Men's Basketball Heads To Las Vegas To Take on Wisconsin
11/21/2012 10:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
2012-13 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #5 vs. Wisconsin • Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 • 7 pm Pacific (9 pm Central)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. #14 Creighton Bluejays
Orleans Arena (9,500) • Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: ESPN2
Series History: Wisconsin leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 75, Creighton 39 on Jan. 8, 1949 in Madison
Next Game
No. 14 Creighton (4-0) leaves home for the first time this season when it heads to Las Vegas for the final two rounds of the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
The Bluejays will play Wisconsin (3-1) on Friday at 7 pm Pacific (9 pm Central).
Orleans Arena (9,500) will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2012-13 season, including Friday. T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.
Television Information
Friday's game will be televised nationwide by ESPN2, with Kanoa Leahey and Miles Simon on the call.
Video Webcast Information
Friday's game will be video webcast nationwide, free of charge, on ESPN3.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 top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting No. 14 Creighton
Creighton has defeated North Texas, UAB, Presbyterian and Longwood, all by double-figures, and enters this weekend as the nation's No. 14 team according to the Associated Press.
Junior forward Doug McDermott (16.8 ppg., 7.5 rpg.) is the nation's only returning consensus First Team All-American, as well as the nation's returning scorer (22.9 ppg. last year). He's led the Jays in scoring and rebounding each of the past two seasons, and has already picked up MVC Freshman of the Year, MVC Newcomer of the Year, MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors in his career.
The other three returning starters include senior center Gregory Echenique (11.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 2.0 bpg.), senior guard Grant Gibbs (6.3 ppg., 5.0 apg.) and junior guard Jahenns Manigat (.468 3FG% last year). Gibbs led the MVC with 176 assists last year, while Echenique had a league-high 57 blocks en route to earning MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Sophomore Austin Chatman replaced three-year starter Antoine Young, the lone player from last year's rotation to depart. Chatman is averaging 9.3 points and a league-high 5.8 assists per contest.
The Bluejays returned 10 lettermen and four starters from last year's 29-6 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, and have been widely praised for having one of the nation's most potent offenses.
Creighton is shooting 57.0 percent from the floor, 76.1 percent at the line, and outrebounding foes by 7.2 boards per game.
Scouting Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 3-1 on the season, with wins by 33 or more against Southeastern Louisiana, Cornell and Presbyterian surrounding a 74-56 loss at Florida.
The Badgers have three men averaging in double-figures, a group that includes Ben Brust (14.5 ppg., 9.3 rpg.), Jared Berggren (13.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.5 bpg.) and Sam Dekker (10.5 ppg., 2.8 rpg.).
Wisconsin has turned the ball over just 40 times in four games, and outrebounded foes by 11.4 caroms per contest. The Badgers traditionally staunch defense has limited foes to 51.0 points per game and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his third season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 29-6 mark last year, and is now 56-22 with the Bluejays. 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 336-217 in 19 seasons and is 205-153 in 12 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Wisconsin is led by Bo Ryan (Wilkes College, 1969), who is 654-205 in 29 years as a head coach. Ryan is 271-102 in 12 years at Wisconsin, including back-to-back appearances to the Sweet 16. He is assisted by Greg Gard, Gary Close and Lamont Paris.
The Series With Wisconsin
Wisconsin won the only previous meeting, 75-39, on Jan. 8, 1949.
Greg McDermott is 0-1 against Bo Ryan and Wisconsin, falling 57-52 in a 2005 NCAA Tournament game played in Oklahoma City.
Last Game Recap
Creighton never trailed while dismantling Longwood, 105-57, on Tuesday at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Gregory Echenique and Doug McDermott each had 17 points for the Bluejays, which shot 64.8 percent from the field and dished 27 assists on 35 buckets.
Past Trips To Vegas
This is Creighton's fifth-ever trip to Las Vegas, but first since December of 2008 when it won the Las Vegas Classic with wins over Fresno Stte (84-65) and DePaul (83-75) at the Orleans Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City:
Date Opponent CU Result
01/04/67 at UNLV W 71-70
01/02/69 at UNLV L 99-109
12/21/87 vs. Alaska W 85-84
12/23/87 at #15 UNLV L 59-90
12/22/08 vs. Fresno State W 84-65
12/23/08 vs. DePaul W 83-75
B1G Ten, Big Time
Creighton went 3-0 against the Big Ten last winter, including home wins vs. both Northwestern and Nebraska and a neutral site beatdown of Iowa.
Since 2000, Creighton has played just eight games against Big Ten teams at the time of the game. Five of those games were at neutral sites, three were against ranked teams, and two of those games went to overtime.
Creighton owns six wins in 15 games against the Big Ten since 1973.
In three games vs. Big Ten foes last season, Doug McDermott averaged 25.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on 29-44 shooting (65.9 percent) and 7-11 from downtown (63.6 percent).
Creighton vs. Big Ten Teams, Since 1973
Score Opponent Date
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
11/20/11 vs. Iowa W 82-59
11/28/10 at Northwestern L 52-65
11/26/09 vs. #15 Michigan L 76-83 (OT)
11/24/04 vs. Ohio State W 65-63 (OT)
03/17/02 vs. #13 Illinois L 60-72
03/15/01 vs. #24 Iowa L 56-69
11/27/99 Iowa W 85-76
11/25/98 at Iowa W 75-73
11/30/96 vs. #24 Minnesota L 63-64
12/27/91 vs. Northwestern L 57-76
12/01/90 at Iowa L 77-83
12/27/75 vs. #20 Minnesota L 74-80
12/20/74 at #2 Indiana L 53-71
We Meet Again
Creighton's Grant Gibbs and Wisconsin's Zach Bohannon won a state title together as high school teammates at Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School in 2006-07. Gibbs was a junior on that team, while Bohannon was a sophomore.
When Gibbs was a sophomore in high school, he teamed with former Badger guard Jason Bohannon as their team took fourth at state.
No Blues On The First Trip
Friday will mark Creighton's first foray away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In the previous 14 years, Creighton is 9-5 in its first non-home game of the season, which includes a 3-1 mark when that game takes place on a neutral floor.
Offense vs. Defense
Friday's game vs. Wisconsin features one of the nation's top offenses against one of the nation's top defenses.
Last season Creighton ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), second in assists per game (17.6), second in offensive points per possession (1.15), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.46) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Wisconsin, on the other hand, led the country in scoring defense (53.2), was third in defensive points per possession (.877), fourth in fewest fouls per game (14.2), 11th in three-point percentage defense (294) and 15th in field goal percentage defense (.389). The Badgers have ranked among the nation's top-10 in scoring defense each of the previous six seasons.
Digging Deeper
Need a reason why Friday's game might produce more points than you'd expect? Friday's contest features two of the nation's 15 most efficient offenses.
According to bbstate.com, Creighton's 1.27 points per possession ranks second-best nationally, is also second with 1.36 points per shot, and third with an effective field goal percentage mark of 65.2 percent. Wisconsin's not far behind, as its 1.17 points per possession rank tied for 14th.
Even Deeper
Need a reason why Friday's game might produce fewer points than you'd expect? Friday's contest features two of the nation's 30 most efficient defenses.
According to bbstate.com, Wisconsin's 0.77 points allowed per defensive possession ranks 17th-best nationally. Creighton's not far behind, as its 0.82 points per defensive possession rank tied for 30th. By comparison, last year Creighton was 201st in that stat at 1.01 points allowed per opponent's possession.
Bombs Away
Forward Ethan Wragge has been red-hot from downtown to start his junior season, sinking 14-of-22 shots from behind the three-point arc (63.6 percent).
Wragge, who is 9-of-11 from deep since Sunday, is Creighton's second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game despite playing just 16.3 points per minute. Wragge's 47 points are four more than the total from the reserves of Creighton's first four opponents this season (43).
Wisconsin Products Do Well With Jays
Two of Creighton's top players in the last 15 years have been from Wisconsin.
Rodney Buford (Milwaukee Vincent HS) starred with the Jays from 1995-99 and remains Creighton's all-time leading scorer with 2,116 career points.
Ben Walker (Oak Creek HS) started all but five games from 1997-2001, finishing his career with 1,238 points, 67 rebounds and 288 assists.
Last week, Creighton signed Wisconsin native Toby Hegner (Berlin HS), a three-star recruit who stands 6-foot-10.
Creighton assistant coach Steve Merfeld is a Wisconsin native and attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Friday's game vs. Wisconsin will air on ESPN2, a good omen for Bluejay fans. The Jays are 34-17 in its last 51 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This will be the Jays first of possibly eight scheduled appearances of the year on the World Wide Leader.
In these last 51 ESPN-affiliated appearances, Creighton is 31-9 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 3-8 when scoring 61 points or less.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Network Home Road Neutral Total
ESPN 2-1 2-0 4-0 8-1
ESPN2 9-3 5-6 1-1 15-10
ESPNU 9-0 2-4 0-2 11-6
Total 20-4 9-10 5-3 34-17
Turnover Trouble
Creighton has forced 50 turnovers through four games. While it doesn't seem like much, that 12.5 per game average is better than the 10.3 turnovers the team forced per game a season ago.
By comparison, Wisconsin owns 40 turnovers through four games this season, and has played 69 of its last 70 games with 14 turnovers or less.
Century Mark in CenturyLink Center
Creighton's 105-57 win over Longwood on Tuesday rewrote one record and triggered several other notable marks.
-Creighton's 48-point win was the largest margin of victory in the 10-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and the team's biggest at any venue since November of 2002.
-Creighton improved to 46-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, including a 7-0 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
-Creighton's 105 points are tied for 15th-most in school history, and were the most ever in 72 career games as a ranked team.
-Creighton has won 19 straight games when scoring 100 points or more.
-Since 2002-03, Creighton is 7-1 in the game after a contest in which the Jays scored 100 points or more.
-Creighton will look to score 100 points in consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 29, 1966 (Idaho State) and Feb. 2, 1966 (Memphis).
McDermott Joins Mills
Head coach Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 4-0 start for the second time in his first three years at the helm.
In the history of the Creighton program, the only other coach to do it was the first mentor, Thomas E. Mills, who did it in 1916-17 and 1917-18.
In Tournament Play?
Creighton is 2-0 in the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, and is looking to win its fifth-ever tournament title in a regular-season event. The Jays claimed titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004, the Las Vegas Classic crown in 2008, and last year's Dale Howard Classic in Des Moines.
Creighton has also won a record 11 MVC Tournament titles.
Ready, Aim, Fire
Creighton has made at least 61 percent of its shots from the field in each of the last two games. The Jays shot 61.5 percent vs. Presbyterian on Sunday, then made 64.8 percent on Tuesday.
This is the first time since at least 1984 that Creighton has made 61.0 percent of its field goals in consecutive games.
Having A Field Day
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in each of its first four games for the first time since 2002-03. That team finished the season 29-5 overall.
Creighton hasn't started its season shooting 50 percent or better each of its first five contests since at least 1978-79.
Creighton enters Friday having shot 57.0 percent from the floor in its first four games, third-best nationally. Each of its eight leading scorers are shooting 54 percent or better from the field.
Creighton's 68.3 percent shooting from two-point range leads the nation through Nov. 20th.
What's With The Fans?
Don't be surprised at the contingent that heads westward to support Creighton this weekend in Las Vegas.
Last season, Creighton ranked sixth nationally by averaging 16,665 fans per home game. Wisconsin ranked fifth at 17,181 per contest.
In addition, Michael Gaughan's South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa offered complimentary three-night stays between to Creighton alums, fans and friends at his property during this tournament.
Gaughan is a 1965 Creighton graduate and a 2004 recipient of Creighton's College of Business Administration Alumni Merit Award. In 2009 he entered The Gaming Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Vegas legends Don King, Frank Sinatra, Steve Wynn, Don Rickles and Wayne Newton.
Reunion Weekend
In addition to the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational that is going on at The Orleans Arena this weekend, the Global Sports Classic is going on across town at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus. That event will include Oregon, Cincinnati and Iowa State.
Oregon is coached by Dana Altman, who won 327 games as Creighton's head coach from 1994-2010.
To replace Altman, Creighton turned to Greg McDermott, who had led Iowa State to 59 wins from 2006-10.
Austin Powers
After spending last year as a back-up to Antoine Young, sophomore Austin Chatman has taken over as Creighton's starting point guard. Creighton's been blessed with a legacy of some of the MVC's best point guards in the last 15 years, a streak that began with four-year starters Ryan Sears(1997-2001), Tyler McKinney (2001-05) and Josh Dotzler (2005-09) at the point before Young ran the offense while starting the last three years.
Here's a look at the stats, by year, of the men that Chatman is trying to replace, as well as the performances of each man in their first four starts.
Freshman Sophomore
Name PPG APG CU W-L PPG APG CU W-L
Sears 10.5 4.8 18-10 8.7 4.0 22-9
McKinney 4.3 2.1 23-9 5.0 4.1 29-5
Dotzler 6.4 4.2 20-10 2.2 2.0 22-11
Young 4.9 1.4 27-8 7.1 3.1 18-16
Chatman 2.4 1.9 29-6 9.3 6.3 3-0
First Four Career Starts, Recent Point Guards
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. TO Stl.
Sears 59 11 13 9 6
McKinney 33 9 11 2 1
Dotzler 23 7 18 11 12
Young 16 4 9 6 2
Chatman 37 11 23 11 2
Dime Time
Austin Chatman's 11 assists on Sunday vs. Presbyterian were one shy of the CenturyLink Center Omaha record, set last season by Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern. Chatman entered the game with a career-high of seven assists, then had nine by halftime.
Chatman's 11 dimes led to 30 Bluejay points, and Creighton outscored the Blue Hose 63-26 in his 24 minutes of play.
In addition, Chatman's 11 assists were the most by a Bluejay sophomore since Tyler McKinney had 12 assists in a 81-73 win at Nebraska on Dec. 21, 2002.
Winning Away From Home
Creighton won a school-record 15 games away from home last season. The Jays went 10-3 in true road games and were also 5-1 on neutral floors.
Creighton's lone neutral-site loss came to North Carolina in a not-so “neutral” Greensboro, N.C., in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Where There's A Will
Sophomore center Will Artino tied his career-high with 13 points in Tuesday's win against Longwood. He made 5-of-6 field goal attempts and 3-of-4 foul shots, all in just 11 minutes.
For good measure, Artino also added two steals versus the Lancers, also a career-high.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton's previous 13 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Can't Miss Kid
Gregory Echenique is 17-for-20 (85 percent) from the field this season after going 3-for-4 vs. North Texas, 5-for-5 vs. UAB, 4-for-4 vs. Presbyterian and 5-of-7 vs. Longwood.
Through games of Tuesday, Echenique's accuracy led the country among players with 15 or more field goals made.
Defense! Defense!
Creighton ranked 222nd nationally last season in field goal percentage defense at 44.1 percent, one area that the program has tried hard to improve on in the off-season.
The early results have been promising, as CU has limited foes to 36.8 percent marksmanship. That figure ranked 38th-best nationally in 2012-13 through Tuesday's games. Only nine teams in NCAA history have held teams to 36.8 percent or lower for an entire season.
Not Half Bad
Doug McDermott outscored Presbyterian 20-17 in the first half in Sunday's win. It was the second-most points McDermott has ever had at halftime, and the fourth-highest half of his career.
McDermott's highest scoring half was 31 points, done last year in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
Last season McDermott scored 15 points or more in 17 different halves. Creighton won each game.
Crowd Control
Creighton has averaged 16,380 through four home games thus far, the best four-game start in program history.
Last year Creighton ranked sixth nationally by averaging 16,665 fans per home game.
Rare Air
Gregory Echenique had one of the best all-around games of his career on Nov. 14 in the win vs. UAB, finishing with 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. For good measure, he made 5-of-5 shots from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the line.
Echenique was the first Bluejay with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four swats on Feb. 28, 1985 at Dayton.
Echenique was the first Bluejay to have a 13/16/4 game at home since Benjamin had 26 points, 18 rebounds and seven rejections in a win vs. Marquette on Jan. 27, 1985.
Incredibly, Benjamin had nine different games in his junior season with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks before Echenique ended the 27-year drought on Wednesday.
Jones-ing For Success
Senior guard Josh Jones gave Creighton a spark with 18 points off the bench, all in the second half, in the Nov. 14 victory over UAB.
A notorious streak shooter, Jones put together a personal 10-0 run as CU rallied from a 45-35 deficit with 17 minutes to go to tie the score.
He later had eight points during Creighton's 17-0 run that buried the Blazers and gave CU a 70-55 cushion with 5:55 to go.
Jones' career-high point total is 21, done vs. Davidson in the CBI of his sophomore campaign.
Creighton is now 9-0 all-time when Jones scores 12 points or more, with seven of those games having been played at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Playing With The Lead
In 157 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 37 of those contests, a staggering 23.6 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins last season and one win (Longwood) this season.
Creighton has trailed by double-digits in 36 career games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, only to rally to win 22 of those contests.
On The Trail
Creighton won six games last season after trailing by 10 or more points, including wins away from home at San Diego State and at Wichita State, on neutral floors vs. Drake and Alabama, and in home triumphs over Long Beach State and Evansville.
In last Wednesday's win vs. UAB, Creighton trailed 45-35 in the second stanza, only to rally for a 77-60 win. It was the first time since Feb. 3, 2010 (vs. Evansville) that Creighton trailed by double-digits at any point before rallying to win by double-figures.
Last Wednesday was also the first time in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that Creighton trailed by double-figures in the second half, yet still won by double-digits.
Creighton, which trailed 37-33 at the half to UAB, improved to 9-5 in the last two seasons when owning an intermission deficit.
Double-Double Opener
Doug McDermott opened his junior season with 21 points and 11 rebounds on Nov. 9 against North Texas in a 71-51 win.
He was the first Creighton player to have a double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver opened his junior campaign with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-51 victory over North Carolina A&T.
Korver would go on to earn MVC Player of the Year accolades as both a junior and as a senior. Last year McDermott was the first player in MVC history named MVC Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Creighton has won either the MVC regular-season title or MVC Tournament each of its previous six seasons it had a player with a double-double in the opener (2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).
Doubling Up on Double-Doubles
In addition to Doug McDermott's season-opening double-double (21 pts., 11 reb.) vs. North Texas mentioned above, Gregory Echenique had 13 points and 16 rebounds on Wednesday against UAB.
It marks the first time that Creighton has had two different men in the first two games of the season since 2001-02.
In 2001-02, Kyle Korver had a double-double in the opener (14 pts., 10 reb.), and Brody Deren followed the next game with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a memorable double-overtime win vs. No. 17 Western Kentucky.
Poll Position
Creighton is ranked 12th in this week's USA Today Top 25 Coaches poll and 14th in this week's Associated Press poll. Both are season-bests.
Creighton has been ranked in the top-15 of the AP poll in just four prior seasons (1973-74, 1974-75, 2002-03 and 2011-12), including an all-time best of No. 10 the week of January 20, 2003.
Creighton was ranked 15th in this year's preseason coaches poll, its first preseason recognition since coming in at No. 23 in 2006-07.
Creighton started this year with a No. 16 preseason ranking by the AP, its highest preseason mark in program history and the best by any MVC school since No. 6 Wichita State in 1981-82.
McDermott Earns MVC Award
Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 12th for his performance in a Nov. 9 win vs. North Texas. McDermott had 21 points and 11 rebounds to produce CU's first double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver in 2001-02.
The award was the sixth of McDermott's career, something only Hersey Hawkins (14), Bob Harstad (8) and Korver (7) can top.
November Reign
Creighton has won 42 straight regular-season November home games. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Overall, Creighton is 53-11 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 41 straight non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Pencil Him In
According to STATS Inc., Doug McDermott is one of 15 juniors or seniors nationwide to start every game of his career (min. 2 years played):
Juniors/Seniors To Start Every Game
Source: STATS Inc., through 11/20
Starts Name, School Next Game 109 Brandon Triche, Syracuse 11/21
98 Dorian Green, Colorado State 11/21
78 Doug McDermott, Creighton 11/23
72 Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan 11/21
72 Ray McCallum, Detroit 11/24
71 Brian Voelkel, Vermont 11/21
71 Deonte Burton, Nevada 11/24
71 Cody Doolin, San Francisco 11/24
70 Frantz Massenat, Drexel 11/22
70 Jeromie Hill, UTSA 11/21
68 Holton Hunsaker, Utah Valley 11/21
67 Travis McKie, Wake Forest 11/23
66 Devon Saddler, Delaware 11/21
64 Daniel Miller, Georgia Tech 11/22
64 Marshall Bjorklund, N. Dakota St. 11/21
Chasing History
Doug McDermott has scored 781 points in his first 42 career home games. He is the all-time leading scorer in CenturyLink Center Omaha history.
McDermott also owns CenturyLink Center Omaha career records in points per game (18.6) and rebounds per game (7.7).
McDermott enters Friday's game with 1,449 career points in all venues, good for 13th in school history. Currently 12th in school history with exactly 1,500 points is Kevin McKenna, who is currently an assistant coach at Oregon.
Super Streak Ends At 37
Doug McDermott's streak of 37 straight games in double-figures came to an end when he was held to five points vs. UAB on Nov. 14th.
McDermott had owned the nation's third-longest active streak in the country, and the longest by any Bluejay since Vernon Moore's stretch of 46 in a row in 1984 and 1985.
McDermott's five points were the second-fewest in his career. His only game lower was his freshman season vs. Saint Joseph's, when he was scoreless in his ninth career contest.
CU's Top 10+ Point Streaks, Since 1981-82
No. Name Dates
46 Vernon Moore Jan. 30, 1984 - Mar. 5, 1985
37 Doug McDermott April 1, 2011-Nov. 9, 2012
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
31 Benoit Benjamin Mar. 8, 1984 - Feb. 20, 1985
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior center Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team last summer, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez.
Echenique averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games at the FIBA Olympic Qualifier in Caracas in July against Lithuania and Nigeria, where he went head-to-head against NBA players such as Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valanciunas, and Al-Farouq Aminu.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four starters (Gregory Echenique, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott) from last year's team that finished 29-6. Creighton's roster contains players who made 140 starts a year ago.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2012-13 4 140 ? ? ?
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
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 38-of-40 first-place votes and 398 points overall.
Illinois State was second with 327 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while Northern Iowa was third with 316 points. Wichita State (298) and Evansville (240) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Drake (184), while Indiana State (165), Missouri State (122), Bradley (84) and Southern Illinois (66) round out the rest of the league predictions.
Creighton junior Doug McDermott was named preseason MVC Player of the Year. He's joined on the team by repeat selections Jake Odum (Indiana State) and Colt Ryan (Evansville) as well as new picks Ben Simons (Drake) and Jackie Carmichael (Illinois State).
Creighton's women were also picked to win the MVC, just the third time in league history the MVC favorites came from the same schools.
Portman To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Bob Portman will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 8, 2013, during a banquet at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Portman played for Creighton from 1966-69 and averaged 24.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during his college career.
Portman owns the Creighton records for single-game scoring (51), single-season scoring average (29.5) and career scoring average (24.7). He is also second for points in a season (738) and ranks fourth in career points (1,876), rebounds (979), free throws (382) and field goals made (747).
17 Or More?
Creighton has defeated each of its first four opponents by 17 points or more. It's just the second time in program history that's happened, as the 2003-04 campaign was the first.
Creighton has never won its first five games by 17 points or more.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 13 of the last 14 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 14 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 13 of the past 14 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (12 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (11 each).
10 Conference Wins x 16
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 16th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 16 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (18).
Each of the last 16 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the MVC as well.
Postseason x 15
Creighton has made the postseason in 15 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Alabama, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record five straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following eight programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in five straight seasons, including 2011-12: Creighton, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
Full House
Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance, averaging 16,665 fans per home game, in 2011-12. It's the sixth straight season that CU has been among the nation's top-25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record.
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.
Creighton also ranked seventh nationally in men's soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation's only school in the top-10 of those three sports.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (Final)
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,721
2. Syracuse 23,618
3. Louisville 21,503
4. North Carolina 20,159
5. Wisconsin 17,181
6. Creighton 16,665
7. Tennessee 16,543
8. Ohio State 16,510
9. Indiana 16,462
10. Kansas 16,300
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
266,632 Creighton 2011-12
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
Consistent Challengers
Ten of Creighton's last 15 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, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 15 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.), 2011-12 (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
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has four 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 Iowans this season includes senior Grant Gibbs (Marion), junior Doug McDermott (Ames), sophomore Will Artino (Waukee) and redshirt freshman Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 589 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Team of the Millennium?
Below is the records for each MVC school from the start of the 2000-01 season until the start of this season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 280 wins in the millennium, as well as 12 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to end of 2011-12)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 149 67 .690 280 120 .700
Southern Illinois 134 82 .620 238 151 .612
Wichita State 125 91 .579 238 151 .612
Northern Iowa 118 98 .546 226 158 .589
Missouri State 117 99 .542 223 163 .578
Illinois State 99 117 .458 201 175 .535
Bradley 93 123 .431 189 197 .490
Drake 92 124 .426 180 191 .485
Indiana State 79 137 .366 162 212 .433
Evansville 74 142 .343 142 216 .397
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 6 4 1 1 12
Wichita State 2 5 1 0 8
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Northern Iowa 5 1 0 1 7
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 4 0 1 5
Illinois State 0 5 0 0 5
Indiana State 2 0 1 1 4
Drake 1 0 0 2 3
Evansville 0 0 2 1 3
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 613 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 157 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in its 10 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 134-23 (.855) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (6-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,773-9,940 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.7 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 37 different times, including seven times last season and once this winter (Longwood).
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 55 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 19 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
In home games only, Creighton has won 93 straight games when scoring 70 or more points since a Feb. 5, 2005 loss to Missouri State.
Sneaking Up On Two Milestones
Because he's split his college career between Rutgers and Creighton, you might not realize the rather impressive college stats being generated by Gregory Echenique.
Echenique owns 1,060 points, 782 rebounds and 214 blocked shots in his first 108 games as a collegian. He entered the season as the nation's only active player with at least 1,000 point, 750 rebounds and 200 blocked shots.
Had all those stats been generated at Creighton, Echenique would rank 36th in career points, sixth in career rebounds and second in career blocked shots at CU.
Here's To History
With the 2012 MVC Tournament title, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott became the first head coach in league history to win a Valley Tournament title at more than one school.
McDermott previously won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa. The 1988 Northern Iowa grad McDermott also holds the honor of being the first coach in league history to win an MVC Tournament title at his alma mater.
Dance Partners
Only two schools won their league tournament in both men's and women's basketball in 2011-12: Creighton and South Dakota State.
This was the fifth time in MVC history that the same school has won the men's and women's tournament titles in the same season. Creighton, however, was the first program to do it twice (UNI 2010, Creighton 2002 and 2012, Missouri State 1992, Illinois State 1983).
McDermott A Preseason All-American
Junior forward Doug McDermott became the first player in MVC history to be named a preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press. The team was announced on October 28th.
McDermott earned acclaim on 62-of-65 ballots, trailing only Indiana's Cody Zeller. The rest of the team consisted of Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh).
The preseason All-America team was first announced in 1986-87.
Watch This!
Junior Doug McDermott is on the preseason watch lists for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, two of the top awards in college basketball.
McDermott is the only man who was a finalist for either award to return to school this season.
The Naismith Award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and will be presented on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.
The Wooden Award is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will handed out the weekend of April 12-13, 2013, in Los Angeles.
Everybody's All-American
Doug McDermott hauled All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News and CBSSports.com. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Kyle Korver (2003).
Last year McDermott was named CollegeInsider.com's Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Award, though Anthony Davis won both awards.
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owned 801 points in 35 games last year, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranked him third nationally in scoring.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were 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.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game made 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 Northern Iowa's Randy Blocker (23.0 ppg.) in 1993-94. Bryson had been the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay had averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad's 22.2 average in 1989-90.
Oscar, Bird, Doug
Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11. Last season, McDermott had 801 points, the most single-season points in school history by any player.
McDermott's 1,382 points after two seasons were the most in school history by a player in their first two seasons, passing Bob Portman (1,195). According to STATS Inc., the only other players since 1996-97 with at least 1,382 points or more by the end of their sophomore season had been Davidson's Stephen Curry (1,661 points from 2006-08), Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey (1,438 points from 2005-07) and VMI's Keydren Clark (1,497 points from 2002-04).
He became just the third sophomore in MVC history to reach 800 points in a season, trailing only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird on that list. His 801 points from last year rank 10th-most in MVC single-season history and were the most by any Valley player since 1988.
Below is a list of the most prolific sophomore scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
788 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1986-87
788 Willie Biles, Tulsa 1972-73
Top Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
680 Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
656 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1985-86
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
801 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
Most Career Points, Active Juniors
Source: Creighton Sports Info/STATS Inc. (11/20)
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next Game
1. 1,449 Doug McDermott, Creighton 11/23
2. 1,145 DeAndre Kane, Marshall 11/24
3. 1,062 Devon Saddler, Delaware 11/21
4. 1,037 Trey Ziegler, Pittsburgh 11/21
All-Around Doug
Last season Doug McDermott joined Texas' Kevin Durant (in 2006-07) as the nation's only player since 1996-97 to finish a season with at least 800 points, 280 rebounds and 50 three-pointers.
It came on the heels of McDermott's remarkable freshman season with 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-point baskets.
According to research by STATS Inc., the last two freshmen (before McDermott) to attain 525 points, 270 rebounds and 40 three-pointers in a season were Durant and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) in 2002-03. The previous two freshmen 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 19 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.
McDermott, who repeated the feat in 2011-12, joins Kyle Singler (Duke) as one of two men to do it twice.:
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
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12 54 288 801
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
Wendell McKinies, New Mex St. 2011-12 51 374 653
Brian Heinle, CS-Northridge 2000-01 52 293 646
Jae Crowder, Marquette 2011-12 61 295 614
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
Draymond Green, MIchigan St. 2011-12 52 392 601
Doug McDermott, Creighton* 2010-11 47 280 581
*Freshmen
Familiar Fives
Creighton utilized the same starting line-up all season long in 2011-12, as Gregory Echenique, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Antoine Young started all 35 games.
According to STATS Inc., the only schools with the same starting five every game were Creighton, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 29-6 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton started the year 7-0 to move into the Associated Press top-25, a spot they would hold for 12 of the final 15 weeks.
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring (22.9), scoring a school-record 801 points. He became the first sophomore named MVC Player of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American.
Point guard Antoine Young (12.1 ppg., 4.5 apg.) was a second-team all-Valley pick, while center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.6 bpg.) was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Grant Gibbs was runner-up for MVC Newcomer of the Year accolades after dishing a league-high 176 assists.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assists (17.6), sixth in home attendance (16,665) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Creighton finished the regular-season second in the MVC before winning its league-record 11th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid. At the NCAA's, Creighton topped Alabama 58-57 before falling to No. 4 North Carolina.
Creighton Will Host in 2015, Again
The NCAA announced on Nov. 12, 2012, that Creighton will serve as the host institution on March 20/22, 2015, when the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament returns to CenturyLink Center Omaha for second/third-round games.
This will be the third time in a seven-year span the arena has hosted, having previously done so in 2008 and 2012 to much acclaim.
CenturyLink Center Omaha has previously hosted NCAA finals for women's volleyball (2006, 2008) and wrestling (2010), as well as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming (2008, 2012). This January, it will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
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 2012-13 season will go on sale on October 29th 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.
Game #5 vs. Wisconsin • Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 • 7 pm Pacific (9 pm Central)
Wisconsin Badgers vs. #14 Creighton Bluejays
Orleans Arena (9,500) • Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: ESPN2
Series History: Wisconsin leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 75, Creighton 39 on Jan. 8, 1949 in Madison
Next Game
No. 14 Creighton (4-0) leaves home for the first time this season when it heads to Las Vegas for the final two rounds of the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
The Bluejays will play Wisconsin (3-1) on Friday at 7 pm Pacific (9 pm Central).
Orleans Arena (9,500) will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2012-13 season, including Friday. T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.
Television Information
Friday's game will be televised nationwide by ESPN2, with Kanoa Leahey and Miles Simon on the call.
Video Webcast Information
Friday's game will be video webcast nationwide, free of charge, on ESPN3.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 top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting No. 14 Creighton
Creighton has defeated North Texas, UAB, Presbyterian and Longwood, all by double-figures, and enters this weekend as the nation's No. 14 team according to the Associated Press.
Junior forward Doug McDermott (16.8 ppg., 7.5 rpg.) is the nation's only returning consensus First Team All-American, as well as the nation's returning scorer (22.9 ppg. last year). He's led the Jays in scoring and rebounding each of the past two seasons, and has already picked up MVC Freshman of the Year, MVC Newcomer of the Year, MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors in his career.
The other three returning starters include senior center Gregory Echenique (11.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 2.0 bpg.), senior guard Grant Gibbs (6.3 ppg., 5.0 apg.) and junior guard Jahenns Manigat (.468 3FG% last year). Gibbs led the MVC with 176 assists last year, while Echenique had a league-high 57 blocks en route to earning MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Sophomore Austin Chatman replaced three-year starter Antoine Young, the lone player from last year's rotation to depart. Chatman is averaging 9.3 points and a league-high 5.8 assists per contest.
The Bluejays returned 10 lettermen and four starters from last year's 29-6 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, and have been widely praised for having one of the nation's most potent offenses.
Creighton is shooting 57.0 percent from the floor, 76.1 percent at the line, and outrebounding foes by 7.2 boards per game.
Scouting Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 3-1 on the season, with wins by 33 or more against Southeastern Louisiana, Cornell and Presbyterian surrounding a 74-56 loss at Florida.
The Badgers have three men averaging in double-figures, a group that includes Ben Brust (14.5 ppg., 9.3 rpg.), Jared Berggren (13.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.5 bpg.) and Sam Dekker (10.5 ppg., 2.8 rpg.).
Wisconsin has turned the ball over just 40 times in four games, and outrebounded foes by 11.4 caroms per contest. The Badgers traditionally staunch defense has limited foes to 51.0 points per game and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his third season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 29-6 mark last year, and is now 56-22 with the Bluejays. 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 336-217 in 19 seasons and is 205-153 in 12 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Wisconsin is led by Bo Ryan (Wilkes College, 1969), who is 654-205 in 29 years as a head coach. Ryan is 271-102 in 12 years at Wisconsin, including back-to-back appearances to the Sweet 16. He is assisted by Greg Gard, Gary Close and Lamont Paris.
The Series With Wisconsin
Wisconsin won the only previous meeting, 75-39, on Jan. 8, 1949.
Greg McDermott is 0-1 against Bo Ryan and Wisconsin, falling 57-52 in a 2005 NCAA Tournament game played in Oklahoma City.
Last Game Recap
Creighton never trailed while dismantling Longwood, 105-57, on Tuesday at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Gregory Echenique and Doug McDermott each had 17 points for the Bluejays, which shot 64.8 percent from the field and dished 27 assists on 35 buckets.
Past Trips To Vegas
This is Creighton's fifth-ever trip to Las Vegas, but first since December of 2008 when it won the Las Vegas Classic with wins over Fresno Stte (84-65) and DePaul (83-75) at the Orleans Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City:
Date Opponent CU Result
01/04/67 at UNLV W 71-70
01/02/69 at UNLV L 99-109
12/21/87 vs. Alaska W 85-84
12/23/87 at #15 UNLV L 59-90
12/22/08 vs. Fresno State W 84-65
12/23/08 vs. DePaul W 83-75
B1G Ten, Big Time
Creighton went 3-0 against the Big Ten last winter, including home wins vs. both Northwestern and Nebraska and a neutral site beatdown of Iowa.
Since 2000, Creighton has played just eight games against Big Ten teams at the time of the game. Five of those games were at neutral sites, three were against ranked teams, and two of those games went to overtime.
Creighton owns six wins in 15 games against the Big Ten since 1973.
In three games vs. Big Ten foes last season, Doug McDermott averaged 25.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on 29-44 shooting (65.9 percent) and 7-11 from downtown (63.6 percent).
Creighton vs. Big Ten Teams, Since 1973
Score Opponent Date
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
11/20/11 vs. Iowa W 82-59
11/28/10 at Northwestern L 52-65
11/26/09 vs. #15 Michigan L 76-83 (OT)
11/24/04 vs. Ohio State W 65-63 (OT)
03/17/02 vs. #13 Illinois L 60-72
03/15/01 vs. #24 Iowa L 56-69
11/27/99 Iowa W 85-76
11/25/98 at Iowa W 75-73
11/30/96 vs. #24 Minnesota L 63-64
12/27/91 vs. Northwestern L 57-76
12/01/90 at Iowa L 77-83
12/27/75 vs. #20 Minnesota L 74-80
12/20/74 at #2 Indiana L 53-71
We Meet Again
Creighton's Grant Gibbs and Wisconsin's Zach Bohannon won a state title together as high school teammates at Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School in 2006-07. Gibbs was a junior on that team, while Bohannon was a sophomore.
When Gibbs was a sophomore in high school, he teamed with former Badger guard Jason Bohannon as their team took fourth at state.
No Blues On The First Trip
Friday will mark Creighton's first foray away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In the previous 14 years, Creighton is 9-5 in its first non-home game of the season, which includes a 3-1 mark when that game takes place on a neutral floor.
Offense vs. Defense
Friday's game vs. Wisconsin features one of the nation's top offenses against one of the nation's top defenses.
Last season Creighton ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), second in assists per game (17.6), second in offensive points per possession (1.15), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.46) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Wisconsin, on the other hand, led the country in scoring defense (53.2), was third in defensive points per possession (.877), fourth in fewest fouls per game (14.2), 11th in three-point percentage defense (294) and 15th in field goal percentage defense (.389). The Badgers have ranked among the nation's top-10 in scoring defense each of the previous six seasons.
Digging Deeper
Need a reason why Friday's game might produce more points than you'd expect? Friday's contest features two of the nation's 15 most efficient offenses.
According to bbstate.com, Creighton's 1.27 points per possession ranks second-best nationally, is also second with 1.36 points per shot, and third with an effective field goal percentage mark of 65.2 percent. Wisconsin's not far behind, as its 1.17 points per possession rank tied for 14th.
Even Deeper
Need a reason why Friday's game might produce fewer points than you'd expect? Friday's contest features two of the nation's 30 most efficient defenses.
According to bbstate.com, Wisconsin's 0.77 points allowed per defensive possession ranks 17th-best nationally. Creighton's not far behind, as its 0.82 points per defensive possession rank tied for 30th. By comparison, last year Creighton was 201st in that stat at 1.01 points allowed per opponent's possession.
Bombs Away
Forward Ethan Wragge has been red-hot from downtown to start his junior season, sinking 14-of-22 shots from behind the three-point arc (63.6 percent).
Wragge, who is 9-of-11 from deep since Sunday, is Creighton's second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game despite playing just 16.3 points per minute. Wragge's 47 points are four more than the total from the reserves of Creighton's first four opponents this season (43).
Wisconsin Products Do Well With Jays
Two of Creighton's top players in the last 15 years have been from Wisconsin.
Rodney Buford (Milwaukee Vincent HS) starred with the Jays from 1995-99 and remains Creighton's all-time leading scorer with 2,116 career points.
Ben Walker (Oak Creek HS) started all but five games from 1997-2001, finishing his career with 1,238 points, 67 rebounds and 288 assists.
Last week, Creighton signed Wisconsin native Toby Hegner (Berlin HS), a three-star recruit who stands 6-foot-10.
Creighton assistant coach Steve Merfeld is a Wisconsin native and attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Friday's game vs. Wisconsin will air on ESPN2, a good omen for Bluejay fans. The Jays are 34-17 in its last 51 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This will be the Jays first of possibly eight scheduled appearances of the year on the World Wide Leader.
In these last 51 ESPN-affiliated appearances, Creighton is 31-9 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 3-8 when scoring 61 points or less.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Network Home Road Neutral Total
ESPN 2-1 2-0 4-0 8-1
ESPN2 9-3 5-6 1-1 15-10
ESPNU 9-0 2-4 0-2 11-6
Total 20-4 9-10 5-3 34-17
Turnover Trouble
Creighton has forced 50 turnovers through four games. While it doesn't seem like much, that 12.5 per game average is better than the 10.3 turnovers the team forced per game a season ago.
By comparison, Wisconsin owns 40 turnovers through four games this season, and has played 69 of its last 70 games with 14 turnovers or less.
Century Mark in CenturyLink Center
Creighton's 105-57 win over Longwood on Tuesday rewrote one record and triggered several other notable marks.
-Creighton's 48-point win was the largest margin of victory in the 10-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and the team's biggest at any venue since November of 2002.
-Creighton improved to 46-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, including a 7-0 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
-Creighton's 105 points are tied for 15th-most in school history, and were the most ever in 72 career games as a ranked team.
-Creighton has won 19 straight games when scoring 100 points or more.
-Since 2002-03, Creighton is 7-1 in the game after a contest in which the Jays scored 100 points or more.
-Creighton will look to score 100 points in consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 29, 1966 (Idaho State) and Feb. 2, 1966 (Memphis).
McDermott Joins Mills
Head coach Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 4-0 start for the second time in his first three years at the helm.
In the history of the Creighton program, the only other coach to do it was the first mentor, Thomas E. Mills, who did it in 1916-17 and 1917-18.
In Tournament Play?
Creighton is 2-0 in the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, and is looking to win its fifth-ever tournament title in a regular-season event. The Jays claimed titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004, the Las Vegas Classic crown in 2008, and last year's Dale Howard Classic in Des Moines.
Creighton has also won a record 11 MVC Tournament titles.
Ready, Aim, Fire
Creighton has made at least 61 percent of its shots from the field in each of the last two games. The Jays shot 61.5 percent vs. Presbyterian on Sunday, then made 64.8 percent on Tuesday.
This is the first time since at least 1984 that Creighton has made 61.0 percent of its field goals in consecutive games.
Having A Field Day
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in each of its first four games for the first time since 2002-03. That team finished the season 29-5 overall.
Creighton hasn't started its season shooting 50 percent or better each of its first five contests since at least 1978-79.
Creighton enters Friday having shot 57.0 percent from the floor in its first four games, third-best nationally. Each of its eight leading scorers are shooting 54 percent or better from the field.
Creighton's 68.3 percent shooting from two-point range leads the nation through Nov. 20th.
What's With The Fans?
Don't be surprised at the contingent that heads westward to support Creighton this weekend in Las Vegas.
Last season, Creighton ranked sixth nationally by averaging 16,665 fans per home game. Wisconsin ranked fifth at 17,181 per contest.
In addition, Michael Gaughan's South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa offered complimentary three-night stays between to Creighton alums, fans and friends at his property during this tournament.
Gaughan is a 1965 Creighton graduate and a 2004 recipient of Creighton's College of Business Administration Alumni Merit Award. In 2009 he entered The Gaming Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Vegas legends Don King, Frank Sinatra, Steve Wynn, Don Rickles and Wayne Newton.
Reunion Weekend
In addition to the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational that is going on at The Orleans Arena this weekend, the Global Sports Classic is going on across town at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus. That event will include Oregon, Cincinnati and Iowa State.
Oregon is coached by Dana Altman, who won 327 games as Creighton's head coach from 1994-2010.
To replace Altman, Creighton turned to Greg McDermott, who had led Iowa State to 59 wins from 2006-10.
Austin Powers
After spending last year as a back-up to Antoine Young, sophomore Austin Chatman has taken over as Creighton's starting point guard. Creighton's been blessed with a legacy of some of the MVC's best point guards in the last 15 years, a streak that began with four-year starters Ryan Sears(1997-2001), Tyler McKinney (2001-05) and Josh Dotzler (2005-09) at the point before Young ran the offense while starting the last three years.
Here's a look at the stats, by year, of the men that Chatman is trying to replace, as well as the performances of each man in their first four starts.
Freshman Sophomore
Name PPG APG CU W-L PPG APG CU W-L
Sears 10.5 4.8 18-10 8.7 4.0 22-9
McKinney 4.3 2.1 23-9 5.0 4.1 29-5
Dotzler 6.4 4.2 20-10 2.2 2.0 22-11
Young 4.9 1.4 27-8 7.1 3.1 18-16
Chatman 2.4 1.9 29-6 9.3 6.3 3-0
First Four Career Starts, Recent Point Guards
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. TO Stl.
Sears 59 11 13 9 6
McKinney 33 9 11 2 1
Dotzler 23 7 18 11 12
Young 16 4 9 6 2
Chatman 37 11 23 11 2
Dime Time
Austin Chatman's 11 assists on Sunday vs. Presbyterian were one shy of the CenturyLink Center Omaha record, set last season by Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern. Chatman entered the game with a career-high of seven assists, then had nine by halftime.
Chatman's 11 dimes led to 30 Bluejay points, and Creighton outscored the Blue Hose 63-26 in his 24 minutes of play.
In addition, Chatman's 11 assists were the most by a Bluejay sophomore since Tyler McKinney had 12 assists in a 81-73 win at Nebraska on Dec. 21, 2002.
Winning Away From Home
Creighton won a school-record 15 games away from home last season. The Jays went 10-3 in true road games and were also 5-1 on neutral floors.
Creighton's lone neutral-site loss came to North Carolina in a not-so “neutral” Greensboro, N.C., in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Where There's A Will
Sophomore center Will Artino tied his career-high with 13 points in Tuesday's win against Longwood. He made 5-of-6 field goal attempts and 3-of-4 foul shots, all in just 11 minutes.
For good measure, Artino also added two steals versus the Lancers, also a career-high.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton's previous 13 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Can't Miss Kid
Gregory Echenique is 17-for-20 (85 percent) from the field this season after going 3-for-4 vs. North Texas, 5-for-5 vs. UAB, 4-for-4 vs. Presbyterian and 5-of-7 vs. Longwood.
Through games of Tuesday, Echenique's accuracy led the country among players with 15 or more field goals made.
Defense! Defense!
Creighton ranked 222nd nationally last season in field goal percentage defense at 44.1 percent, one area that the program has tried hard to improve on in the off-season.
The early results have been promising, as CU has limited foes to 36.8 percent marksmanship. That figure ranked 38th-best nationally in 2012-13 through Tuesday's games. Only nine teams in NCAA history have held teams to 36.8 percent or lower for an entire season.
Not Half Bad
Doug McDermott outscored Presbyterian 20-17 in the first half in Sunday's win. It was the second-most points McDermott has ever had at halftime, and the fourth-highest half of his career.
McDermott's highest scoring half was 31 points, done last year in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
Last season McDermott scored 15 points or more in 17 different halves. Creighton won each game.
Crowd Control
Creighton has averaged 16,380 through four home games thus far, the best four-game start in program history.
Last year Creighton ranked sixth nationally by averaging 16,665 fans per home game.
Rare Air
Gregory Echenique had one of the best all-around games of his career on Nov. 14 in the win vs. UAB, finishing with 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. For good measure, he made 5-of-5 shots from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the line.
Echenique was the first Bluejay with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four swats on Feb. 28, 1985 at Dayton.
Echenique was the first Bluejay to have a 13/16/4 game at home since Benjamin had 26 points, 18 rebounds and seven rejections in a win vs. Marquette on Jan. 27, 1985.
Incredibly, Benjamin had nine different games in his junior season with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks before Echenique ended the 27-year drought on Wednesday.
Jones-ing For Success
Senior guard Josh Jones gave Creighton a spark with 18 points off the bench, all in the second half, in the Nov. 14 victory over UAB.
A notorious streak shooter, Jones put together a personal 10-0 run as CU rallied from a 45-35 deficit with 17 minutes to go to tie the score.
He later had eight points during Creighton's 17-0 run that buried the Blazers and gave CU a 70-55 cushion with 5:55 to go.
Jones' career-high point total is 21, done vs. Davidson in the CBI of his sophomore campaign.
Creighton is now 9-0 all-time when Jones scores 12 points or more, with seven of those games having been played at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Playing With The Lead
In 157 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 37 of those contests, a staggering 23.6 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins last season and one win (Longwood) this season.
Creighton has trailed by double-digits in 36 career games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, only to rally to win 22 of those contests.
On The Trail
Creighton won six games last season after trailing by 10 or more points, including wins away from home at San Diego State and at Wichita State, on neutral floors vs. Drake and Alabama, and in home triumphs over Long Beach State and Evansville.
In last Wednesday's win vs. UAB, Creighton trailed 45-35 in the second stanza, only to rally for a 77-60 win. It was the first time since Feb. 3, 2010 (vs. Evansville) that Creighton trailed by double-digits at any point before rallying to win by double-figures.
Last Wednesday was also the first time in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that Creighton trailed by double-figures in the second half, yet still won by double-digits.
Creighton, which trailed 37-33 at the half to UAB, improved to 9-5 in the last two seasons when owning an intermission deficit.
Double-Double Opener
Doug McDermott opened his junior season with 21 points and 11 rebounds on Nov. 9 against North Texas in a 71-51 win.
He was the first Creighton player to have a double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver opened his junior campaign with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-51 victory over North Carolina A&T.
Korver would go on to earn MVC Player of the Year accolades as both a junior and as a senior. Last year McDermott was the first player in MVC history named MVC Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Creighton has won either the MVC regular-season title or MVC Tournament each of its previous six seasons it had a player with a double-double in the opener (2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).
Doubling Up on Double-Doubles
In addition to Doug McDermott's season-opening double-double (21 pts., 11 reb.) vs. North Texas mentioned above, Gregory Echenique had 13 points and 16 rebounds on Wednesday against UAB.
It marks the first time that Creighton has had two different men in the first two games of the season since 2001-02.
In 2001-02, Kyle Korver had a double-double in the opener (14 pts., 10 reb.), and Brody Deren followed the next game with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a memorable double-overtime win vs. No. 17 Western Kentucky.
Poll Position
Creighton is ranked 12th in this week's USA Today Top 25 Coaches poll and 14th in this week's Associated Press poll. Both are season-bests.
Creighton has been ranked in the top-15 of the AP poll in just four prior seasons (1973-74, 1974-75, 2002-03 and 2011-12), including an all-time best of No. 10 the week of January 20, 2003.
Creighton was ranked 15th in this year's preseason coaches poll, its first preseason recognition since coming in at No. 23 in 2006-07.
Creighton started this year with a No. 16 preseason ranking by the AP, its highest preseason mark in program history and the best by any MVC school since No. 6 Wichita State in 1981-82.
McDermott Earns MVC Award
Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week on Nov. 12th for his performance in a Nov. 9 win vs. North Texas. McDermott had 21 points and 11 rebounds to produce CU's first double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver in 2001-02.
The award was the sixth of McDermott's career, something only Hersey Hawkins (14), Bob Harstad (8) and Korver (7) can top.
November Reign
Creighton has won 42 straight regular-season November home games. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Overall, Creighton is 53-11 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 41 straight non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Pencil Him In
According to STATS Inc., Doug McDermott is one of 15 juniors or seniors nationwide to start every game of his career (min. 2 years played):
Juniors/Seniors To Start Every Game
Source: STATS Inc., through 11/20
Starts Name, School Next Game 109 Brandon Triche, Syracuse 11/21
98 Dorian Green, Colorado State 11/21
78 Doug McDermott, Creighton 11/23
72 Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan 11/21
72 Ray McCallum, Detroit 11/24
71 Brian Voelkel, Vermont 11/21
71 Deonte Burton, Nevada 11/24
71 Cody Doolin, San Francisco 11/24
70 Frantz Massenat, Drexel 11/22
70 Jeromie Hill, UTSA 11/21
68 Holton Hunsaker, Utah Valley 11/21
67 Travis McKie, Wake Forest 11/23
66 Devon Saddler, Delaware 11/21
64 Daniel Miller, Georgia Tech 11/22
64 Marshall Bjorklund, N. Dakota St. 11/21
Chasing History
Doug McDermott has scored 781 points in his first 42 career home games. He is the all-time leading scorer in CenturyLink Center Omaha history.
McDermott also owns CenturyLink Center Omaha career records in points per game (18.6) and rebounds per game (7.7).
McDermott enters Friday's game with 1,449 career points in all venues, good for 13th in school history. Currently 12th in school history with exactly 1,500 points is Kevin McKenna, who is currently an assistant coach at Oregon.
Super Streak Ends At 37
Doug McDermott's streak of 37 straight games in double-figures came to an end when he was held to five points vs. UAB on Nov. 14th.
McDermott had owned the nation's third-longest active streak in the country, and the longest by any Bluejay since Vernon Moore's stretch of 46 in a row in 1984 and 1985.
McDermott's five points were the second-fewest in his career. His only game lower was his freshman season vs. Saint Joseph's, when he was scoreless in his ninth career contest.
CU's Top 10+ Point Streaks, Since 1981-82
No. Name Dates
46 Vernon Moore Jan. 30, 1984 - Mar. 5, 1985
37 Doug McDermott April 1, 2011-Nov. 9, 2012
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
31 Benoit Benjamin Mar. 8, 1984 - Feb. 20, 1985
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior center Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team last summer, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez.
Echenique averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games at the FIBA Olympic Qualifier in Caracas in July against Lithuania and Nigeria, where he went head-to-head against NBA players such as Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valanciunas, and Al-Farouq Aminu.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four starters (Gregory Echenique, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott) from last year's team that finished 29-6. Creighton's roster contains players who made 140 starts a year ago.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2012-13 4 140 ? ? ?
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
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 38-of-40 first-place votes and 398 points overall.
Illinois State was second with 327 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while Northern Iowa was third with 316 points. Wichita State (298) and Evansville (240) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Drake (184), while Indiana State (165), Missouri State (122), Bradley (84) and Southern Illinois (66) round out the rest of the league predictions.
Creighton junior Doug McDermott was named preseason MVC Player of the Year. He's joined on the team by repeat selections Jake Odum (Indiana State) and Colt Ryan (Evansville) as well as new picks Ben Simons (Drake) and Jackie Carmichael (Illinois State).
Creighton's women were also picked to win the MVC, just the third time in league history the MVC favorites came from the same schools.
Portman To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Bob Portman will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 8, 2013, during a banquet at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Portman played for Creighton from 1966-69 and averaged 24.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during his college career.
Portman owns the Creighton records for single-game scoring (51), single-season scoring average (29.5) and career scoring average (24.7). He is also second for points in a season (738) and ranks fourth in career points (1,876), rebounds (979), free throws (382) and field goals made (747).
17 Or More?
Creighton has defeated each of its first four opponents by 17 points or more. It's just the second time in program history that's happened, as the 2003-04 campaign was the first.
Creighton has never won its first five games by 17 points or more.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 13 of the last 14 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 14 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 13 of the past 14 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (12 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (11 each).
10 Conference Wins x 16
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 16th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 16 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (18).
Each of the last 16 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the MVC as well.
Postseason x 15
Creighton has made the postseason in 15 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Alabama, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record five straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following eight programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in five straight seasons, including 2011-12: Creighton, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
Full House
Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance, averaging 16,665 fans per home game, in 2011-12. It's the sixth straight season that CU has been among the nation's top-25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record.
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.
Creighton also ranked seventh nationally in men's soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation's only school in the top-10 of those three sports.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (Final)
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,721
2. Syracuse 23,618
3. Louisville 21,503
4. North Carolina 20,159
5. Wisconsin 17,181
6. Creighton 16,665
7. Tennessee 16,543
8. Ohio State 16,510
9. Indiana 16,462
10. Kansas 16,300
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
266,632 Creighton 2011-12
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
Consistent Challengers
Ten of Creighton's last 15 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, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 15 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.), 2011-12 (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
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has four 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 Iowans this season includes senior Grant Gibbs (Marion), junior Doug McDermott (Ames), sophomore Will Artino (Waukee) and redshirt freshman Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 589 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Team of the Millennium?
Below is the records for each MVC school from the start of the 2000-01 season until the start of this season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 280 wins in the millennium, as well as 12 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to end of 2011-12)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 149 67 .690 280 120 .700
Southern Illinois 134 82 .620 238 151 .612
Wichita State 125 91 .579 238 151 .612
Northern Iowa 118 98 .546 226 158 .589
Missouri State 117 99 .542 223 163 .578
Illinois State 99 117 .458 201 175 .535
Bradley 93 123 .431 189 197 .490
Drake 92 124 .426 180 191 .485
Indiana State 79 137 .366 162 212 .433
Evansville 74 142 .343 142 216 .397
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 6 4 1 1 12
Wichita State 2 5 1 0 8
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Northern Iowa 5 1 0 1 7
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 4 0 1 5
Illinois State 0 5 0 0 5
Indiana State 2 0 1 1 4
Drake 1 0 0 2 3
Evansville 0 0 2 1 3
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 613 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 157 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in its 10 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 134-23 (.855) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (6-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,773-9,940 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.7 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 37 different times, including seven times last season and once this winter (Longwood).
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 55 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 19 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
In home games only, Creighton has won 93 straight games when scoring 70 or more points since a Feb. 5, 2005 loss to Missouri State.
Sneaking Up On Two Milestones
Because he's split his college career between Rutgers and Creighton, you might not realize the rather impressive college stats being generated by Gregory Echenique.
Echenique owns 1,060 points, 782 rebounds and 214 blocked shots in his first 108 games as a collegian. He entered the season as the nation's only active player with at least 1,000 point, 750 rebounds and 200 blocked shots.
Had all those stats been generated at Creighton, Echenique would rank 36th in career points, sixth in career rebounds and second in career blocked shots at CU.
Here's To History
With the 2012 MVC Tournament title, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott became the first head coach in league history to win a Valley Tournament title at more than one school.
McDermott previously won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa. The 1988 Northern Iowa grad McDermott also holds the honor of being the first coach in league history to win an MVC Tournament title at his alma mater.
Dance Partners
Only two schools won their league tournament in both men's and women's basketball in 2011-12: Creighton and South Dakota State.
This was the fifth time in MVC history that the same school has won the men's and women's tournament titles in the same season. Creighton, however, was the first program to do it twice (UNI 2010, Creighton 2002 and 2012, Missouri State 1992, Illinois State 1983).
McDermott A Preseason All-American
Junior forward Doug McDermott became the first player in MVC history to be named a preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press. The team was announced on October 28th.
McDermott earned acclaim on 62-of-65 ballots, trailing only Indiana's Cody Zeller. The rest of the team consisted of Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh).
The preseason All-America team was first announced in 1986-87.
Watch This!
Junior Doug McDermott is on the preseason watch lists for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, two of the top awards in college basketball.
McDermott is the only man who was a finalist for either award to return to school this season.
The Naismith Award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and will be presented on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.
The Wooden Award is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will handed out the weekend of April 12-13, 2013, in Los Angeles.
Everybody's All-American
Doug McDermott hauled All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News and CBSSports.com. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Kyle Korver (2003).
Last year McDermott was named CollegeInsider.com's Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Award, though Anthony Davis won both awards.
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owned 801 points in 35 games last year, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranked him third nationally in scoring.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were 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.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game made 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 Northern Iowa's Randy Blocker (23.0 ppg.) in 1993-94. Bryson had been the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay had averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad's 22.2 average in 1989-90.
Oscar, Bird, Doug
Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11. Last season, McDermott had 801 points, the most single-season points in school history by any player.
McDermott's 1,382 points after two seasons were the most in school history by a player in their first two seasons, passing Bob Portman (1,195). According to STATS Inc., the only other players since 1996-97 with at least 1,382 points or more by the end of their sophomore season had been Davidson's Stephen Curry (1,661 points from 2006-08), Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey (1,438 points from 2005-07) and VMI's Keydren Clark (1,497 points from 2002-04).
He became just the third sophomore in MVC history to reach 800 points in a season, trailing only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird on that list. His 801 points from last year rank 10th-most in MVC single-season history and were the most by any Valley player since 1988.
Below is a list of the most prolific sophomore scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
788 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1986-87
788 Willie Biles, Tulsa 1972-73
Top Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
680 Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
656 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1985-86
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
801 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
Most Career Points, Active Juniors
Source: Creighton Sports Info/STATS Inc. (11/20)
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next Game
1. 1,449 Doug McDermott, Creighton 11/23
2. 1,145 DeAndre Kane, Marshall 11/24
3. 1,062 Devon Saddler, Delaware 11/21
4. 1,037 Trey Ziegler, Pittsburgh 11/21
All-Around Doug
Last season Doug McDermott joined Texas' Kevin Durant (in 2006-07) as the nation's only player since 1996-97 to finish a season with at least 800 points, 280 rebounds and 50 three-pointers.
It came on the heels of McDermott's remarkable freshman season with 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-point baskets.
According to research by STATS Inc., the last two freshmen (before McDermott) to attain 525 points, 270 rebounds and 40 three-pointers in a season were Durant and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) in 2002-03. The previous two freshmen 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 19 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.
McDermott, who repeated the feat in 2011-12, joins Kyle Singler (Duke) as one of two men to do it twice.:
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
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12 54 288 801
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
Wendell McKinies, New Mex St. 2011-12 51 374 653
Brian Heinle, CS-Northridge 2000-01 52 293 646
Jae Crowder, Marquette 2011-12 61 295 614
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
Draymond Green, MIchigan St. 2011-12 52 392 601
Doug McDermott, Creighton* 2010-11 47 280 581
*Freshmen
Familiar Fives
Creighton utilized the same starting line-up all season long in 2011-12, as Gregory Echenique, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Antoine Young started all 35 games.
According to STATS Inc., the only schools with the same starting five every game were Creighton, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 29-6 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton started the year 7-0 to move into the Associated Press top-25, a spot they would hold for 12 of the final 15 weeks.
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring (22.9), scoring a school-record 801 points. He became the first sophomore named MVC Player of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American.
Point guard Antoine Young (12.1 ppg., 4.5 apg.) was a second-team all-Valley pick, while center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.6 bpg.) was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Grant Gibbs was runner-up for MVC Newcomer of the Year accolades after dishing a league-high 176 assists.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assists (17.6), sixth in home attendance (16,665) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Creighton finished the regular-season second in the MVC before winning its league-record 11th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid. At the NCAA's, Creighton topped Alabama 58-57 before falling to No. 4 North Carolina.
Creighton Will Host in 2015, Again
The NCAA announced on Nov. 12, 2012, that Creighton will serve as the host institution on March 20/22, 2015, when the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament returns to CenturyLink Center Omaha for second/third-round games.
This will be the third time in a seven-year span the arena has hosted, having previously done so in 2008 and 2012 to much acclaim.
CenturyLink Center Omaha has previously hosted NCAA finals for women's volleyball (2006, 2008) and wrestling (2010), as well as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming (2008, 2012). This January, it will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
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 2012-13 season will go on sale on October 29th 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.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
