-85
1,182 Rod Mason 1987-88
1,169 Vernon Moore 1983-84
1,164 Vernon Moore 1984-85
Young's Passing Fancy
Antoine Young ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring with 13.2 points per game. His team, however, sometimes succeeds when he takes on a secondary scoring role. Creighton is 17-2 this season when Young takes 11 field goal attempts or less.
Young, who also leads the MVC with 5.0 assists per game, is assured of becoming 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 488 points and 186 assists so far this year. It had been 25 years since Creighton has had a player with 400 or more points and 150 or more assists, as Vernon Moore in 1984-85 (671 points/159 assists) was the last to do so.
Young has become the first Creighton player with 475 points and 175 assists in a season.
Young's 186 assists this season are third-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 90-49 with three 20-win seasons, eight postseason wins and four postseason appearances (two NIT's, one CIT, one CBI).
The five seniors 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 70 games, including 34 starts, and has 410 points, 220 rebounds and 43 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 411 points, 275 rebounds and 161 assists. He is a career 39.1 percent shooter from three-point range, making 114 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, sixth with 751 rebounds and 18th with 1,293 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 256 points, 206 rebounds and 46 assists at Creighton.
Double-Double Doug
Doug McDermott had 31 points and 10 rebounds vs. Davidson on March 21, his Valley-best ninth double-double of the season. McDermott's nine double-doubles are the most in one season by a Creighton player since Nate King had nine double-doubles in 1993-94.
McDermott's 276 rebounds are also the most by a Bluejay since Chad Gallagher's total of 280 in 1990-91.
Currently second in the MVC with 7.5 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 six father-son duos in college basketball this season. Other pairs include Bob and Brendan McKillop (Davidson), 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 11-8 in its last 19 games. That includes a perfect 10-0 mark at home, 1-1 at neutral sites, and an 0-7 road record in that same span. The 11 wins have been by a combined 126 points, while the eight losses have been by a combined 40 points.
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 562 points this season are most in Creighton history by a newcomer. Paul Silas, with 551 in 1961-62, had the previous record. That was Silas' sophomore season since freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition then.
McDermott Chases History
Doug McDermott has 562 points this season, most by a freshman in MVC history. Cleo Littleton of Wichita State held the league's previous 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 562 points this season, McDermott has already destroyed 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.
Doug McDermott, Creighton (2010-11) 562 276
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
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 340 assists in his career, moving past current Oregon assistant coach Kevin McKenna for eighth-most in Creighton history. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his predecessors:
Name Young Dotzler McKinney Sears
Games 105 117 110 124
Starts 70 96 97 124
Points 896 422 570 1311
PPG 8.5 3.6 5.2 10.6
Assists 340 388 430 570
APG 3.2 3.3 3.9 4.6
Turnovers 154 200 188 252
A/TO Ratio 2.21 1.94 2.29 2.03
Steals 71 196 119 283
SPG 0.68 1.68 1.08 2.29
Min./Game 25.5 23.0 26.5 33.7
MVC Tourn. Titles 0 1 3 2
Postseason Wins 7 3 1 1
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 (then) 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 eight of its last 11 games, and the play of wings Jahenns Manigat and Josh Jones has been a key reason why.
In the last 11 games, Manigat and Jones have averaged a combined 17.1 points per game on 63-of-110 shooting from the field (57.2 percent), 36-of-69 shooting from downtown (52.2 percent) and 26-of-37 at the line (70.3 percent) to go with a 46/24 assist/turnover ratio.
Creighton is 11-2 when either Jones or Manigat score in double-digits.
Creighton is also 11-2 when Manigat and Jones combine for 13 points or more and 10-0 when Manigat, Jones and fellow wing Darryl Ashford combine for 20 or more points.
Manigat had a career-high 17 points in the first round of the CBI, while Jones had a career-best 21 points in the CBI quarterfinals.
Free And Easy
For the season, Creighton is 12-0 when making more than 15 free throws, and has won 15 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 14 of Creighton's last 15 games and appears to be showing no signs of hitting the proverbial 'freshman wall'. In those 14 starts, Manigat is making 50.7 percent of his shots from the floor and averaging 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Creighton is 10-4 in those starts.
Look At These Numbers
Doug McDermott has averaged 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game so far this season. He ranks fourth in the MVC in scoring and is second in rebounding in all games.
The last MVC player to have season averages at least 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game was Bradley's Marcellus Sommerville in 2004-05, when the senior averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 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 15.2 points, 7.5 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.
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 29, 2011
Streak Name, School Next Game
34 Brandon Knight, Kentucky 4/2
34 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State --
31 Doug McDermott, Creighton 3/30
31 Tobias Harris, Tennessee --
31 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 4/2
30 Harrison Barnes, North Carolina --
28 Tristan Thompson, Texas --
26 Perry Jones, Baylor --
26 Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan --
25 Rayvonte Rice, Drake --
Most Double-Doubles, Freshmen (Nationally)
Source - STATS, Inc. - Through March 29, 2011
D-D Name, School Next Game
18 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State --
14 Augustine Rubit, South Alabama --
11 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 4/2
10 Tristan Thompson, Texas --
9 Doug McDermott, Creighton 3/30
8 Tobias Harris, Tennessee --
8 Alex Francis, Bryant --
On The Double
Freshman forward Doug McDermott owns nine double-doubles this season, the most in the MVC this season. As a team, Creighton's 15 double-doubles this season lead the Missouri Valley Conference, three more than the 12 attained by Southern Illinois.
Most Double-Doubles, MVC Players, 2010-11
9 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
15 Creighton
12 Southern Illinois
10 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 23-14 29-8
Games/Games Started 37/37 37/36
Points/Game 15.2 15.7
Rebounds/Game 7.5 5.8
Minutes/Game 29.7 29.4
FG-FGA 215-410 210-497
FG% .524 .423
3FG-3FGA 44-111 67-195
3FG% .396 .344
FT-FTA 88-117 93-124
FT% .752 .750
20-Point Games 6 8
10-Rebound Games 10 3
Double-Doubles 9 3
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
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 751 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. 751 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 276 rebounds through 37 games this year are nearly double the 155 caroms Lawson had through his first 37 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.
Pac-10 Action
Monday marked the first time since 1978 that Creighton hosted a Pacific 10 team in Omaha for a game.
Wednesday will mark the first true road game against a Pacific 10 foe since visiting California to open the 1987-88 campaign.
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 averaged 13,507 fans per home game, which ranked 22nd 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.
This year the team ranked 14th at the end of the regular-season with an average of 15,026 before the CBI has brought down the crowds.
Creighton has finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous four seasons.
2010-11 Unofficial Attendance Leaders (Final)
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. Maryland 14,910 Done
15. Michigan State 14,797 Done
16. New Mexico 14,570 Done
17. Purdue 13,916 Done
18. Vanderbilt 13,802 Done
19. North Carolina State 13,779 Done
20. Arizona 13,680 Done
21. Texas 13,669 Done
22. Creighton 13,507 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
297,161 Creighton 2010-11
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
13,507 Creighton 2010-11
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
Doug McDermott had 21 points in the first half against Davidson on March 21, most by a Bluejay in one half since November of 2008.
Below is the most points in any half by a Bluejay individual this year:
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
21 Doug McDermott, Davidson, 3/21 1st
18 Antoine Young, Iowa State, 11/21 2nd
17 Ethan Wragge, Saint Joseph's, 12/11 2nd
17 Josh Jones, Davidson, 3/21 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
16 Doug McDermott, San Jose State, 3/15 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
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. Young had 10 helpers once again on March 23 vs. UCF.
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 head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Going 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 548 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.
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.
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 7.5 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 18-10 since he became eligible on December 17th.
With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 64.2 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 42.9 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 47.4 percent and its three-point percentage has improved from 31.7 percent to 39.0 percent.
The Echenique Effect
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 10.5 points per game to the line-up has been a big boost, he's made a similar impact on the defensive end of the floor in the lane. Echenique has blocked 51 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.
Since Dec. 29th, Jones is shooting 54.0 percent from the field (54-100), including 49.2 percent from downtown (31-63).
Creighton is 22-7 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 (137 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 started 5-for-5 vs. UCF on March 23, 2011 for its eighth 4-for-4 start, and 6-for-6 vs. Oregon on March 28, 2011 for its ninth 4-for-4 start or better.
Creighton is 55-for-137 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 7-for-22 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 27 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 31.7 percent (38-120) from downtown.
At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 75.6 percent from the stripe (124-164).
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. Josh Jones tied that mark on March 21 vs. Davidson.
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.
McDermott owns nine 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 that 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. Doug McDermott had 31 points and 10 rebounds vs. Davidson on March 21.
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.
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
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.
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 751 rebounds, 152 blocked shots and 107 games started. He also ranks 18th 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. 1,293 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pr.
19. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
20. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
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 finished with 707, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
Lawson (406 rebounds) is atop the Qwest Center Omaha rebound list, finishing ahead of Dane Watts (351).
Lawson also owned 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, 116 Times Over
Creighton has played 137 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 116-21 (.847) record all-time at the facility, including a 27-2 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 3-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 10,089-8,592 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 29 different times, including four 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 28-1 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 572 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 starts of 3-0 or better 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 79 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 45 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 16 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).
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 couls 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.
