Men's Basketball Seeks Revenge At Missouri State Wednesday
1/17/2012 10:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball
2011-12 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #19 • #19 Creighton at Missouri State • Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 • 7:05 p.m.
#19 Creighton Bluejays at Missouri State Bears
JQH Arena (11,000) • Springfield, Mo.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads, 30-28
Last Meeting: Missouri State won 77-65 in Omaha on Dec. 28, 2011
Next Game
No. 19 Creighton (16-2, 6-1 MVC) looks to extend its league-high six-game win streak when it faces the last team to defeat it, Missouri State (11-8, 4-3 MVC).
The contest will take place on Wednesday at JQH Arena (11,000) in Springfield, Mo., and begin at 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2011-12 season, including Wednesday's game. 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 won't be televised.
Video Webcast Information
Wednesday's game will be video webcast by Missouri State at missouristatebears.com/allaccess/. From there, fans can scroll down the right side to click on “Subscribe” on the top right side. Cost for one month is $9.95.
The webcast is NOT part of the Jays Video webcast package available on GoCreighton.com.
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.
Scouting Creighton
Ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 18th by the coaches in the January 16th poll, Creighton is off to a 16-2 start on the season. The Bluejays have recovered from a league-opening loss to Missouri State with consecutive victories over Wichita State, Drake, Bradley, Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Southern Illinois.
The Jays were picked to win the MVC after returning 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 23-16 team that reached the championship series of the College Basketball Invitational.
After leading the team in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, sophomore forward Doug McDermott has lived up to the preseason expectations of all-MVC and All-America hype. He leads the MVC in scoring (24.3), rebounding (8.5), field goal percentage (.621) and three-point percentage (.532). He ranks second nationally in scoring, and had a career-high 44 points at Bradley on Jan. 7th.
The other two returning starters, senior guard Antoine Young (12.3 ppg., 4.3 apg.) and junior center Gregory Echenique (8.9 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 1.7 bpg.), are honorable-mention preseason all-Valley selections as well.
Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs has made an immediate impact from the wing and does a little bit of everything, averaging 8.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg., and 5.9 apg.
Through games of January 15th, Creighton ranked among the national leaders in most offensive categories, including first in field goal percentage (.516) and three-point percentage (.457), second in assists per game (19.6), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.52), sixth in scoring offense (82.7) and eighth in winning percentage (.889).
Scouting Missouri State
Defending MVC regular-season champion Missouri State is off to an 11-8 start this season, and are 4-3 in MVC play. The Bears won at Creighton, 77-65, on Dec. 28th, to start league play.
Reigning Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Kyle Weems is the lone returning starter for the Bears. Weems has lived up to his all-Valley preseason billing, averaging team-highs in points (16.1), rebounds (7.5) and blocked shots (0.8) per game. He also paces MSU with 34 three-point baskets and 48 free-throws made.
Also scoring in double-figures are Caleb Patterson (12.9 ppg.) and newcomers Jarmar Gulley (11.2 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Anthony Downing (10.9 ppg.). Downing had a career-high 26 in the win at Creighton.
Helping to direct the offense is DePaul transfer Michael Bizoukas (6.1 apg.), who owns more than 43 percent of his team's assists.
As a team, Missouri State averages 69.1 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor. MSU's defensive numbers are very strong, limiting foes to 63.3 points per game and 39.2 percent shooting from the field.
Series History vs. Missouri State
Creighton has won eight of the last 14 meetings to claim a 30-28 lead over Missouri State in the series, but the Bears have won the last six contests. It equals MSU's longest streak ever against Creighton, having also done so from 1996-98.
Last season Missouri State beat the Jays three times, including a 60-50 win in the MVC Tournament semifinals.
Missouri State is 18-7 all-time at home against Creighton, including a 3-1 mark at JQH Arena.
Greg McDermott is 6-11 in his career (and 0-4 at Creighton) against Missouri State, including a 79-74 double-overtime victory over the Bears to win the 2004 MVC Tournament. He is 0-1 against Paul Lusk.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his second season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 39-18 mark. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 319-213 in 18 seasons and is 188-149 in 11 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Paul Lusk (Southern Illinois, 1995) is in his first season at Missouri State, where he owns an 11-8 mark. Combined with a season at Dubuque in 2002-03, he owns a career record of 13-31.
Last Game Recap
Creighton never trailed in a 90-71 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday. Doug McDermott had 25 points and 11 rebounds to move over 1,000 points in his career, while SIU was led by 13 points from T.J. Lindsay.
Coaching Connection
Missouri State coach Paul Lusk made his debut as a head coach during the 2002-03 season with the University of Dubuque. Lusk would resign after one season to serve as an assistant coach to Matt Painter at Southern Illinois, who he later followed to Purdue.
When Lusk stepped down at Dubuque, the man who followed him was Marty McDermott, brother of Creighton head coach Greg McDermott and uncle to Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott.
Marty McDermott was replaced by his assistant coach and former Northern Iowa standout Robbie Sieverding, who starred for Greg McDermott at UNI.
Marty McDermott is currently the Director of Athletics at Muskegon Community College.
Winning Half The Battle
Missouri State has won the last six meetings with Creighton, despite trailing at the half of the past four meetings.
In the initial meeting last year, Creighton led 29-20 at the break, and twice led by 11 after intermission. MSU's rally from down 11 points matched the largest comeback win by a Bluejay opponent in CenturyLink Center Omaha history.
In the second meeting last year, Creighton led 35-29 at half, were up by as much as 15, and led 62-53 with 6:05 left, before falling 67-66 on a Kyle Weems lay-up in the last 15 seconds.
In the MVC Tournament last year, Creighton led 30-25 at the break and were up by eight points on three different occasions in the second half.
When the teams met in December, Creighton led by eight points early and 34-32 at the half, only to be outscored 45-31 after intermission in another MSU victory. Weems had a career-high 31 points for the Bears.
Last Six Meetings CU vs. MSU
Date Half Score Final Score
12/28/11 CU 34-32 MSU 77-65
03/05/11 CU 30-25 MSU 50-60
01/22/11 CU 35-29 MSU 67-69
01/04/11 CU 29-20 MSU 67-55
03/24/11 MSU 34-26 MSU 67-61
02/06/10 MSU 35-24 MSU 70-52
Half-Dozen Drought
Creighton has lost its last six games to Missouri State, a skid it will attempt to end on Wednesday.
The last MVC team that Creighton lost six or more in a row to was Southern Illinois, which dropped CU in eight games in a row from Feb. 7, 2004 to Feb. 10, 2007.
Since snapping that streak with an upset of No. 11 SIU in the 2007 MVC Tournament final, Creighton is 9-1 against the Salukis.
Field Day
Creighton is leading the nation with its 51.6 percent marksmanship from the field and 45.7 percent accuracy from three-point range.
In Creighton's last 28 games dating to late last season, it has shot 41.9 percent or better in all but two contests. Both games below 41.8 percent came against Wednesday's opponent, Missouri State.
Victory Leaders
Creighton entered Tuesday tied for fourth nationally with 16 wins against Division I competition.
The only schools with more wins were Syracuse (20), Kentucky (17) and Missouri (17). Tied with the Bluejays for 16 wins were Baylor (16), Middle Tennessee (16), Oral Roberts (16) and Ohio State (16).
Along the same lines, Creighton's six true road wins were tied for eighth-most nationally. Cleveland State had eight to lead the way, while Lehigh, Loyola (Md.), Oral Roberts, Iona, Wagner and Middle Tennessee each had seven road triumphs.
Triple Threats
Creighton has five current players who have made 70 or more career three-pointers. Four of the five men are shooting 37.4 percent or better from downtown. Here's a look at that quintet.
Creighton's Active 3FG Leaders
3FG-FGA Name Pct.
117-274 Ethan Wragge .427
80-178 Doug McDermott .449
74-169 Jahenns Manigat .438
73-195 Josh Jones .374
70-132 Antoine Young .302
McDermott vs. McDermott
Doug McDermott owns 1,018 career points in 57 games entering Wednesday's contest. His father, Bluejay head coach Greg McDermott, recorded 1,033 career points in 110 career games at Northern Iowa from 1984-88.
Doug's stats after 57 games are remarkably similar to his dad's career stats, as seen below:
Stat Greg Doug
School UNI (1984-88) Creighton (2010-Pres.)
Games Played 110 57
Field Goals 402 395
FG% .581 .563
Points 1,033 1,018
Rebounds 483 433
Assists 79 71
Blocked Shots 51 5
Steals 34 14
3-Pt. Field Goals 1 80
3-Pt. FG% .500 .449
Dingman Heads Home
A native of Branson, Mo., Creighton freshman Avery Dingman returns to the Ozarks to play for the first time as a collegian.
Dingman has played in all 18 games off the bench, averaging 3.4 points per game. He's shooting an even 50 percent from three-point range (15-30), highlighted by a 14-point outing in Creighton's 82-59 win over Iowa on Nov. 20th.
CU's last Ozark-area recruit, Springfield native Anthony Tolliver, is in the NBA.
Off To The Races
Creighton is off to a 6-1 start in MVC play this season. It's the program's best mark to begin league play since starting 7-0 in 2002-03.
That season, the Jays fell at Evansville in their eighth Valley contest. The Purple Aces were coached in that game by Steve Merfeld, currently an assistant coach at Creighton.
Gibbs Earns Newcomer Honor, Again
Grant Gibbs has been named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season, and second straight week.
Gibbs helped Creighton to an unbeaten week, scoring in double-figures in all three games. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
His week was highlighted by his first career double-double, as he had 10 assists and tied a career-best with 12 points in a win at Illinois State on Jan. 13th.
Top Two Distributors Meet
Creighton's Grant Gibbs and Missouri State's Michael Bizoukas are both in their first year playing with their respective programs.
Bizoukas leads the MVC with 6.1 assists per game and a 3.1 assist/turnover ratio. Gibbs (5.9 apg., 2.5 a/to ratio) is second in both categories.
Grand Palace
There are five active MVC players with 1,000 or more career points, and three of them will take the floor at JQH Arena on Wednesday.
Missouri State's Kyle Weems leads all active MVC players with 1,674 career points, with the Creighton tandem of Antoine Young (1,140) and Doug McDermott (1,018) ranking fourth and fifth, respectively.
Active MVC Scoring Leaders
Pts. Name, School Year
1,674 Kyle Weems, Missouri State Sr.
1,350 Toure' Murry, Wichita State Sr.
1,281 Colt Ryan, Evansville Jr.
1,140 Antoine Young, Creighton Sr.
1,018 Doug McDermott, Creighton So.
928 Johnny Moran, Northern Iowa Sr.
922 Carl Richard, Indiana State Sr.
900 Garrett Stutz, Wichita State Sr.
Upping The Antoine
Senior point guard Antoine Young continues to ascend up a few Creighton charts.
He's up to 26th on Creighton's all-time scoring chart, and his 427 assists rank fifth-most in Bluejay annals.
Young joined Ryan Sears and Vernon Moore as the only Bluejays in history with at least 1,000 points and 400 career assists on Dec. 28th.
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
427 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
Most Career Points
Rank 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. 1,313 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
17. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
18. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
19. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
20. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
21. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
22. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
23. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
24. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
25. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
26. 1,140 Antoine Young 2008-Present
27. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
28. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
30. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
31. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
32. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
33. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
34. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
35. 1,018 Doug McDermott 2010-Present
36. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
A Sprint to 1,000 Points
Doug McDermott needed just 57 career games to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so in Sunday's win vs. Southern Illinois. He's the second Creighton player this season to surpass the milestone, as Antoine Young reached that feat on Dec. 10 at Saint Joseph's.
Young & McDermott are the first Bluejay teammates to go over 1,000 in the same season since Ryan Sears & Ben Walker in the Jays' 2000-01 campaign.
While it's unknown how many games it's taken every player in school history to get to 1,000 points, it is known that Paul Silas needed 47 games to reach 1,000.
Before McDermott, the only previous players in Creighton history to score 1,000 points or more in their first two seasons were Bob Portman (1,195), Paul Silas (1,124), Rod Mason (1,023) and Rodney Buford (1,010).
Here's a look at how many games it took Creighton's last 12 players to reach 1,000 career points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 12 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Kind of a Big Deal
Creighton men's basketball has played in seven true road games this season. Six of the seven schools to host the Bluejays have set a season-high in that venue for home attendance, and the one that didn't (Tulsa) was just 132 fans shy of a season-high.
Wednesday's host, Missouri State, owns a season-high of 8,601 fans this season, set on Dec. 7 vs. Oklahoma State.
Date Opponent CU Crowd Previous High
11/16/11 UAB 4,417 --
11/30/11 San Diego State 12,414* 12,414
12/10/11 Saint Joseph's 4,200* 4,200
12/19/11 Tulsa 4,228 4,360
12/31/11 Wichita State 10,506* 10,466
1/7/12 Bradley 8,610 7,777
1/13/12 Illinois State 8,771 5,333
*sold out
Chairman of the Board
Creighton center Gregory Echenique has 10 or more rebounds in each of Creighton's last four games.
With 10 or more rebounds at Missouri State on Wednesday, he'd become the first Bluejay with five straight games of 10 or more boards since Benoit Benjamin had a unreal streak of 28 in a row from March 15, 1984 to March 10, 1984.
Creighton is 9-0 all-time when Echenique collects 10 or more rebounds and 9-0 when he scores 15 or more points.
Creighton is also 9-0 this season and 19-6 in his career when he blocks two shots or more.
Best 18 Game Starts
Now in its 94th season of basketball, Creighton's 16-2 record ranks among the top starts to a year in school history. In fact, this is just the fourth time that Creighton has been 16-2 or better after 18 games, as detailed below:
Creighton last started 16-2 in 2003-04, a season in which it started 17-2 but finished 20-9 after a season-ending eye injury to point guard Tyler McKinney derailed a 12-0 start.
In 2002-03, Creighton started 16-2 through 18 games. That squad, generally regarded as the modern era's best ever, would finish 29-5.
Creighton's 1921-22 team started 21-2 before finishing 23-5.
The Road Less Traveled
After going 6-21 in true road games the previous two seasons, Creighton is 6-1 in true road games this year. The Bluejays, who are currently 3-0 on the road in Valley action, last started 4-0 in league road games in 1942-43.
The Bluejays are one of four teams nationally with at least four true road wins and four top-50 RPI wins (at any site), joining Baylor, Syracuse and Michigan State.
In seven road games this season, Creighton is shooting an impressive 50.2 percent from the floor and 47.9 percent from three-point territory.
Doug McDermott is averaging 27.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in those seven tilts, making 18-of-26 shots from three-point range (69.2 percent).
Midseason Honors
Doug McDermott was named Midseason National Player of the Year by three of the most prominent college basketball experts nationwide. He earned the nod from Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, as well as from ESPN experts Jay Bilas and Doug Gottlieb.
Brighter Days Ahead
Though Creighton's freshmen have seen reduced minutes in the last few contests, brighter days would appear to be forthcoming.
For instance, Jahenns Manigat scored 59 points through 18 games as freshman, while Avery Dingman currently owns 62 points. Dingman has done it while shooting 50 percent (15-30) from three-point range in 126 minutes, while Manigat shot 35.0 percent (14-40) from downtown in 272 minutes. Manigat would go on to earn MVC All-Freshman Team honors a year ago with a strong finish.
Looking at CU's point guards, Austin Chatman owns 42 points and 35 assists with just 23 turnovers. Three years ago, Antoine Young had 46 points and 22 assists against 18 turnovers through 18 games.
And looking at the front court, Will Artino's numbers of 56 points and 31 rebounds through 18 team games far exceed the 16 points and 21 rebounds Anthony Tolliver had through 18 games in 2003-04 as a freshman. Tolliver FINISHED his rookie season with 22 points and 34 rebounds while making 27 appearances.
Double-Digit Deficits, No Problem
Creighton overcame an early 31-20 deficit to beat Northern Iowa on Jan. 10th, the third time this year it's won a game after previously trailing by double-digits. Creighton also won true road games after trailing by 17 at San Diego State and by 12 at Wichita State.
It was the 33rd time in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that Creighton has fallen behind by 10 points or more. Incredibly, Creighton has rallied to win 20 of those contests.
Overcoming Double-Digit Deficits at CLCO
Date Opponent Deficit Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/11/10 Saint Joseph's 12 W 82-75
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/10/12 Northern Iowa 11 W 63-60
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
02/03/10 Evansville 10 W 84-71
Jays Duo Earn MVC Weekly Awards
Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season on Jan. 9th after a week that saw him average 34.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in two wins.
McDermott had 24 points on his 20th birthday on Jan. 3 in a win vs. Drake. He then had a career-high 44 points in a victory at Bradley, making 18-of-23 shots from the floor in a nine-point win. His 44 points are sixth-most in CU history, the most in the nation this year, and the most nationwide by any sophomore since 2003.
McDermott also earned the National Jesuit Basketball Spotlight Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
In addition, Grant Gibbs was also named MVC Newcomer of the Week. Gibbs averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds a week ago. He began his week with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 17-point win over Drake. He then had nine points, six assists and two rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 7th.
McDermott Scores 44
Sophomore Doug McDermott scored a career-best 44 points in Creighton's win at Bradley on Jan. 7th. It was nine more than his previous best, and included 31 points after halftime.
McDermott made his first 10 shots after halftime and was 18-of-23 for the game to tie the record for field goals made by a Bradley opponent. His 18 field goals are one shy of the Creighton record for field goals in a game, and the most by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin in 1985.
McDermott's 44 points were the most nationally by any sophomore since Akron's Derrick Tarver had 44 points vs. Wright State on Dec. 30, 2003.
Only four sophomores in MVC history have ever scored more points in a league contest than McDermott's 44 points. Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) had two 50-point games, while other players to do it once each were Indiana State's John S. Williams (47), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (46) and Indiana State's Larry Bird (45).
Double-Double For Double-Zero
Lost in Doug McDermott's monster game at Bradley on Jan. 7th was Gregory Echenique's double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. It was his second double-double of the campaign, and 10th of his collegiate career. Echenique also added two blocks.
Bringing The Heat
Creighton scored 90 points on Jan. 15th in a 90-71 victory over Southern Illinois. The Jays have now won 51 straight games when scoring 90 or more points, a streak that dates all the way to January of 1988.
Heckuva Half
As a team, Creighton made its first 11 field goals to start the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th, not missing until a Grant Gibbs three-point try went awry at the 10:44 mark.
For the game, Creighton shot 61.1 percent, its best mark on the road since shooting 61.9 percent at Wichita State on Feb. 16, 2005.
Earlier this season Creighton made its first 13 field goal attempts of the game in a win vs. Campbell.
Second Half Madness
Doug McDermott was key to the second half shooting blitz, as he made his first 10 attempts from the floor after intermission on Jan. 9th. McDermott had 31 points in the second half, the most by one Bluejay after half since Cavel Witter had 32 of his CenturyLink Center Omaha record 42 points after intermission in a double-overtime 111-110 win vs. Bradley on March 1, 2008. It should be noted, however, that Witter scored 18 of those 32 points in the two overtime sessions.
Another Arena Record Falls
On Dec. 19, Doug McDermott's 35 points at Tulsa tied a Reynolds Center record for an opponent at the 13-year old facility. On Jan. 7th McDermott claimed another house record, as his 44 points were a Carver Arena mark for an opponent in the 30-year old building.
In fact only two players have ever scored more against Bradley than McDermott's 44…Detroit's Archie Tullos (49) in 1988 and Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (46) in 1960. McDermott's 44 points were the most in Peoria by a Bradley opponent since The Big O, and the most ever in a win over Bradley.
Speaking of arena records, Creighton's 28 assists (on 33 baskets) were the most by a Bradley opponent at Carver Arena. An incredible 17 of McDermott's 18 field goals were assisted, as four different players (Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Antoine Young, Josh Jones) had three or more assists to McDermott alone.
Of McDermott's 18 baskets, he used the backboard in 11 of them and used his left hand for five hoops.
Forever Young
Senior guard Antoine Young has scored in double-figures in 12 of Creighton's last 14 games.
In those 14 games, Young has averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. He's also made 46.7 percent of his three-point attempts in that span after 25 percent marksmanship in the first four games this year.
Blocking Behemoth
Gregory Echenique owns 85 career blocked shots in a Creighton uniform, eighth in school history. He has 12 blocked shots in his last five games.
Echenique also owned 94 blocked shots in 39 games at Rutgers, giving him 179 rejections overall as a collegian.
Career Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
85 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott has scored 12 or more points in all 18 games this season. McDermott's streak of 18 straight double-figure games to start the season is CU's longest streak of double-figure games to start the season since Bob Harstad (27 straight) in 1990-91.
McDermott is the only player in the MVC to score in double-figures in every game this season, and one of three players nationally with 12 or more points in every team game this winter.
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
18* Doug McDermott, So. 2011-12
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
*active
12+ Points, Every Team Game This Year
Streak Name, School Next Game
18 Kevin Jones, West Virginia 1/18
18 Doug McDermott, Creighton 1/18
17 Damian Lillard, Weber State 1/19
High Percentage Player
Doug McDermott ranks third in Creighton history in career three-point percentage (.449) and third in field goal percentage (.563).
If the year ended today, his single-season numbers this winter would translate into first for three-point percentage (.532) and second in field goal percentage (.621).
Jays Ranked in AP & Coaches Poll
Creighton is in the Associated Press poll for the sixth time in seven weeks, climbing four spots to 19th this week. The spot matches Creighton's season-high in the AP poll.
Creighton is 18th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll released on January 16th. It's the ninth straight week the Jays have been ranked by the coaches, and one shy of a season-best rank in that poll.
For the sake of Creighton's records and consistency, the school recognizes the Associated Press poll, which can be found in great detail on page 165 of the Creighton men's basketball media guide.
Fresh 15
Doug McDermott has scored 15 or more points in nine different halves this season, including 31 in the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th. The Bluejays have gone on to win each contest in which he's scored 15 or more in any half.
Below is the most points in any half by a Bluejay individual this year:
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
31 Doug McDermott, Bradley, 1/7 2nd
19 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/3 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Campbell, 11/25 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Northwestern, 12/22 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Nebraska, 12/4 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Iowa, 11/20 1st
16 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 2nd
15 Doug McDermott, Houston Baptist, 12/17 1st
Road Warriors
Creighton's win at Illinois State last Friday improved the Bluejays to 6-1 in true road games this season, with road wins at last year's Conference USA champ (UAB), Mountain West champ (San Diego State), Conference-USA runner-up (Tulsa) and MVC runner-up (Wichita State).
Creighton's six true road wins this season match its total of six combined true road wins over the previous two seasons.
Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and seven of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.
Creighton is 6-1 in true road games for the first time since starting the 1974-75 season with a 7-1 road record.
Pick Your Poison
Creighton is leading the nation from beyond the arc, hitting 45.7 percent of its shots from three-point range.
In the team's seven games decided by single-digits, CU locks in to the tune of 50.8 percent (66-of-130) from deep.
The Bluejays have been remarkably consistent, making 40 percent or better from three-point range in 16-of-18 games to date. By comparison, CU made 40 percent or better from deep in just 15-of-39 contests a year ago.
Gibbs > Receiving
Though he's not even his own team's point guard, Grant Gibbs is second in the MVC with 5.9 assists per game. He's had six or more assists in 10 different games this season.
No game has shown his importance more than a Dec. 31 win at Wichita State. With Gibbs in the game, Creighton outscored the Shockers 50-25, compared to being outscored 36-18 without him.
Creighton is 18-1 in its last 19 games when one of its players has six or more assists in a game, including a 13-0 mark this winter.
Not Half Bad
Creighton trailed by 39-31 at halftime on Dec. 31 before outscoring Wichita State 37-22 in the second half and pull out a seven-point road win.
The team to score more points in the second half has won 17 of Creighton's 18 games this season, with a Bluejay win at Bradley on Jan. 7 being the only exception.
Under second-year head coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays are 32-1 when outscoring their foe after halftime.
Team of the Millennium?
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 267 wins in the millennium, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to 1/17/11)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 141 64 .688 267 116 .697
Southern Illinois 132 73 .644 236 140 .628
Wichita State 115 90 .561 226 148 .604
Northern Iowa 112 93 .546 219 150 .593
Missouri State 112 93 .546 218 155 .584
Illinois State 93 112 .454 191 168 .532
Bradley 92 113 .449 188 185 .504
Drake 87 118 .424 173 182 .487
Indiana State 73 132 .356 155 204 .432
Evansville 68 137 .332 134 209 .391
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
Young Follows His Elders
Senior point guard Antoine Young is one of three players in Creighton history with more than 1,000 points and 400 career assists. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his point guard predecessors:
Name Young Dotzler McKinney Sears
Games 125 117 110 124
Starts 90 96 97 124
Points 1,140 422 570 1,311
PPG 9.1 3.6 5.2 10.6
Assists 427 388 430 570
APG 3.4 3.3 3.9 4.6
Turnovers 201 200 188 252
A/TO Ratio 2.12 1.94 2.29 2.03
Steals 92 196 119 283
SPG 0.74 1.68 1.08 2.29
Min./Game 26.3 23.0 26.5 33.7
Jones'ing For MVC Play
Josh Jones opened MVC play with 11 points off the bench on Dec. 28 vs. Missouri State, making 3-of-4 three-point shots. Jones then pumped in eight points in the second half of Creighton's win at Wichita State.
Picking up his production for Valley games is nothing new for the junior from Omaha Central. In his career, he's shot 12-of-55 (21.8 percent) from three-point range prior to MVC play, a figure that improves drastically to 41-of-92 (44.6 percent) in league action.
Passing Fancy
Grant Gibbs had 10 assists at Tulsa on Dec. 19, then added 12 helpers vs. Northwestern three days later. In the win over Northwestern, Gibbs' 12 assists led to 32 points by his Creighton teammates.
His 12 assists were a CenturyLink Center Omaha single-game record, rank tied for sixth-most in a game in Creighton history for all venues, and most since Tyler McKinney also had 12 on Dec. 21, 2002.
Gibbs became the first Bluejay with consecutive games of 10 or more assists since Duan Cole did it on Jan. 27 & 30, 1990.
Chasing History
Doug McDermott leads the MVC in scoring (24.3 ppg.) and in rebounding (8.5 rpg.). For good measure, he's also leading The Valley in three-point percentage and field goal percentage.
The last player to lead the MVC in scoring and rebounding in the same season is Southern Illinois legend Ashraf Amaya in 1991-92.
Full House
Creighton has attracted its second- and third-largest crowds in program history during the past month. The Jays drew 17,676 fans on Dec. 22 for Northwestern, then brought in 17,665 fans six days later for Missouri State.
Here's a look at Creighton's top-15 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
2. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
3. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
4. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
5. 17,459 Southern Illinois 01/20/07
6. 17,411 George Mason 02/21/09
7. 17,371 Indiana State 01/19/08
8. 17,283 Indiana State 01/27/07
9. 17,193 Drake 01/24/09
10. 17,152 Northern Iowa 12/29/09
11. 17,116 Illinois State 02/28/09
12. 17,110 Wichita State 02/24/07
13. 17,053 #22 Drake 01/22/08
14. 17,049 Nebraska 11/24/07
15. 16,984 Kentucky 03/23/09
Sophomore Snipers
Three sophomores on the 2011-12 Creighton basketball team rank among the most eight most accurate shooters in school history in three-point field goal percentage.
Doug McDermott is third on that list at 44.9 percent for his career, just behind MVC Players of the Year Booker Woodfox (45.5%) and Kyle Korver (45.3%) on Creighton's all-time chart. Ethan Wragge is ninth on the list at 42.7 percent, while Jahenns Manigat (43.8 percent) is sixth.
For the season, Creighton's freshmen are shooting 18-of-36 (50 percent) from three-point land, while the sophomore class is a collective 105-214 (49.1 percent) from downtown.
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage, Career
(min. 100 attempts)
Rk. 3% Name 3FG-3FGA Years
1. .455 Booker Woodfox 147-323 2007-09
2. .453 Kyle Korver 371-819 1999-03
3. .449 Doug McDermott 80-176 2010-Pres.
4. .441 Rod Mason 132-299 1986-88
5. .440 Nerijus Karlikanovas 48-109 1998-00
6. .438 Jahenns Manigat 74-169 2010-Pres.
7. .431 Michael Lindeman 62-144 2000-04
8. .430 Duan Cole 176-410 1987-92
9. .427 Ethan Wragge 117-274 2009-Pres.
10. .407 Nate Funk 200-492 2002-07
Sophomore's Streak Reaches 19
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 19 straight games, CU's longest stretch since Nate Funk's streak of 24 straight games from Dec. 23, 2006-March 17, 2007.
Shades of 2003?
Creighton's 16-2 start is reminding some fans of the program's 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5 and spent most of the season in the national rankings.
Here's how the 2011-12 club compares to the 2002-03 team through 18 games, as well as how standout forwards Doug McDermott and Kyle Korver compare at that point in the year:
Stat 2011-12 2002-03
W-L Record 16-2 16-2
Home W-L 9-1 10-0
FG 529-1025 536-1049
FG Pct. .516 .511
3FG 158-346 161-399
3FG Pct. .457 .404
FT 272-383 253-368
FT Pct. .710 .688
Reb. Margin +5.6 +0.7
Assists 352 317
Turnovers 231 241
Points 1488 1486
Points/Game 82.7 82.6
Stat McDermott Korver
Points 437 345
Points/Game 24.3 19.2
Rebounds 153 104
Rebounds/Game 8.5 5.8
FG Pct. .621 .514
3FG-FGA 33-62 77-152
3FG Pct. .532 .507
FT Pct. .844 .897
Assists 26 53
Turnovers 42 29
National Scoring Leaders
Doug McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring at 24.3 points per game through games of Jan. 16th. Here's that list.
Rk. Name, School Yr. PPG
1. Damian Lillard, Weber State Jr. 25.5
2. Doug McDermott, Creighton So. 24.3
3. Reggie Hamilton, Oakland Sr. 23.6
4. Gerardo Suero, Albany Jr. 21.6
5. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh Jr. 21.2
6. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland So. 20.9
7. Nate Wolters, South Dakota St. Jr. 20.7
8. Charles Hinkle, American Sr. 20.6
9. Frank Gaines, IPFW Jr. 20.4
Mike Moore, Hofstra Sr. 20.4
Near The Top Of His Class
Sophomore Doug McDermott owns 1,108 career points in his young career. According to research by Creighton Sports Information's office, that leads all active sophomores through games of Jan. 16th.
Most Career Points, Sophomores (through 1/16)
Source: Creighton Sports Information
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next
1. 1,018 Doug McDermott, Creighton 1/18
2. 929 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State 1/21
3. 883 Harrison Barnes, North Carolina 1/19
4. 782 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 1/17
5. 769 Trey Ziegler, Central Michigan 1/18
Really Dynamic Duo
It's hard to fathom, but two of the best sophomore nationally were high school teammates at Ames (Iowa) High School two years ago.
Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina phenom Harrison Barnes won a pair of state titles for a Ames High School team that posted undefeated campaigns in both 2008-09 (26-0) and 2009-10 (27-0) to become Iowa's first 4A team to repeat as undefeated state champs.
Here's a look at the two sophomores and how they've performed in college (through 1/17):
Name McDermott Barnes
Games Played 57 55
Points 1,018 883
PPG 17.9 16.1
Rebounds 433 301
RPG 7.6 5.5
FG-FGA 395-701 319-726
FG% .563 .441
3FG-3FGA 80-178 90-247
3FG% .449 .376
FT-FTA 148-190 153-206
FT% .779 .744
Different Methods, Similar Results
One of the many reasons Doug McDermott's offensive game continues to draw attention is because of his tremendous efficiency. McDermott's numbers this season are significantly more efficient than BYU's Jimmer Fredette after 18 games last season, even though the two use considerably different methods to score their points.
McDermott is averaging 24.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while making a total of 33 three-point shots. McDermott is shooting an absurd 62.1 percent from the field and 53.2 percent in 62 attempts from three-point range.
By comparison, Fredette was averaging 26.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while making a total of 58 three-pointers in his first 18 games last year. Fredette was shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 40.8 percent in 142 attempts from three-point range at this point. He would end the season averaging 28.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, shooting 45.2 percent from three-point range and 39.6 percent from downtown.
Weekly Honors Roll In
Grant Gibbs and Doug McDermott were both honored on Dec. 26th by the MVC for their work in wins vs. Tulsa and Northwestern.
Gibbs was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 11.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 points per game. With 10 assists at Tulsa and 12 assists vs. Northwestern, he became the first Bluejay since 1990 with consecutive games of 10 or more assists.
McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week after averaging 31.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He scored a career-high 35 points in the win at Tulsa and scored 27 points in 28 minutes vs. Northwestern.
McDermott also earned National Player of the Week accolades from the USBWA, Dick Vitale, and Andy Katz of ESPN.com for his performance.
Filling It Up
Through games of Jan. 16th, Doug McDermott was leading the nation with 175 field goals made this season. By comparison, no other player in the MVC has more than 112 buckets (Kyle Weems), and next closest nationally was West Virginia's Kevin Jones with 149.
McDermott averages 9.7 field goals per game. No other player in the country averages more than nine field goals per game this season, and according to data at StatSheet.com, no player has averaged 10 field goals per game since VMI's Reggie Williams in 2006-07.
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owns 437 points through 18 games, an average of 24.3 per contest that ranks him second nationally in scoring (through Jan. 15th).
McDermott's 24.3 points per game would rank third-most in CU single-season history and would be the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), is the only Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott's 24.3 points per game would make him the first MVC player over 20 points per game since Illinois State's Tarise Bryson (2000-01) and the most by a MVC player since Bradley's Curtis Stuckey (25.1 ppg.) in 1990-91.
No Bluejay has averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad's 22.2 average in 1989-90.
Basketball Royalty
Creighton is the only team in the nation with three non-conference wins vs. the Big Ten this season.
This is the first time that Creighton has defeated three Big Ten teams in the same season in program history.
In three games against Big Ten competition this year, Doug McDermott averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds while shooting 29-44 from the floor (65.9 percent) and 7-of-11 from downtown (63.6 percent).
B1G Ten, Big Time
Creighton went 3-0 against the Big Ten this winter, including home wins vs. both Northwestern and Nebraska. This is the first year Creighton has hosted two games against Big Ten competition in the same season since 1936-37.
Unbelievably, Creighton had hosted just one Big Ten team since 1973 (Iowa in 1999) before this year's slate.
Blue Streak
Doug McDermott's streak of 10 straight games of 20 or more points was snapped when he scored 19 points in a Dec. 28 loss to Missouri State. The streak had been Creighton's longest such spell in at least 30 years, and twice as long as any other active streak in the country at the time it was snapped.
Big Road Win
Creighton's 83-64 win at Tulsa on Dec. 19 was the Golden Hurricane's largest defeat at home since falling to No. 3 Memphis by 23 points in the 2005-06 campaign.
It was Creighton's largest victory margin in a true road contest since an 82-60 win at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, 2009 and biggest in a non-conference true road game since beating Drexel 72-48 on Dec. 1, 2007.
Doug vs. Others After 57 Games
Doug McDermott has started all 57 games of his career and enters Wednesday's contest with 1,018 career points (17.9 ppg.) and 433 career rebounds (7.6 rpg.).
By comparison, Creighton's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, had 973 career points after 57 games. However, Buford had “just” 757 points after 18th game of his sophomore season (16.1 ppg.).
McDermott also compares favorably to legendary big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher through 57 career games. Harstad finished his career ranked second in CU history with 2,110 career points and 1,126 rebounds, while Gallagher is third with 1,983 points and fifth with 891 rebounds.
Through 57 Career Games
Name Points Rebounds
Doug McDermott 1,018 433
Rodney Buford 973 275
Bob Harstad 733 517
Chad Gallagher 732 330
Kyle Korver 618 254
Triple-Double Threat?
Creighton has never had a player with a traditional point-rebound-assist triple-double, but Grant Gibbs is getting closer.
The junior guard had nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on Dec. 19 at Tulsa. He also had 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 13 at Illinois State.
Gibbs is the first player since James Farr in 1988-89 to have single-game highs of 10 or more points, 10 or more assists and nine or more rebounds in the same season.
Creighton owns three triple-doubles in school history, all by Benoit Benjamin in 1985. All three were of the point-rebound-blocked shot variety.
Four-Point Play For Wragge
Ethan Wragge delivered Creighton's first four-point play of the season when his clutch four-point play gave the Jays a 65-58 lead with 6:49 left vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22nd.
Creighton's only four-point play a year ago came from Kaleb Korver, who did it on Nov. 14 vs. Northern Arizona.
All I Wanted For Christmas Is 10 Wins
Creighton got to the Christmas break with a 10-1 record. In 94 seasons of basketball, this was just the third campaign that the Jays reached 10 wins before Christmas.
The Jays were 10-1 in 1963-64 and 10-2 in 2008-09 heading into Christmas.
Man of Steal
Senior guard Antoine Young had a career-high five steals on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, the most in a game by a CU player since Cavel Witter had five vs. Fresno State on Dec. 22, 2008.
Young owns 92 career steals, more than his next two active teammates (Josh Jones 49; Jahenns Manigat 42) combined.
Big Man's Game
Junior center Gregory Echenique had his best statistical day as a Bluejay in a Dec. 17 victory over Houston Baptist. Echenique had a double-double in the first half (13 points, 12 rebounds) before finishing with season-highs of 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.
It was his second double-double as a Bluejay, as he had 12 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 13, 2011.
Echenique's five swats were his most since he had a career-high seven rejections at Missouri State on Jan. 22, 2011.
Creighton is now 9-0 in his career when he scores 15 points or more.
Echenique picked up two fouls in two minutes of first half action at Tulsa on Dec. 19 and was forced to the bench. He started the second half with a personal 9-0 run in the first three minutes as Creighton turned a 42-34 halftime lead into a 51-34 rout.
Fountains of Doug
Doug McDermott owns 20 or more points 14 times this season and 17 of his last 24 games overall dating to last year.
McDermott owns two different stretches where he's scored 25 points or more in four straight games this year. He did it from Nov. 16-30 earlier this year, as well as Dec. 10-22. The last Bluejay with five consecutive games of 25 or more was Benoit Benjamin, who did it in five straight games (Jan. 17-Feb. 2, 1985), a span in which he had 43, 45, 31, 26 and 29 points.
McDermott, who owns 10 different games of 25 points or more this season, is the first Bluejay with 10 different games of 25 or more points in the same year since Bob Harstad had 15 games like that in 1989-90.
Leading Scorer, Again
Before Antoine Young outscored him on Dec. 31, Doug McDermott had led Creighton in scoring each of the previous 11 games.
McDermott's 11 straight games as the team's leading scorer was the program's longest streak since Bob Harstad's 12-game streak in his 1988-89 sophomore campaign.
Consec. Games as Leading Scorer, Since 1988
Games Name Dates
12 Bob Harstad Dec. 10, 1988-Jan. 28, 1989
11 Doug McDermott Nov. 13-Dec. 28, 2011
8 Rodney Buford Jan. 27-Feb. 17, 1997
8 Rodney Buford Feb. 23-Dec. 2, 1998
A Bunch of Homers
Creighton's loss to Missouri State on Dec. 28th snapped a 16-game home win streak, matching the program's longest ever in the nine-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
During the home win streak, the victories were by an average of 20.2 points, and 12 of those 16 victories were by double-digits.
Here's a look at Creighton's home win streaks of 10 or longer at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Longest CenturyLink Center Home Win Streaks
No. Dates Snapped by
16 Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006 Southern Illinois
16 Jan. 19 - Dec. 22, 2011 Missouri State
14 Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008 Northern Iowa
How To Stop Him?
Leave it to Doug McDermott's father/coach and his roommate to explain the task of trying to slow him down.
"He's difficult to stop in that he scores a lot of different ways," his coach and father Greg McDermott said. "It's not just on the block, it's not just from the 3-point line, he can slash and score as well. In a lot of his post-up opportunities, the ball is gone before you can even think about double-teaming him. He's difficult to guard because of his versatility, and he has a lot of people scratching their heads trying to stop him. And the good news for us is that he's doing it within the framework of our offense and he's not taken bad shots."
"Doug's ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor is what amazes me," guard Jahenns Manigat said. "He has amazing hands and he finishes well. And when he steps back and knocks down a 3, that's when you can see the full extent of his game.”
Don't Take Our Word For It
Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik was similarly impressed after Doug McDermott scored a career-high 35 on Dec. 19. Here's an excerpt of Wojcik's post-game opening statement:
“I tell you what, that was one impressive performance by Doug McDermott. I thought the guy single-handedly broke the spirit of my team. In particular, my three seniors and sophomore post players. He was terrific...My goodness, it really surprised us how good McDermott was, particularly in the post against size, how good his strength is, how good his stamina is, how good his feet are, and how good of hands he has. He was very impressive to me, tonight.”
Wragge Sinks 100th Trey
Sophomore forward Ethan Wragge made his 100th career three-pointer at Tulsa on Dec. 19th, coming in his 53rd career game. He became the 20th player in CU history to make 100 or more treys.
Comparing Wragge to the four most prolific three-point shooters in school history, Kyle Korver needed 45 games to reach 100 treys, Ryan Sears required 47, Rodney Buford took 57 games and Nate Funk needed 81 contests to get to 100. All four men would make 200 or more treys.
Wragge had his streak of 13 straight games with a three-pointer snapped on Dec. 10 at Saint Joseph's.
Dish Network
Grant Gibbs turned in an unusual stat line in a Dec. 19 victory over Houston Baptist. The junior guard had career-highs with eight assists and four steals, but did not attempt a shot from the field in 19 minutes of play.
He's the only Bluejay in more than 25 years to have eight or more assists in a game in which he did not attempt a field goal.
Gibbs continued to play the role of distributor on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, dishing a career-high 10 assists.
One game later vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22, Gibbs had 12 assists and eight rebounds, but was 0-for-2 from the field.
Gibbs' 5.9 assists per game average makes him the first Bluejay to average more than 5.5 helpers per game since Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per game in 1976-77.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 87 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 51 straight games (at all sites) when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 17 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Minute Man's Many Minutes
Antoine Young has played 1,704 minutes in his 66 career games at CenturyLink Century Omaha, the most minutes played in facility history.
Young's 239 assists in the building are a facility record, 26 more than the previous mark held by Josh Dotzler (2005-09).
Ball Control Offense
Creighton ranked fourth nationally with a 1.52 assist/turnover ratio through games of January 15th, and a big portion of that is due to its starting backcourt.
Creighton's starting guard trio of Antoine Young (78 A, 37 TO), Jahenns Manigat (32/14) and Grant Gibbs (106/43) have combined for 216 assists and 94 turnovers, good for a collective 2.30 assist/turnover ratio.
Reserve guards Avery Dingman (5/4), Josh Jones (34/14), Austin Chatman (35/23) and Taylor Stormberg (4/0) have combined for 78 assists against just 41 turnovers.
McDermott's 20/10 Vision
Earlier this season Doug McDermott became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Nate King had four in a row during the 1993-94 campaign.
No Bluejay has owned five straight double-doubles since Benoit Benjamin had 28 in a row in the 1984-85 campaign.
2,000,000 Fan March
Creighton has attracted 2,106,507 fans all-time in 147 games held at CenturyLink Center Omaha, good for an average of 14,330.
Creighton's 1,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha was honored on Jan. 19, 2008, in CU's 74th game at the facility. That fan, Jared Stickrod, was then a 10-year old from Omaha who received numerous prizes, including an autographed basketball and season tickets for the 2008-09 campaign.
In Creighton's home game on Dec. 4 vs. Nebraska, Creighton honored Omaha native Sam King as the 2,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Among his prize package is four season tickets for 2012-13.
Call It A Comeback
Creighton trailed 31-14 early on at San Diego State on Nov. 30 before pulling off a comeback for the ages.
Below is a list of Creighton's 10 comebacks from down 15 points or more since 2000. Notably, Creighton's comeback at SDSU was CU's largest away from home in that time.
Overcoming Large Deficits, Last 10 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
11/30/11 at San Diego State 17 W 85-83
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
Bahamas Boost
Creighton got a head start to the 2011-12 season thanks to a four-game exhibition tour of the Bahamas in mid-August. The trip, which included CU's four scholarship freshmen, also included 10 valuable practices in the off-season.
Creighton won all four games on its tour by double-digits, outscoring foes by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Doug McDermott led the Jays in scoring (24.3 ppg.), Will Artino led the team in rebounding (11.0 rpg.), Geoff Groselle topped the squad with 10 blocked shots, and Austin Chatman had a team-best 30 assists.
Each of Creighton's last three teams to take a foreign trip have started the season strong. The 2007-08 and 2003-04 teams both went to Vancouver, with CU's 2007-08 team starting the regular-season 5-0, and the '03-04 squad opening 12-0. The Jays also toured Europe in the spring of 1998, with CU opening 6-0 to begin the 1998-99 campaign.
This year's team, which went to the Bahamas in August, started 7-0.
Red Hot Night
Creighton scorched the CenturyLink Center Omaha nets on Nov. 25th in its 104-81 win vs. Campbell.
The Jays made their first 13 field goal attempts from the floor during a dizzying display that included four three-pointers and two other traditional three-point plays. The scoring frenzy helped CU to a 32-14 lead after nine minutes and well on their way to another double-digit win.
For the evening, Creighton shot a school-record 70.4 percent on the night, the ninth-best mark in MVC history. Creighton's previous best shooting night came on Feb. 3, 2010, when CU made 66.7 percent (28-of-42) to beat Evansville.
Wragge Steps In, Up
Sophomore forward Ethan Wragge began his sophomore season with 26 straight attempts from behind the arc in CU's first five games. On Nov. 30th at San Diego State, he stepped inside the arc and found his range while coming up with three huge two-point baskets. With Creighton down 33-16 late in the first half, he had a putback that started a 21-6 run to end the first half.
In the second stanza, Wragge had a tip-in that put the Jays ahead 76-72 with 2:16 left. His final score came with 16 seconds left, when he took a Jahenns Manigat feed for a lay-up to give CU an 84-81 cushion in the waning moments.
Just how rare were Wragge's barrage of two-point field goals? In his previous 25 games played since Feb. 6, 2010, he'd made just 3-of-8 shots from 'two-point' territory. His three 'two-pointers' on Nov. 30 are the most in any game of his Bluejay career.
MVC Honors For Doug
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week on both Nov. 21 and Nov. 28th.
His first honor came on Nov. 21 after averaging 25.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in wins over UAB and Iowa.
Most recently, he earned the honor on Nov. 28 after a 31 point, 11 rebound game vs. Campbell that also helped him earn Dale Howard Classic Tournament MVP accolades.
These are the first two MVC Player of the Week accolades in McDermott's career, though he did set a league record last winter with seven MVC Newcomer of the Week awards.
Super Seven
Creighton's win vs. Nebraska on Dec. 4th was the Jays seventh straight this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 16 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Nearly A Point A Minute
A year ago at this time, Doug McDermott was still sneaking up on people as a baby-faced freshman. But after a record-setting freshman year and preseason acclaim on the Wooden and Naismith Award lists this fall, he's become priority number one on the opponent's scouting reports.
Despite the extra attention paid to him, he's scored almost a point per minute in 23 games in a Bluejay uniform this season. If you include four exhibition games in the Bahamas (97 points, 84 minutes), an exhibition win over Rockhurst (19 points, 22 minutes) and 18 regular-season contests (437 points, 559 minutes), he's scored 553 points in 665 minutes.
According to stats through Jan. 15th on bbstate.com, McDermott's 31.3 points per 40 minutes led the country, well ahead of Weber State's Damian Lillard's 29.7 per 40 minutes.
Productive Night
Doug McDermott had 25 points in just 18 minutes of work on Dec. 19 vs. Houston Baptist.
He became just the second Bluejay since 1985 to score 20 or more points in a game in which he played fewer than 20 minutes.
Ethan Wragge, McDermott's sophomore teammate, has done it twice. He did it against Xavier on Nov. 27, 2009 (21 points, 17 minutes) and also against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11, 2010 (22 points, 18 minutes).
Before Wragge had done it, no Bluejay had scored 20 or more points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
McDermott On Preseason Lists
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott is one of 50 players nationwide named to the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, as well as the Naismith preseason watch list. He was the only MVC player honored on either list.
McDermott is the first player from Creighton named to a Wooden Award list since the spring of 2003, when Kyle Korver was one of 22 finalists for the award. However, Korver never received preseason acclaim in his career from the Wooden Award voters.
McDermott is Creighton's first player on the preseason Naismith list since Nate Funk prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
All-Around Doug
Doug McDermott finished his remarkable freshman season with 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-point baskets last year.
According to research by STATS Inc., the last two freshmen 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.
Below is the list, compiled by STATS Inc., of all 15 Division I players since 1996-97 to have McDermott's levels of at least 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-pointers in one season:
581+ Pts., 280+ Reb., 47+ 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
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
Matt Howard, Butler 2010-11 53 285 608
Romain Sato, Xavier 2003-04 75 297 603
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11 47 280 581
Freshmen listed in bold italic
Tournament Champs
Creighton went 4-0 to win the Dale Howard Classic, its fourth-ever tournament title in a regular-season event. The Jays also claimed titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004 and the Las Vegas Classic crown in 2008.
Creighton has also won a record 10 MVC Tournament titles.
Dale Howard Classic Info
The Dale Howard Classic included 10 games and was a five-team, round-robin event. Below is a final summary:
Dale Howard Classic Team Standings
Creighton 4-0
Campbell 3-1
Iowa 2-2
North Carolina A&T 1-3
Chicago State 0-4
Dale Howard Classic Game Results
Creighton 97, North Carolina A&T 65 (11/11)
Iowa 96, Chicago State 53 (11/11)
Creighton 95, Chicago State 61 (11/13)
Iowa 95, North Carolina A&T 79 (11/14)
Campbell 94, North Carolina A&T 66 (11/17)
North Carolina A&T 87, Chicago State 70 (11/19)
Creighton 82, Iowa 59 (11/20)
Campbell 75, Chicago State 69 (11/21)
Campbell 77, Iowa 61 (11/23)
Creighton 104, Campbell 81 (11/25)
Doing It All
Junior Grant Gibbs had five points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a Nov. 16 win at UAB. That made him the first CU player with at least five points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the same game since Kyle Korver had six points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a win at Drake on Feb. 1, 2003.
Gibbs took over the last six minutes of the game, sinking a go-ahead three-pointer, snaring five rebounds, and dishing a key assist to a dunking Gregory Echenique.
On two different occasions this season Gibbs has had back-to-back games with both six assists and six rebounds. No Bluejay had done that even once since Rod Mason on Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, 1988.
Passing Fancy
In the first eight years of CenturyLink Center Omaha, the single-game assist record was 28. Through 10 home games this season, the Jays have reached or surpassed that mark three times, including a facility-record 30 on Nov. 25 vs. Campbell.
Overall, the Jays have now assisted on 352-of-529 of its field goals this season (66.5 percent).
Last season Creighton's top passing output was 25 assists in a win over Kennesaw State, and the Jays dished on 60.7 percent of its field goals for the 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).
Other known father/son player/head coach duos this winter include Ray/Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit), Jim/Tyler Les (UC Davis), Ernie/Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan), Louis/Chauncey Orr (Bowling Green), Dave/Jordan Boots (South Dakota) and Jim/Billy Molinari (Western Illinois).
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches, SID's and media. The Bluejays earned 29-of-40 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Wichita State was second with 350 points and seven first-place votes, while Indiana State was third with 331 points and got four first-place votes.
Northern Iowa (245) and Evansville (234) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was defending regular-season champ Missouri State (216), where it was followed by Drake (159), Illinois State (111), Southern Illinois (90) and Bradley (75).
Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Missouri State's Kyle Weems, Indiana State's Jake Odum and Evansville's Colt Ryan. Weems was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has three 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 includes junior Grant Gibbs (Marion), sophomore Doug McDermott (Ames) and redshirt freshman 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 568 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
10 Conference Wins x 15
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 15th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 15 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (17).
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 12 of the last 13 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 13 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 12 of the past 13 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (11 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (10 each).
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.
Full House
Last year Creighton averaged 13,507 fans per home game, which ranked 22nd nationally. The program ranked 14th at the end of the regular-season with an average of 15,026 before four CBI home games brought down the average.
Creighton 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.
Creighton has finished in the top-25 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous five seasons, and is averaging 16,179 fans at home so far this season, good for ninth place, and on pace for an MVC single-season record.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (thru 1/16)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,353 1/17
2. Syracuse 21,445 1/28
3. Louisville 21,295 1/25
4. North Carolina 19,530 1/26
5. Wisconsin 17,180 1/18
6. Tennessee 16,639 1/21
7. Memphis 16,588 1/21
8. Kansas 16,300 1/23
9. Creighton 16,179 1/21
10. Indiana 15,977 1/22
11. Ohio State 15,849 1/25
12. Michigan State 14,797 1/21
13. Marquette 14,725 1/24
14. Illinois 14,635 1/22
15. New Mexico 13,937 1/18
16. BYU 13,669 1/19
17. Arizona 13,639 1/26
18. Vanderbilt 13,424 1/21
19. Kansas State 13,038 1/18
20. Connecticut 12,532 1/18
21. Purdue 12,495 1/17
22. Iowa State 12,484 1/18
23. Dayton 12,279 1/21
24. UNLV 12,094 1/18
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
16,179 Creighton 2011-12
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
Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 14 teams have finished either 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, and last year's club tied for fourth place.
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
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 592 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Besides a trip to the Bahamas, two Creighton players stayed busy competing internationally this summer.
Doug McDermott played for Team USA at the U19 World Championships, which were held in Riga, Latvia. McDermott started every game for coach Paul Hewitt's team and was third on the club in both points (11.3) and rebounds (6.1) per game, while topping the squad with 13 three-point baskets. Despite a 7-2 record and wins over the eventual gold and silver medalist teams, his team finished fifth overall after being upset by Russia in the quarterfinal round.
Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez. In head-to-head battles against NBA veterans such as Luis Scola (Argentina), Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Joel Anthony (Canada) and Andres Nocioni (Argentina), Echenique averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in eight games while helping Venezuela to fifth place at the FIBA Americas Tournament in Argentina. Venezuela's success means it will host a 12-team Olympic qualifier next July, of which the top three teams will make the 2012 Olympics in London.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 147 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in nine seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 125-22 (.850) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday or Friday.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 10,939-9,273 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.3 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 34 different times, including five times this season.
Silas To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Paul Silas will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 2, 2012, during a banquet at the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Silas played for Creighton from 1961-64 and averaged 20.5 points and 21.6 rebounds per game during his college career. He is one of five men in NCAA history to average a “20/20”, joining Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington.
He owns more rebounds than any NCAA player in the last 55 years, including 22 different games of 25 or more rebounds.
Silas played 16 seasons in the NBA and has won 390 additional contests as an NBA head coach with the Clippers, Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats organizations.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the previous 13 seasons, something it did again this year. Each of Creighton's last 12 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Big Margin
Creighton's 97-65 win on Nov. 11 vs. North Carolina A&T was its highest point total in a season-opener since the 2002-03 team opened with a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington. That team went on to be 29-5.
Seven of Creighton's 16 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last five teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 ? ?
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the seventh time in the nine-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2010-11 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2010-11 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.
Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 23-16 on the season, winning a program-record four postseason games before falling in the best-of-three championship series in the College Basketball Invitational. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for a tie for fourth place, the Jays 14th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
Individually, Doug McDermott was a first-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring and rebounding during a standout freshman season that also saw him sweep MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year accolades. Antoine Young was named second-team all-MVC, while both McDermott and Jahenns Manigat were named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team. In addition, Manigat was named to the MVC's All-Bench Team, and Gregory Echenique was selected to the MVC's All-Newcomer and All-Defensive Team.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink 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 2011-12 season went on sale on October 31st at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink 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.
