Pink Out Highlights Saturday's MBB Game vs. Bradley

2011-12 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #22 vs. Bradley • Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 • 7:05 p.m.
Bradley Braves at #15 Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: KMTV (Omaha); WTVP (Peoria); ESPN Full Court
Series History: Creighton leads, 43-41
Last Meeting: Creighton won 92-83 on Jan. 7, 2012 in Peoria, Ill.

Next Game
No. 15 Creighton (19-2, 9-1 MVC) searches for another 20-win season when it hosts Bradley (6-16, 1-9 MVC) on Saturday night at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,260).
    Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

Think Pink
As part of a nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer promotion and a local Creighton vs. Cancer effort, Creighton will hand out 12,000 pink shirts on Saturday and encourages all fans to wear pink to show their support of the fight against cancer.
    The Creighton team will wear special jerseys from Nike with pink trim, and personalized pink warm-up shooting shirts. In addition, the Creighton coaches will wear pink Nike shoes with their suits on Saturday. Bradley is getting into the act by wearing pink shooting tops and shoe laces, and their coaches will also wear sneakers.
    As fans depart on Saturday, special “Real Men Wear Pink” posters will be distributed.
    Bradley President Joanne Glasser and Theresa McDermott (wife of Greg, mother of Doug) are both breast cancer survivors.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2011-12 season, including Saturday's game. T. Scott Marr and Jimmy Motz will call the action.
    The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised by KMTV, the seventh of eight broadcasts this season. It will also air on ESPN Full Court. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will announce, with coordinates below:          Galaxy 16 K6 K6 Analog
D/L Freq 11.819V

Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and NeuLion will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 10-15 games this season, including Saturday.
    To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95.
    Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on gameday. The video stream includes audio of either the radio or television broadcast as well.
    Saturday's game will be video webcast free of charge by ESPN3.com. The exact link is http://es.pn/cbb-bradley-creighton.

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
Creighton is 19-2 on the season and tied for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 9-1 mark. The Bluejays, winners of nine straight, are ranked No. 15 nationally by the Associated Press and No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll.
    Sophomore forward Doug McDermott (23.5 ppg., 8.5 rpg.) leads the MVC and ranks second nationally in scoring. He's coming off a 30-point game on Saturday at Drake.
    Also scoring in double-figures is the team's lone scholarship senior, Antoine Young (11.7 ppg., 4.3 apg.). Young was named honorable-mention preseason all-MVC along with junior center Gregory Echenique (9.3 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 1.6 bpg.).
    On the wings, Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs (7.8 ppg., 5.7 apg., 4.6 rpg.) ranks second in the MVC in assists, while Jahenns Manigat (7.2 ppg.) leads the league in three-point percentage.
    The Jays are 10-1 at home, but have done their most impressive work on the road. Included in CU's 8-1 true road record are wins at the defending league champs from the Mountain West (San Diego State), Missouri Valley (Missouri State) and Conference USA (UAB), in addition to league runner-ups from the MVC (Wichita State) and Conference USA (Tulsa).
    Through games of January 22nd, Creighton ranked among the national leaders in most offensive categories, including first in field goal percentage (.514) and three-point percentage (.451), second in assists per game (19.2), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.51), seventh in winning percentage (.900) and ninth in scoring offense (81.5).

Scouting Bradley
Under new head coach Geno Ford, Bradley is 6-16 on the season and 1-9 in MVC play. The Braves have lost 12 of their last 13 games since December 16th, with a win on Jan. 15 vs. Northern Iowa.
    Taylor Brown leads the team with 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Also in double-figures is Dyricus Simms-Edwards (11.8 ppg., 3.2 apg., 1.5 spg.) and Walt Lemon Jr. (1.7 ppg.).
    Jordan Prosser ranks sixth in the MVC with 7.2 rebounds per game and also chips in with 8.5 points per contest.
    Bradley averages 64.0 points per game but yields 72.2 per contest. The Braves shoot 42.3 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from downtown and 67.3 percent at the line. The Braves are 1-8 on the road this season, claiming a 67-66 victory at George Washington on Dec. 15th.

The Series With Bradley
Creighton leads the all-time series with Bradley by a narrow 43-41 margin. Much of that difference has been made up in the past 11 years, as the Jays have won 20 of the past 25 meetings.
    Creighton is 25-13 in Omaha vs. Bradley all-time, including 13 straight wins since a Jan. 17, 1998 setback.
    In the last 32 meetings between the schools, Creighton is 15-1 when holding Bradley to 65 points or less but 8-9 when it allows more than 65 points. Creighton has also won the last 24 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against BU.
    Creighton coach Greg McDermott is 8-8 all-time against Bradley (6-1 in home games), and is 1-0 against Geno Ford. Ford is 0-1 vs. Creighton.
    Creighton's series history vs. Bradley can be found on page five of these notes.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his second season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 42-18 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 322-213 in 18 seasons and is 191-149 in 11 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
    Geno Ford (Ohio, 1997) is 6-16 in his first year at Bradley. He was previously head coach at Kent State for three years, Muskingum for two seasons and one year for Shawnee State. Ford owns a career mark of 125-85 in seven seasons overall. He's assisted by Greg Graham, Willie Scott and Jaden Uken.

Last Game Recap
Creighton improved to 19-2 with a 77-69 win at Drake on Wednesday night. Doug McDermott had 30 points, including 12 of CU's last 16, to pave the way. Rayvonte Rice led Drake with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Last 30/30 Man?
If Doug McDermott can notch 30 or more points on Saturday vs. Bradley, he'd join some rare company. No Bluejay has had back-to-back games of 30 or more points since Bob Harstad on Feb. 10 & 12, 1990.

Cancer Awareness Raises $$$
Creighton raised more than $20,600 in an auction in conjunction with Saturday's Creighton vs. Cancer game vs. Bradley.
    The Bluejays will be wearing special-edition pink Nike jerseys for the game, in addition to special shooting shirts in warm-ups that honor those affected by cancer.
    Fans had the chance to bid on a jersey/shooting shirt for each player, with the highest bid going for the #00 combination ($3,275). Six of the jerseys went for $1,000 or more.

Seeking 20 Wins, Again
Creighton has 19 wins and seeks to reach the 20-win milestone for the 13th time in 14 years on Saturday vs. Bradley. A win on Saturday would be the earliest (by calendar) to 20 wins in CU history, quicker than 2002-03 (Feb. 4).
    Below is a list of the nation's most 20-win seasons since 1998-99 (does not include this year).
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 13 Years
    Seasons    School    2011-12 W-L    Next Game
    13    Syracuse    21-1    1/28
    13    Duke    17-3    1/28
    13    Kansas    17-3    1/28
    13    Gonzaga    17-3    2/2
    13    Florida    16-4    1/28
    12    Kentucky    20-1    1/28
    12    Creighton    19-2    1/28
    12    Kent State    13-6    1/28
    12    Texas    13-7    1/28
    12    Xavier    13-7    1/28
    12    Utah State    11-10    1/28

Previous 20-Win Seasons
Creighton is chasing its 24th 20-win season in program history, a milestone it will reach with another victory this season.
Previous 20-Win Seasons, Sorted By Wins
    W-L    Season    Postseason?
    29-5    2002-03    NCAA (0-1)
    27-8    2008-09    NIT (1-1)
    24-8    2000-01    NCAA (0-1)
    24-8    1990-91    NCAA (1-1)
    23-5    1921-22    --
    23-7    1973-74    NCAA (2-1)
    23-9    2001-02    NCAA (1-1)
    23-10    1999-00    NCAA (0-1)
    23-11    2004-05    NCAA (0-1)
    23-16    2010-11    CBI (4-2)
    22-7    1963-64    NCAA (1-2)
    22-9    1998-99    NCAA (1-1)
    22-11    2007-08    NIT (1-1)
    22-11    2006-07    NCAA (0-1)
    21-5    1961-62    NCAA (2-1)
    21-7    1976-77    NIT (0-1)
    21-9    1980-81    NCAA (0-1)
    21-12    1989-90    NIT (0-1)
    20-7    1974-75    NCAA (0-1)
    20-9    2003-04    NIT (0-1)
    20-10    2005-06    NIT (1-1)
    20-11    1988-89    NCAA (0-1)
    20-12    1984-85    --

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. The Bluejays can make that 16 in a row with a win in any of their final eight league games.
    On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 15 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (17).

Home Court Edge
In addition to Creighton's gaudy road record this season, CenturyLink Center Omaha has also proven to be a huge benefit for the home team.
    Creighton is 10-1 at home this season, improving Greg McDermott's home mark to 29-4 with the Jays. The Jays are 20-1 in their last 21 games at home, winning 15 of those contests by double-digits.

Victory Leaders
Creighton enters Friday tied for third nationally with 19 wins against Division I competition. The only schools with more wins were Syracuse (21) and Kentucky (20).
    Along the same lines, Creighton's eight true road wins were tied for most nationally. Cleveland State, Lehigh, Robert Morris, Wagner, Murray State and Middle Tennessee also have eight road wins.

Best 21 Game Starts
Now in its 94th season of basketball, Creighton's 19-2 record ranks among the top starts to a year in school history. In fact, this is just the third time that Creighton has been 19-2 or better after 21 games, as detailed below:
    Creighton last started 19-2 in 2002-03, when it was actually 22-2 at one point. 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.

Best MVC Starts
This is the fifth time that Creighton has won at least nine of its first 10 MVC games, and first occasion since the 2002-03 team began Valley play 12-1.
    Creighton's nine straight MVC wins are the program's longest streak in league action since winning nine in a row in 2008-09.
    The Jays last won 10 straight games in league play from Jan. 27, 2001 to Jan. 2, 2002, when it won 11 in a row.
Best MVC Starts
    Start    Season    Final MVC W-L (Place)
    10-0    1942-43    10-0 (1st)
    12-1    2002-03    15-3 (2nd)
    9-1    1941-42    9-1 (T-1st)
    9-1    2001-02    14-4 (T-1st)
    9-1    2011-12    TBD

Where There's A Will
Will Artino had one of his best games as a Bluejay on Wednesday at Drake. Artino had six points and a career-best eight rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
    It was the second straight game of six points for Artino after he scored a total of nine points in CU's first eight MVC games this winter.

Give Me 10?
Creighton has won nine straight games, tied for 15th-longest in school history. A win on Saturday would be the Jays 10th in a row, moving it up to a tie for 10th-longest ever. Below is a list of the longest win streaks in program history.
Longest Win Streaks
    W's       Dates    Postseason?
    38    Feb. 22, 1917 - Feb. 11, 1920    --
    17    March 25, 1942 - March 4, 1943    NIT/NIT
    16    Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 23, 1929    --
    14    Jan. 3-Feb. 21, 1925    --
    14    Jan. 2 - Feb. 22, 1975    NCAA
    12    Jan. 21 - March 1, 1922    --
    12    Nov. 22, 2003 - Jan. 11, 2004    NIT
    11    Jan. 27 - March 3, 2001    NCAA
    11    Jan. 27 - March 6, 2009    NIT
    10    Jan. 18-Feb. 19, 1927    --
    10    Jan. 27 - March 12, 1962    NCAA
    10    March 9 - Dec. 20, 1963    NCIT/NCAA
    10    Jan. 22 - Feb. 22, 1974    NCAA
    10    Nov. 17 - Dec. 29, 2002    NCAA
    9    Jan. 21 - Feb. 16, 1998    NIT
    9    Nov. 22 - Dec. 21, 1999    NCAA
    9    Dec. 2 - 31, 2008    NIT
    9    Dec. 31, 2011 - Present    ? ? ?

Droppin' 30
Doug McDermott scored 30 points on Wednesday at Drake, his fourth outburst of 30 points or more this season.
    According to ESPN, McDermott's four games of 30 points or more this year rank third-most nationally, trailing only Oakland's Reggie Hamilton (7) and Weber State's Damian Lillard (5).
    In the last 20 years, the following men have scored 30 or more points in a game for Creighton.
30+ Point Games, Last 20 Years
    No.    Name    Years
    5    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    5    Doug McDermott    2010-Present
    3    Nate Funk    2002-07
    2    Kyle Korver    1999-03
    1    Matt Petty    1992-93
    1    Johnny Mathies    2003-06
    1    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-11
    1    Cavel Witter    2007-10
    1    P'Allen Stinnett    2007-10

Hand Down, Manigat Down
Jahenns Manigat tied a career-high with five three-point baskets at Drake on Wednesday night. It's the fourth time in his career he's made that many in the same contest, and helped move him into a tie for the team lead (with Ethan Wragge) with 40 three-pointers made this year.

Starting The New Year With A Bang
Creighton is 8-0 in January and seeking to close out a perfect month on Saturday. Creighton last had an unbeaten January in 1975, when it was 8-0.

Breakout Games vs. Bradley
Bluejay guards have experienced break-out games in the past four years against Bradley.
    Last year in Peoria, then-freshman Jahenns Manigat made four three-pointers and scored 12 points in 24 minutes. His 12 points snapped an 18-game streak of eight or less points, and his four trifectas were a career-high (at the time). Manigat, who had one career start before that performance, has started all 29 games since. Manigat went on to earn a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
    In 2010 in Peoria Josh Jones, in his first dose of extended playing time, had a then-career-high with   13 points in 21 minutes in a win at Bradley. Jones then matched his (then) career-high with 14 points in Creighton's 2011 home win vs. Bradley.
    In 2009 Antoine Young broke into double-figures for the first time in his career with 13 points in a Jan. 10 road win at Bradley.
    In 2008, Cavel Witter had a CenturyLink Center Omaha record 42 points (double his previous high) in a 111-110 double-overtime win over Bradley, then followed it up with 15 points and eight assists in a four-point MVC Tourney victory over the Braves six days later.

McDermott Scored 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).

Field Day
Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage, and has had a better shooting percentage in all 19 of its wins this year. The two times the opposition had a better field goal percentage, the Jays lost.
    Bradley is 0-11 when its opponent has a better field goal percentage this season.

Another Comparison
Creighton is averaging 84.1 points per game at home, where it has scored 70 points or more in 9-of-11 games this season.
    Bradley, on the other hand, is 0-11 when allowing 70 points or more this winter.
    Creighton has won 88 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more, and 24 straight games (at all sites) against Bradley when scoring 70 points or more.

Saturday Night Fever
Saturday is just the second Saturday night home game of the season for Creighton, and a full house of 17,000+ fans is expected.
    Creighton has played 50 Saturday games all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Of those 50, 22 have started at 7 pm or later (16 at 7:00 pm, two at 8:30 pm and one each at 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm).
    Creighton has averaged 15,548 fans in the Saturday home games after 7 pm, compared to crowds of 14,142 in the other 126 Bluejay games played in the facility.

Rebounding Ruler
Doug McDermott enters this weekend second in the MVC with 8.5 rebounds per game, just 0.1 behind Illinois State's Jackie Carmichael. The only Creighton player to ever lead the MVC in rebounds per game was Bob Harstad (9.4) in 1988-89.
    No Bluejay has averaged more than 7.4 rebounds per game since 1993-94, when Nate King averaged 9.0 rebounds per game.
    This year's Creighton team is outrebounding foes by 5.9 caroms per contest, the first time since 1998-99 (+5.8) it's had a rebound margin of better than 4.0 per game.

Kind of a Big Deal
Creighton has played in nine road games this season. Eight of the nine 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.
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
1/18/12    Missouri State    9,124    8,601
1/25/12    Drake    6,110    5,876
*sold out

The Godfather Strikes Again
Ross Ferrarini earned the CenturyLink Center Omaha crowd free Godfather's Pizza with a three-pointer in the waning seconds against Indiana State last Saturday.
    It's the second time in his 17 career home games that he's scored the 75th point. Last year he hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to close CU's scoring in a 75-59 home win over Illinois State win, one reason his teammates have dubbed him “The Godfather”.
    Creighton has scored enough points for pizza (75 since 2006-07; 70 from 2003-06) in 82 of 148 all-time games at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Only 10 men have scored the 'pizza point' more than Ferrarini's two occasions, a list led by Johnny Mathies. Mathies did it 10 times.
Most Times Scoring Pizza Point, 2003-Present
    Times    Name    Years
    10    Johnny Mathies    2003-06
    8    Cavel Witter    2007-10
    5    Antoine Young    2008-Pres.
    4    Kellen Miliner    2003-05
    4    Nate Funk    2003-07
    4    Anthony Tolliver    2003-07
    4    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-11
    4    Josh Jones    2009-Pres.
    3    Kenton Walker    2007-09
    3    P'Allen Stinnett    2007-10
    2    Isacc Miles    2004-05
    2    Nick Porter    2005-07
    2    Dustin Sitzmann    2005-09
    2    Josh Dotzler    2005-09
    2    Nick Bahe    2006-08
    2    Kaleb Korver    2007-11
    2    Casey Harriman    2007-11
    2    Ethan Wragge    2009-Pres.
    2    Ross Ferrarini    2010-Pres.
    2    Will Artino    2011-Pres.
    2    Doug McDermott    2010-Pres.

Road Warriors
Creighton's win at Drake on Jan. 25 improved the Bluejays to 8-1 in true road games this season, with road wins at last year's Mountain West champ (San Diego State), Conference USA champ (UAB), MVC champ (Missouri State), Conference-USA runner-up (Tulsa) and MVC runner-up (Wichita State). CU has also won at Bradley, Illinois State and Drake.
    This is the first time in program history the Bluejays have been 8-1 or better on the road.
    Creighton's eight true road wins this season surpass 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.
    As of Jan. 23rd, only two teams nationally owned two true road wins vs teams ranked in top-28 of official NCAA RPI; Creighton and Cincinnati.

The Avengers
Twelve different programs combined to hand Creighton its 16 losses last season. While the Jays are not scheduled to face Iowa State, BYU, Oregon or Akron this year, they've done rather well against the other eight teams to beat them a year ago.
    Against those eight teams (Northwestern, Nebraska, Missouri State, Wichita State, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Drake), Creighton is 9-1 so far this season after going a combined 5-11 last year vs. those same foes.

More Road Streaks
Creighton has won six straight road games for the first time since 1975. Creighton will seek seven straight wins on the road for the first time since 1962 when it visits Northern Iowa on Feb. 4th.
    Below is a list of Creighton's road win streaks of six or longer:
Longest Road Win Streaks
    Streak    Dates
    14    Feb. 14, 1942 - Dec. 20, 1945
    11    Feb. 26, 1917 - Feb. 27, 1919
    8    Jan. 10, 1925 - Jan. 16, 1926
    7    Jan. 27 - Dec. 1, 1962
    7    Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 19, 1929
    6    Jan. 2 - Feb. 15, 1975
    6    Dec. 19, 2011 - Present

The Road Less Traveled
After going 6-21 in true road games the previous two seasons, Creighton is 8-1 in true road games this year. The Bluejays have started 5-0 in league road games for the first time since 1942-43, when the program finished 5-0.
     In eight road games this season, Creighton is shooting an impressive 50.7 percent from the floor and 45.9 percent from three-point territory.
    Doug McDermott is averaging 26.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in those eight tilts, making 21-of-34 shots from three-point range (61.8 percent).

Winning The Close Ones
Last Wednesday's 66-65 win on Jan. 18th helps show the difference between this year's Creighton team and last year's squad.
    Last year in Springfield, Creighton led nearly the entire game before giving up a lay-up in the final 15 seconds to lose, 67-66.
    This year in Springfield, Creighton got a pair of defensive stops in the final 10 seconds to earn a 66-65 victory.
    This year's club is 3-0 in games decided by three points or less, while last year's team was just 1-6 in such situations.

Chasing 500 Points, Again
Doug McDermott enters this weekend with 494 points, putting him six points shy of reaching the 500 point milestone for a second straight season. Last year he set an MVC freshman record with 581 points.
    Should McDermott get to 500 this season, he'll become just the third player in MVC history with 500 or more points as both a freshman and sophomore, joining Mitchell Anderson (Bradley) and John S. Williams (Indiana State).
    In Creighton history, the only players with multiple seasons of 500 or more points are Paul Silas (3), Bob Harstad (3), Rodney Buford (3), Rick Apke (2), Bob Portman (2), Chad Gallagher (2) and Nate Funk (2).

Forty Win Dash
Greg McDermott won his 40th game on the Bluejay sideline on Jan. 18th at Missouri State, with the milestone coming in his 58th game at Creighton.
    He became the first coach to reach 40 wins with a record of .500 or better since Tom Apke was 40-14 when he reached the mark in 1976.
    Among some of his predecessors to reach 40 wins, McDermott reached the milestone quicker than notable names like Dana Altman (91 games), Tony Barone (95), Willis Reed (95), Eddie Sutton (68) and Red McManus (72).

Jays Win 10 Home Games, Again
With last Saturday's win vs. Indiana State, Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 16 straight seasons.
    The current streak extends a school-record, four 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.

What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 17 seasons, including this season.
    Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 17 Years
Year    First 20 W-L    Final W-L    Postseason
2011-12    18-2    ? ? ?    ? ? ?
2010-11    13-7    23-16    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    ---

Taking Advantage of Charity
Gregory Echenique began the season 7-of-25 at the free-throw line, a dreadful 36 percent. Since then, however, he's 42-for-54 from the line, good for 77.8 percent. In league play, he's up to 34-for-42, a team-best 81.0 percent.
    Since December 1st Echenique is 21-of-23 on the road from the charity stripe.

Chasing History
Doug McDermott leads the MVC in scoring (23.5 ppg.) and is second in rebounding (8.5 rpg.) three-point percentage (.500) and field goal percentage (.613).
    The last player to lead the MVC in scoring and rebounding in the same season is Southern Illinois legend Ashraf Amaya in 1991-92.
    No player has ever led the MVC in field goal percentage and three-point percentage in the same season.

Shooting Stars
Creighton continues to lead the country in field goal percentage, making an incredible 51.3 percent from the field.
    The Bluejays have shot 55 percent or better in five of the past eight games, and nine times (in 21 games) overall this season.
    In Creighton's last 31 games dating to late last season, it has shot 41.9 percent or better in all but two contests, both against Missouri State.
    Creighton, which is also leading the country in three-point percentage, is seeking to join Northern Arizona (in 1998-99) as the only teams in NCAA history to lead the nation in three-point percentage and field goal percentage in the same season.

McManus To The Hall
Former Creighton men's basketball coach John J. “Red” McManus will be inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame on April 19th.
    McManus went 138-118 as head coach of Creighton from 1959-69, and mentored All-Americans Paul Silas and Bob Portman, among others. He remains close to the program to this day and regularly attends home games and the State Farm MVC Tournament.
    Also joining the Hall of Fame will be Lyell Bremser, Al Caniglia, Tom Jaworski, Kelly Lindsay, Erick Strickland and the 1982 Omaha Westside football team.

McDermott vs. McDermott
Doug McDermott owns 1,075 career points in 60 games entering Saturday'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 60 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    60
Field Goals    402    416
FG%    .581    .563
Points    1,033    1,075
Rebounds    483    459
Assists    79    73
Blocked Shots    51    5
Steals    34    14
3-Pt. Field Goals    1    83
3-Pt. FG%    .500    .441

Shades of 2003?
Creighton's 19-2 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 21 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    19-2    19-2
Home W-L    10-1    11-0
FG    603-1175    631-1223
FG Pct.    .513    .516
3FG    181-401    185-455
3FG Pct.    .451    .407
FT    319-442    290-424
FT Pct.    .722    .684
Reb. Margin    +5.9    +1.5
Assists    401    382
Turnovers    266    280
Points    1706    1737
Points/Game    81.2    82.7

Stat    McDermott    Korver
Points    494    388
Points/Game    23.5    18.5
Rebounds    179    190
Rebounds/Game    8.5    6.2
FG Pct.    .613    .517
3FG-FGA    36-72    84-166
3FG Pct.    .500    .506
FT Pct.    .825    .914
Assists    28    65
Turnovers    52    36

Sophomore's Streak Reaches 22
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 22 straight games, CU's longest stretch since Nate Funk's streak of 24 straight games from Dec. 23, 2006-March 17, 2007.
    Bradley's Taylor Brown, who like McDermott also wears No. 3, has scored in double-figures in 11 straight games and 21-of-22 contests this winter.

Near The Top Of His Class
Sophomore Doug McDermott owns 1,075 career points in his young career. According to research by Creighton Sports Information's office, that leads all active sophomores through games of Jan. 27th.
Most Career Points, Sophomores (through 1/27)
Source: Creighton Sports Information
    Rk.    Pts.    Name, School    Next
    1.    1,075    Doug McDermott, Creighton    1/28
    2.    963    Jared Sullinger, Ohio State    1/29
    3.    925    Harrison Barnes, North Carolina    1/29
    4.    815    Terrence Jones, Kentucky    1/28
    5.    811    Trey Ziegler, Central Michigan    1/28

Really Dynamic Duo
It's hard to fathom, but two of the best sophomores 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.
    Both McDermott and Barnes are expected to receive consideration for first-team All-America status from the Associated Press. In the history of the AP All-America teams (which began in 1947-48), the only high school teammates to be named first-team All-America in the same season are former Columbus (Ohio) East High School products Dwight “Bo” Lamar (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Ed Ratleff (Long Beach State) in 1971-72.
    Here's a look at the two sophomores and how they've performed in college (through 1/27):
Name    McDermott    Barnes
Games Played    60    57
Points    1,075    925
PPG    17.9    16.2
Rebounds    459    308
RPG    7.7    5.4
FG-FGA    416-739    334-753
FG%    .563    .444
3FG-3FGA    83-188    91-252
3FG%    .441    .361
FT-FTA    160-206    164-220
FT%    .777    .745

Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 32 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
    Creighton's 32 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, with Wichita State next closest at six.
    Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, Creighton is 8-1 at the midway mark for the first time since 2002-03.
Year    1st Half    2nd Half
2011-12    8-1    1-0 so far
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    99-54 (.647)    98-47 (.676)

Upping The Antoine
Senior point guard Antoine Young continues to ascend up a few Creighton charts.
    He's up to 25th on Creighton's all-time scoring chart, and his 440 assists rank fourth-most in Bluejay annals.
    Young joins Ryan Sears as the only Bluejays in history with at least 1,000 points and 425 career assists.
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
    Ast.    Name    Years
    570    Ryan Sears    1997-01
    549    Ralph Bobik    1971-74
    458    Randy Eccker    1974-78
    440    Antoine Young    2008-Pres.
    430    Tyler McKinney    2001-05

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.    1,164    Antoine Young    2008-Present
    26.    1,152    Dane Watts    2004-08
    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.    1,075    Doug McDermott    2010-Present
    32.    1,050    Reggie Morris    1982-86
    33.    1,031    Johnny Mathies    2003-06
    34.    1,024    P'Allen Stinnett    2007-10
    35.    1,023    Rod Mason    1986-88
    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 a Jan. 15th 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

Gibbs Earns Newcomer Honor, Again
Grant Gibbs was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season on Jan. 15, 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.

Midseason Honors
Doug McDermott was named Midseason National Player of the Year by four 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, Len Elmore 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 75 points through 21 games as freshman, while Avery Dingman currently owns 70 points. Dingman has done it while shooting 47.2 percent (17-36) from three-point range in 151 minutes, while Manigat shot 37.2 percent (16-43) from downtown in 301 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 52 points and 43 assists with just 25 turnovers. Three years ago, Antoine Young had 68 points and 26 assists against 23 turnovers through 21 games.
    And looking at the front court, Will Artino's numbers of 72 points and 43 rebounds through 21 team games far exceed the 22 points and 34 rebounds Anthony Tolliver finished with in 27 games during his 2003-04 season as a freshman.

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

Chairman of the Board
Creighton center Gregory Echenique has 10 or more rebounds in four of Creighton's last seven games, and averaged an 9.6 boards in that span.
    Creighton is 9-0 all-time when Echenique collects 10 or more rebounds and 10-0 when he scores 15 or more points.
    Creighton is also 11-0 this season and 21-6 in his career when he blocks two shots or more.

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.

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.

Healthy 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.

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.

Blocking Behemoth
Gregory Echenique owns 89 career blocked shots in a Creighton uniform, eighth in school history. He has 16 blocked shots in his last eight games.
    Echenique also owned 94 blocked shots in 39 games at Rutgers, giving him 183 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
    89    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 21 games this season. McDermott's streak of 21 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
    21*    Doug McDermott, So.    2011-12
    16    Rod Mason, Sr.    1987-88
*active

12+ Points, Every Team Game This Year
    Streak    Name, School    Next Game
    21    Doug McDermott, Creighton    1/28
    21    Kevin Jones, West Virginia    1/28
    19    Damian Lillard, Weber State    1/28

Jays Ranked in AP & Coaches Poll
Creighton is in the Associated Press poll for the seventh time in eight weeks, climbing four spots to 15th this week. The spot is Creighton's highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
    Creighton is 14th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll released on January 23rd. It's the 10th straight week the Jays have been ranked by the coaches, and the highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
    For the sake of Creighton's records and consistency, the school recognizes the Associated Press poll, which can be found on page 165 of the Creighton men's basketball media guide.

Fresh 15
Doug McDermott has scored 15 or more points in 10 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
17    Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/25    2nd
16    Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19    2nd
15    Doug McDermott, Houston Baptist, 12/17    1st

Pick Your Poison
Creighton is leading the nation from beyond the arc, hitting 45.1 percent of its shots from three-point range.
    In the team's nine games decided by single-digits, CU locks in to the tune of 48.4 percent (78-of-161) from deep.
    The Bluejays have been remarkably consistent, making 40 percent or better from three-point range in 18-of-21 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 5.7 assists per game. He's had six or more assists in 11 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 20-1 in its last 21 games when one of its players has six or more assists in a game, including a 15-0 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.
    Under second-year head coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays are 34-1 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 269 wins in the millennium, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to 1/27/11)
        MVC    only          All Games
Team    W    L    Pct.    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    144    64    .692    270    116    .699
Southern Illinois    133    75    .639    237    142    .625
Wichita State    118    90    .567    229    148    .607
Northern Iowa    113    95    .543    220    152    .591
Missouri State    113    95    .543    219    157    .582
Illinois State    95    113    .457    193    169    .533
Bradley    92    116    .442    188    188    .500
Drake    88    120    .423    174    184    .486
Indiana State    74    134    .356    156    206    .432
Evansville    70    138    .337    136    210    .393

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    128    117    110    124
Starts    93    96    97    124
Points    1,164    422    570    1,311
PPG    9.1    3.6    5.2    10.6
Assists    440    388    430    570
APG    3.4    3.3    3.9    4.6
Turnovers    203    200    188    252
A/TO Ratio    2.17    1.94    2.29    2.03
Steals    93    196    119    283
SPG    0.73    1.68    1.08    2.29
Min./Game    26.4    23.0    26.5    33.7

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.

Full House
Creighton has attracted its second- and third-largest crowds in program history this season. 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
        17,411    Indiana State    01/21/12
    8.    17,371    Indiana State    01/19/08
    9.    17,283    Indiana State    01/27/07
    10.    17,193    Drake    01/24/09
    11.    17,152    Northern Iowa    12/29/09
    12.    17,116    Illinois State    02/28/09
    13.    17,110    Wichita State    02/24/07
    14.    17,053    #22 Drake    01/22/08
    15.    17,049    Nebraska    11/24/07

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 fourth on that list at 44.1 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 (44.5 percent) is up to third place.
    For the season, Creighton's freshmen are shooting 21-of-45 (48.7 percent) from three-point land, while the sophomore class is a collective 118-244 (48.4 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.    .445    Jahenns Manigat    81-182    2010-Pres.
    4.    .441    Doug McDermott    83-188    2010-Pres.
    5.    .441    Rod Mason    132-299    1986-88
    6.    .440    Nerijus Karlikanovas    48-109    1998-00
    7.    .431    Michael Lindeman    62-144    2000-04
    8.    .430    Duan Cole    176-410    1987-92
    9.    .427    Ethan Wragge    120-281    2009-Pres.
    10.    .407    Nate Funk    200-492    2002-07

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.
    120-281    Ethan Wragge    .427
    83-188    Doug McDermott    .441
    81-182    Jahenns Manigat    .445
    76-204    Josh Jones    .373
    71-235    Antoine Young    .302

National Scoring Leaders
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring at 23.5 points per game through games of Jan. 26th. Here's that list.
    Rk.    Name, School    Yr.    PPG
    1.    Damian Lillard, Weber State    Jr.    24.8
    2.    Doug McDermott, Creighton    So.    23.5
    3.    Reggie Hamilton, Oakland    Sr.    23.4
    4.    Gerardo Suero, Albany    Jr.    21.5
    5.    C.J. McCollum, Lehigh    Jr.    21.2
    6.    Nate Wolters, South Dakota St.    Jr.    21.0
    7.    Colt Ryan, Evansville    Jr.    20.9
        Terrell Stoglin, Maryland    So.    20.9
        Kevin Jones, West Virginia    Sr.    20.9
    10.    Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart    Jr.    20.7

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 44-of-101 (43.6 percent) in league action.

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. 25th, Doug McDermott was leading the nation with 196 field goals made this season. By comparison, no other player in the MVC has more than 127 buckets (Taylor Brown & Kyle Weems), and next closest nationally was West Virginia's Kevin Jones with 178.
    McDermott averages 9.3 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 494 points through 21 games, an average of 23.5 per contest that ranks him third nationally in scoring (through Jan. 25th).
    McDermott's 23.5 points per game would rank fourth-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 23.5 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.

Doug vs. Others After 60 Games
Doug McDermott has started all 60 games of his career and enters Saturday's contest with 1,075 career points (17.9 ppg.) and 459 career rebounds (7.7 rpg.).
    By comparison, Creighton's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, had 1,038 career points after 60 games. However, Buford had “just” 821 points after 20th game of his sophomore season (16.8 ppg.).
    McDermott also compares favorably to legendary big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher at this point. 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 60 Career Games
Name    Points    Rebounds
Doug McDermott    1,075    459
Rodney Buford    1,038    299
Chad Gallagher    795    359
Bob Harstad    765    540
Kyle Korver    679    263

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.

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 93 career steals, as many as his next two active teammates (Josh Jones 49; Jahenns Manigat 44) 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 10-0 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 15 times this season and 18 of his last 27 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 11 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.

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' 5.7 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 88 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 1,729 minutes in his 67 career games at CenturyLink Century Omaha, the most minutes played in facility history. Young's 243 assists in the building are also a facility record.

Ball Control Offense
Creighton ranked fifth nationally with a 1.52 assist/turnover ratio through games of January 22nd, and a big portion of that is due to its starting backcourt.
    Creighton's starting guard trio of Antoine Young (91 A, 39 TO), Jahenns Manigat (35/16) and Grant Gibbs (120/50) have combined for 246 assists and 105 turnovers, good for a collective 2.34 assist/turnover ratio.
    Reserve guards Avery Dingman (5/5), Josh Jones (38/19), Austin Chatman (43/25) and Taylor Stormberg (4/0) have combined for 90 assists against just 49 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 2,123,918 fans all-time in 148 games held at CenturyLink Center Omaha, good for an average of 14,351.
    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.

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 571 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.

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 26 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 21 regular-season contests (494 points, 653 minutes), he's scored 610 points in 759 minutes.
    According to stats through Jan. 25th on bbstate.com, McDermott's 30.3 points per 40 minutes led the country, well ahead of Weber State's Damian Lillard's 29.0 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

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).

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 11 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 401-of-603 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.

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.

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).

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 16,291 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 1/25)
    Rk.    School    Average    Next Home
    1.    Kentucky    23,479    1/31
    2.    Syracuse    21,445    1/28
    3.    Louisville    21,290    2/4
    4.    North Carolina    19,700    1/29
    5.    Wisconsin    17,160    2/4
    6.    Tennessee    17,046    1/28
    7.    Memphis    16,547    1/28
    8.    Kansas    16,300    2/1
    9.    Creighton    16,291    1/28
    10.    Indiana    16,075    1/29
    11.    Ohio State    15,920    1/29
    12.    Illinois    14,800    1/31
    13.    Michigan State    14,797    2/5
    14.    Marquette    14,639    1/31
    15.    New Mexico    14,085    1/28
    16.    Arizona    13,680    1/28
    17.    BYU    13,593    1/28
    18.    Vanderbilt    13,561    1/28
    19.    Kansas State    12,936    1/28
    20.    UNLV    12,804    2/1
    21.    Purdue    12,801    2/4
    22.    Iowa State    12,477    1/28
    23.    Connecticut    12,317    1/29
    24.    Dayton    12,375    1/28

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
    16,291    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 595 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.

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.

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 148 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in nine seasons at the facility.
    The Bluejays own an 126-22 (.851) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday or Friday.
    Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,014-9,322 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.4 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 35 different times, including six 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.

Pink Out Highlights Saturday's MBB Game vs. Bradley

Players Mentioned

Will Artino

Austin Chatman

Avery Dingman

Gregory Echenique

Ross Ferrarini

Grant Gibbs

Casey Harriman

Josh Jones

Kaleb Korver

Kenny Lawson Jr.

Jahenns Manigat

Doug McDermott

Derek Sebastian

Taylor Stormberg

Ethan Wragge

Antoine Young

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