Men's Hoops Heads To Carbondale For Valentine's Day Tilt
2/13/2012 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
2011-12 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #27 at Southern Illinois • Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Southern Illinois
SIU Arena (8,500) • Carbondale, Ill.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: KMTV; ESPN Full Court
Series History: Creighton leads, 50-36
Last Meeting: Creighton won 90-17 on Jan. 15, 2012 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
There's no love lost between long-time Valley rivals Creighton (21-5, 11-4 MVC) and Southern Illinois (8-18, 5-10 MVC), but that won't prevent the two programs from squaring off on Valentine's Day.
Tuesday night's tip-off from SIU Arena (8,500) in Carbondale, Ill., is set for 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2011-12 season, including Tuesday's game. T. Scott Marr and Rob Anderson will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Tuesday's game will be televised by KMTV, the eighth of eight broadcasts this season. It will also air on ESPN Full Court. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will announce, with coordinates below:
SES-2/K23 Analog
DL - 12160 H
Video Webcast Information
Tuesday's game will be video webcast nationwide 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 left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 21-5 on the season and second in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-4 mark. The Bluejays have lost their last three games after a 21-2 start, falling out of the national rankings after a 12-week run.
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott (22.9 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) leads the MVC and ranks third nationally in scoring. He's either first or second in four different MVC categories, including three-point percentage, field goal percentage, scoring and rebounding.
Also scoring in double-figures is the team's lone scholarship senior, Antoine Young (11.3 ppg., 4.4 apg.). Young was named honorable-mention preseason all-MVC along with junior center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.7 bpg.).
On the wings, Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs (7.2 ppg., 5.7 apg., 4.6 rpg.) ranks second in the MVC in assists, while Jahenns Manigat (6.8 ppg.) is second in the league in three-point percentage at 48.4 percent.
The Jays are 12-2 at home, but have done their most impressive work on the road. Included in CU's 8-3 true road record are wins at the defending league champs from the Mountain West (San Diego State), Missouri Valley (Missouri State) and Conference USA (UAB), in addition to league runner-ups from the MVC (Wichita State) and Conference USA (Tulsa).
Through games of February 12th, Creighton ranked among the national leaders in most offensive categories, including first in field goal percentage (.504), third in both three-point percentage (.426) and in assists per game (18.3), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.46), 10th in scoring offense (79.5) and eighth average home attendance (16,692).
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 8-18 on the season, including a 5-10 MVC mark. The Salukis struggled to a 3-8 non-conference mark before regaining their full line-up in late December, and are in a fight to finish in the top-six of the Valley standings to avoid the play-in round of next month's State Farm MVC Tournament.
Mamadou Seck averages team-high totals of 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He led the MVC in rebounding last season.
Freshman Dantiel Daniels (8.7 ppg., 1.8 bpg.) is one of many talented newcomers, and leads the MVC in blocked shots. Also scoring at a healthy clip are Jeff Early (8.5 ppg.), Kendal Brown-Surles (8.0) and T.J. Lindsay (7.4).
As a team, Southern Illinois averages 63.0 points per game and yields 68.3 per contest. The Salukis are outbounded by 1.4 caroms per contest.
Southern Illinois is 6-6 at SIU Arena this season (4-3 in MVC action), where it averages 3,279 fans per game.
The Series With Southern Illinois
Creighton owns a 50-36 all-time lead in the series against Southern Illinois, but the Salukis own the 22-17 edge in Carbondale.
Creighton has won the last eight meetings and nine of 10 since an eight-game losing streak to Southern Illinois was snapped in 2007.
Eighteen of the last 24 meetings have been decided by nine points or less, including three overtime games in the last seven encounters.
Greg McDermott is 7-7 against Southern Illinois (3-0 at CU) and 5-3 vs. Chris Lowery. Lowery is 7-9 against Creighton all-time.
Creighton's series history vs. Southern Illinois can be found on page five of these notes.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his second season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 44-21 mark. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 324-216 in 18 seasons and is 193-152 in 11 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 1995) owns a 145-111 record in his eighth year as head coach of the Salukis. Lowery, a former Saluki point guard and assistant coach, has been in the postseason in all but three of the 14 years he's been a part of the program. He is assisted by Ron Smith, Anthony Stewart and Brad Korn.
Last Game Recap
Wichita State took a two-game lead in the MVC standings with an 89-68 win at Creighton on Saturday. Joe Ragland had 24 points and Ben Smith scored 22 for WSU. Gregory Echenique paced Creighton with 16 points.
Be My Valentine, Again
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday at Southern Illinois. The Bluejays and Salukis have played just once before on Valentine's Day, with that meeting taking place in 2009. Creighton won that game, 82-60, which its largest road win over the Salukis in 39 trips to Carbondale.
Jays Look For Nine Straight vs. Salukis
Creighton has won eight straight games against Southern Illinois. The eight straight wins in the series is the longest run in Bluejay history.
Creighton has won three straight trips to Carbondale, and will attempt to match a program record with a fourth straight win at SIU that was first done from 1978-81.
Old Friends Meet Again
Two members of the Saluki coaching staff served as tour managers for Creighton's trip to the Bahamas last August. SIU associate coach Ron Smith and SIU graduate assistant Matt McCumber both helped plan CU's travel, accomodations, game schedule and assorted other tasks.
The relationship between Smith and Creighton head coach Greg McDermott goes way back. Smith was an assistant to McDermott from 2001-06 at Northern Iowa, then followed McDermott to Iowa State as the director of basketball operations.
Rare Losing Streak
Creighton looks to avoid a rare four-game losing streak on Tuesday. Creighton hasn't lost four straight games since Dec. 23, 1999 - Jan. 6, 2000 and hasn't lost four MVC games in a row since 1995.
Reasons For Optimism
Creighton's three-game losing streak, though rare, doesn't mean there's not time to right the ship. Consider the following championship teams from the past 12 months, and how they were able to recover to win:
New York Giants - Lost 4 in a row during weeks 11-14 this season...won Super Bowl.
St. Louis Cardinals - Six different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won World Series.
Dallas Mavericks - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won NBA title.
Boston Bruins - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won Stanley Cup.
Connecticut Huskies (MBB) - Went 4-7 from Jan. 29-March 5 last year...won NCAA title.
Indiana State Sycamores (MBB) - Fell to 12-12 on the season (7-6 in the MVC) with its fifth staight loss on Feb. 5, 2011, only to rebound to win the MVC Tournament title.
Looking For History
After claiming road wins at Bradley (Jan. 7) and Illinois State (Jan. 13) earlier this season, Creighton will look for history on Tuesday night at Southern Illinois.
With a victory in Carbondale, it would mark the first time in 29 attempts that Creighton has played at, and won, at all three of those Illinois schools in the same season.
This is the fifth time that Creighton has won its first two games in Illinois, but the Jays lost its third such game while attempting to complete the sweep in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2011.
Creighton has posted two Valley road wins in Illinois 10 times previously. Six of those teams made the NCAA Tournament (1989, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005), two made the NIT (2004, 2009), one team made the CIT (2010) and one team made the CBI (2011).
Making Them Ill(inois)
Creighton is 7-0 this season against teams from the state of Illinois, having gone 2-0 against Bradley and Illinois State, and 1-0 versus Southern Illinois, Northwestern and Chicago State.
The last time Creighton played a season without a loss to a team from Illinois was 1973-74.
Clash of the Titans
Tuesday's showdown in Carbondale features the league's two dominant teams since the turn of the millennium. Consider the following information about Creighton and Southern Illinois...
- Seven of the last 11 MVC regular-season champions.
- Six of the last 11 MVC Coaches of the Year.
- Six of the last 10 MVC Players of the Year.
- Seven of the last 13 MVC Tourney champs.
- Either Creighton or Southern Illinois (or both) has made the postseason in 21 of the past 23 years.
- Creighton (146 wins) and Southern Illinois (134) have more MVC victories than any other league school since the start of the 2000-01 season. No other Valley school has more than 122 conference wins in that time.
Team of the Millennium?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 272 wins in the millennium, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to 2/13/11)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 146 67 .685 272 119 .696
Southern Illinois 134 79 .629 238 146 .620
Wichita State 122 91 .573 233 149 .610
Northern Iowa 116 97 .545 223 154 .592
Missouri State 117 96 .549 223 158 .585
Illinois State 98 115 .460 196 171 .534
Bradley 93 120 .437 189 192 .496
Drake 90 123 .423 176 187 .485
Indiana State 77 136 .362 159 208 .433
Evansville 72 141 .338 138 213 .393
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 1 1 11
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Wichita State 1 5 1 0 7
Northern Iowa 5 0 0 1 6
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 4 0 1 5
Illinois State 0 4 0 0 4
Indiana State 2 0 1 0 3
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 1 1 2
Magic Number?
Since the 2002 MVC Tournament final, Creighton is 10-0 against Southern Illinois when scoring 70 points or more, but 2-10 when scoring less than 70 against the Salukis.
King of Efficiency
One of the most incredible things about Doug McDermott's lofty 22.9 points per game scoring average is how little he actually handles the ball.
Creighton video coordinator Nathan Wieseler broke down three different games this season where some of college basketball's top players each took 14 shots.
When McDermott faced Drake on Jan. 25, he made 10-of-14 field goals and finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and one assist. He handled the ball for a total of 1:23 of actual game time.
When Kansas standout forward Thomas Robinson played North Dakota on Dec. 31st, he had 30 points, 21 rebounds and four assists. Robinson had the ball in his hand for a total of 2:50.
When Weber State point guard and national scoring leader Damian Lillard faced Northern Arizona on Jan. 10th, Lillard had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. He had the ball in his hand for a whopping 7:13 of game time.
Sports Illustrated Comes To Town
Kelli Anderson of Sports Illustrated spent four days with the Bluejays in late January/early February for a feature on Bluejay sophomore Doug McDermott.
Her four-page article, which includes four photos, can be found on pages 54-57 of the Feb. 13, 2012 edition that features Eli Manning on the cover.
Road Trippers
Creighton has eight road wins and one victory on a neutral site this year. On Tuesday in Carbondale, the Jays will search for their 10th win away from home this season. Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home.
S*W*A*T* Teams
SIU's Dantiel Daniels and Creighton's Gregory Echenique rank first and second in the MVC in blocks per game. Daniels averages 1.8 per game, while Echenique swats 1.7 per contest.
Another Record Falls For McDermott
Last year Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581. This season, McDermott has 595 points, passing Rodney Buford (581 points in 1996-97) for most points in school history by a sophomore.
McDermott's 1,176 points to date are just 19 behind Bob Portman (1,195) for most in school history by a player in their first two seasons.
Doug McDermott enters this week with 595 points and 27 straight games of 10 or more points. With five more points, he'll become the 10th different player in Bluejay history with a season of 600 points or more.
He'd also become just the ninth sophomore in MVC history to reach 600 points in a season, a list that includes Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Hersey Hawkins, among others.
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 Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 - Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
680 - Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
656 - Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1985-86
645 - Danny Moore, Missouri St. 1996-97
632 - Maurice Evans, Wichita St. 1998-99
612 - Cliff Levingston, Wichita St. 1980-81
609 - John S. Williams, Indiana St. 1983-84
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
688 Benoit Benjamin (Jr.) 1984-85
681 Bob Portman (Sr.) 1968-69
671 Vernon Moore (Sr.) 1984-85
651 Rod Mason (Sr.) 1987-88
620 Chad Gallagher (Sr.) 1990-91
616 Ray Yost (Sr.) 1953-54
608 Eddie Cole (Jr.) 1953-54
604 Kyle Korver (Sr.) 2002-03
595 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
589 Rodney Buford (So.) 1996-97
586 Nate Funk (Jr.) 2004-05
Overtime, Over Time, Time After Time
Each of Creighton's last two trips to Carbondale have been overtime victories, and both have featured some late-game heroics by Bluejay guard Antoine Young. The teams also played an overtime game in 2009 in Omaha.
As a sophomore in 2010, Young had a then-career-high with 22 points, including six of CU's last eight, of an 83-78 victory.
In Creighton's 72-66 win last season, the Jays trailed 50-43 with 5:32 left before posting its comeback. Young finished with 13 points in 44 minutes of play, including six points in the final 11 minutes.
This is the first time in program history that Creighton has played an overtime game against the same team in three consecutive seasons.
Additionally, it's just the second time in program history that Creighton has played a road overtime game in consecutive years at the same venue. CU also won in overtime at Wichita State in both 1989 and 1990.
It's Up, And It's Good
Doug McDermott leads the nation with 234 field goals made this season. He can move into CU's single-season top-10 with three more baskets, which hasn't changed since Chad Gallagher's 237 buckets in 1990-91.
Losses Can Teach Lessons Too
When Creighton took the floor last Tuesday, it was upset at Evansville. However, five of the last six seasons that Evansville has beaten Creighton, the Jays have recovered to win either the MVC Tournament or regular-season title, as seen below:
Date UE Score MVC Title?
02/07/12 L 57-65 ? ? ?
02/13/08 L 56-60 --
12/22/04 L 61-63 Tournament
01/22/03 L 66-74 Tournament
01/24/01 L 52-61 Reg.-Season
01/23/00 L 83-88 Tournament
01/04/99 L 79-84 Tournament
Blocking Behemoth
Gregory Echenique owns 98 career blocked shots in a Creighton uniform, eighth in school history. He has 25 blocked shots in his last 13 games.
He is two swats shy of becoming the eighth man in school history with 100 rejections.
Echenique also owned 94 blocked shots in 39 games at Rutgers, giving him 192 rejections overall as a collegian.
Career Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
98 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
Sophomore's Streak Reaches 27
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 27 straight games, CU's longest stretch since Bob Harstad's streak of 32 straight games from Feb. 24, 1990 to Feb. 25, 1991.
CU's Top 10+ Point Streaks, Since 1989-90
No. Name Dates
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
27 Bob Harstad Nov. 27, 1989-Feb. 17, 1990
27 Doug McDermott April 1, 2011-Present
25 Chad Gallagher Jan. 22, 1990-Jan. 5, 1991
Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott has scored 12 or more points in all 26 games this season. McDermott's streak of 26 straight double-figure games to start the season is CU's longest streak of double-figure games to start the season since Bob Harstad (27 straight) in 1990-91.
McDermott is the only player in the MVC to score in double-figures in every game this season, and one of three players nationally with 12 or more points in every team game this winter.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double-figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
26* Doug McDermott, So. 2011-12
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
*active
12+ Points, Every Team Game This Year
Streak Name, School Next Game
26 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/14
26 Kevin Jones, West Virginia 2/16
24 Damian Lillard, Weber State 2/15
National Scoring Leaders
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring at 22.9 points per game through games of Feb. 12th. Here's that list.
Rk. Name, School Yr. PPG
1. Damian Lillard, Weber State Jr. 25.1
2. Reggie Hamilton, Oakland Sr. 24.6
3. Doug McDermott, Creighton So. 22.9
4. Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart Jr. 22.1
5. Gerardo Suero, Albany Jr. 22.0
6. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh Jr. 21.7
7. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland So. 21.6
8. Nate Wolters, South Dakota St. Sr. 21.5
9. Kevin Murphy, Tenn. Tech Sr. 21.0
10. Alex Young, IUPUI Sr. 20.9
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 600 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC, and longest streak in Vallely history.
Gibbs > Receiving
Though he's not even his own team's point guard, Grant Gibbs is second in the MVC with 5.7 assists per game. He's had six or more assists in 14 different games this season.
No game has shown his importance more than a Dec. 31 win at Wichita State. With Gibbs in the game, Creighton outscored the Shockers 50-25, compared to being outscored 36-18 without him.
Creighton is 22-2 in its last 24 games when one of its players has six or more assists in a game, including a 17-1 mark this winter.
Jays Drop From AP & Coaches Poll
Creighton has dropped out of the top-25 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top-25 coaches poll this week, falling to 28th in both rankings.
Despite missing the top-25 this week, Creighton has been in the Associated Press poll nine of the last 11 weeks. Its' No. 13 ranking on Jan. 30th was Creighton's highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
Creighton has been in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll in 12 of the past 13 weeks. The Jays' No. 12 rank on Jan. 30th was the highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
Creighton's highest rankings in school history are ninth in the coaches poll and 10th in the AP poll. Both came on Jan. 20, 2003.
For the sake of Creighton's records and consistency, the school recognizes the Associated Press poll, which can be found on page 165 of the Creighton men's basketball media guide.
Full House
Creighton has attracted six of its 11 largest crowds in program history this season. The Jays drew a state-record 18,735 fans on Feb. 11 vs. Wichita State, 18,436 fans on Jan. 28 vs. Bradley, 17,676 fans on Dec. 22 for Northwestern, and brought in 17,665 fans on Dec. 28 for Missouri State.
Here's a look at Creighton's top-15 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
2. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
3. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
4. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
5. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
6. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
7. 17,459 Southern Illinois 01/20/07
8. 17,411 George Mason 02/21/09
17,411 Indiana State 01/21/12
10. 17,371 Indiana State 01/19/08
11. 17,311 Illinois State 02/01/12
12. 17,283 Indiana State 01/27/07
13. 17,193 Drake 01/24/09
14. 17,152 Northern Iowa 12/29/09
15. 17,116 Illinois State 02/28/09
Full House
Last year Creighton averaged 13,507 fans per home game, which ranked 22nd nationally. The program ranked 14th at the end of the regular-season with an average of 15,026 before four CBI home games brought down the average.
Creighton surpassed 200,000 home fans in a season for the sixth time. No other school in the history of the MVC has ever done so even once.
Creighton has finished in the top-25 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous five seasons, and is averaging 16,692 fans at home so far this season, good for eighth place, and on pace for an MVC single-season record.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (thru 2/12)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,598 2/18
2. Syracuse 22,954 2/22
3. Louisville 21,321 2/13
4. North Carolina 19,960 2/18
5. Tennessee 17,192 2/15
6. Wisconsin 17,171 2/19
7. Memphis 16,697 2/18
8. Creighton 16,692 2/18
9. Kansas 16,300 2/18
10. Ohio State 16,273 2/21
11. Indiana 16,241 2/15
12. BYU 14,938 2/25
13. Illinois 14,906 2/15
14. Marquette 14,879 2/22
15. Michigan State 14,797 2/16
16. New Mexico 14,253 2/18
17. Arizona 13,805 2/23
18. Vanderbilt 13,659 2/22
19. UNLV 13,377 2/22
20. Purdue 13,063 2/19
21. Connecticut 12,929 2/15
22. Kansas State 12,842 2/13
23. Iowa State 12,795 2/18
24. Dayton 12,448 2/15
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
297,161 Creighton 2010-11
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
233,682 Creighton 2011-12
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,692 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
13,507 Creighton 2010-11
Nebraska's Finest
Antoine Young hails from south Omaha suburb of Bellevue, and statistically is one of the top homegrown products in Nebraska history to play at Creighton.
Young's 463 assists are most in program history by a Nebraska product, 75 more than the 388 by predecessor Josh Dotzler (another Bellevue product and Young's former high school teammate).
From a scoring prospective, Young's 1,214 points ranks fifth-most in school history by a Nebraska product. John C. Johnson (Omaha) leads that list with 1,526 points. Trailing him are Schuyler product Gene Harmon (1,369), baseball great and Omaha native Bob Gibson (1,272) and Omaha native Wally Anderzunas (1,267).
Game Tested
Senior Antoine Young has played in 133 games as a Bluejay, third-most in school history. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
143 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
135 Nate Funk 2002-07
133 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
130 Dane Watts 2004-08
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Chatman Picks It Up
Back-up point guard Austin Chatman has logged double-digit minutes in each of Creighton's last nine games.
Last Tuesday at Evansville, the freshman had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting while making his only attempt from long-range.
Chatman has made 5-of-7 three-pointers in the past 10 games.
This Is, 20/20
Greg McDermott became the first coach in Creighton history to post 20 or more wins in each of his first two seasons. McDermott, who won 23 games last season, claimed his 20th win on Jan. 28 vs. Bradley.
If you include his last three years at UNI (2003-06), he's won 20 or more games each of his last five years in the MVC.
The only other coaches to win 20 or more games in five straight seasons while in the MVC was Creighton's Dana Altman (11 from 1998-99 to 2008-09), Bradley's Chuck Orsborn (6 from 1956-57 to 1961-62) and Oklahoma State's Henry Iba (6 from 1943-44 to 1948-49).
McDermott is one of three active MVC coaches to start his Valley career with two straight 20-win seasons, and first since Illinois State's Tim Jankovich did it his first three years (2007-10).
Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery also began his career with three-straight 20-win campaigns from 2004-07.
Milestone Game Went Well
The Feb. 1 win vs. Illinois State was Creighton's 150th game at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Jays are now 128-23 at the nine-year old facility, which includes a 64-16 mark in MVC games and a 28-9 record in games decided by five points or less.
Creighton has averaged 14,426 fans in the 151 games, including 18 crowds of 17,000 or more.
Mind-Boggling Road Stats
Credit MVC PR guru Mike Kern with this doozy of a road stat.
Through games of February 12th, three MVC teams Creighton (8), Missouri State (8) and Wichita State (8) each own eight or more road wins.
The only BCS-member school with seven or more true road wins is Baylor (7).
It Went Up To 11
Creighton's 11-game win streak earlier this season is tied for eighth-longest in school history. Below is a list of CU's longest win streaks:.
Longest Win Streaks
W's Dates Postseason?
38 Feb. 22, 1917 - Feb. 11, 1920 --
17 March 25, 1942 - March 4, 1943 NIT/NIT
16 Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 23, 1929 --
14 Jan. 3-Feb. 21, 1925 --
14 Jan. 2 - Feb. 22, 1975 NCAA
12 Jan. 21 - March 1, 1922 --
12 Nov. 22, 2003 - Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27 - March 3, 2001 NCAA
11 Jan. 27 - March 6, 2009 NIT
11 Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012 ? ? ?
10 Jan. 18-Feb. 19, 1927 --
10 Jan. 27 - March 12, 1962 NCAA
10 March 9 - Dec. 20, 1963 NCIT/NCAA
10 Jan. 22 - Feb. 22, 1974 NCAA
10 Nov. 17 - Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
McDermott Up For An Oscar, Sort Of
Creighton forward Doug McDermott is among 20 players selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake in New Orleans at the USBWA's College Basketball Awards Breakfast on March 30.
McDermott ranks third nationally in scoring (22.9) and seventh in field goal percentage (.606) for Creighton, which is 21-5. He's previously been named to the Midseason Watch List for the John Wooden Award.
Kind of a Big Deal
Creighton has played in 11 road games this season. Nine of the 11 schools to host the Bluejays have set a season-high in that venue for home attendance, all but Tulsa and Evansville.
SIU's largest home crowd of the year currently stands at 4,272 vs. Saint Louis on Nov. 15th.
Date Opponent CU Crowd Previous High
11/16/11 UAB 4,417 --
11/30/11 San Diego State 12,414* 12,414
12/10/11 Saint Joseph's 4,200* 4,200
12/19/11 Tulsa 4,228 4,360
12/31/11 Wichita State 10,506* 10,466
1/7/12 Bradley 8,610 7,777
1/13/12 Illinois State 8,771 5,333
1/18/12 Missouri State 9,124 8,601
1/25/12 Drake 6,110 5,876
2/4/12 Northern Iowa 6,910 6,834
2/7/12 Evansville 5,128 9,640
*sold out
More Road Streaks
Before losing on Feb. 4 at UNI, Creighton had won six straight road games for the first time since 1975. Below is a list of Creighton's road win streaks of six or longer:
Longest Road Win Streaks
Streak Dates
14 Feb. 14, 1942 - Dec. 20, 1945
11 Feb. 26, 1917 - Feb. 27, 1919
8 Jan. 10, 1925 - Jan. 16, 1926
7 Jan. 27 - Dec. 1, 1962
7 Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 19, 1929
6 Jan. 2 - Feb. 15, 1975
6 Dec. 19, 2011 - Jan. 25, 2012
The Road Less Traveled
After going 6-21 in true road games the previous two seasons, Creighton is 8-3 in true road games this year. This year the Bluejays started 5-0 in league road games for the first time since 1942-43, when the program finished 5-0.
In 11 road games this season, Creighton is shooting an impressive 49.0 percent from the floor.
Doug McDermott is averaging 24.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in those 11 tilts, making 23-of-41 shots from three-point range (56.1 percent).
Road Warriors
Creighton is 8-3 in true road games this season, with road wins at last year's Mountain West champ (San Diego State), Conference USA champ (UAB), MVC champ (Missouri State), Conference-USA runner-up (Tulsa) and MVC runner-up (Wichita State). CU has also won at Bradley, Illinois State and Drake.
This year marked the first time in program history the Bluejays had been 8-1 or better on the road.
Creighton's eight true road wins this season surpass its total of six combined true road wins over the previous two seasons.
Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and seven of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.
After games of Feb. 12th, only four teams nationally owned two true road wins vs teams ranked in top-22 of the RPI; Creighton, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.
Fun With Numbers
According to stats on BBstate.com, Creighton ranks tied for third nationally with assists on 65.6 percent of its field goals this season. Denver leads the way at 67.2 percent.
Jays Reach 20 Wins, Again
Creighton reached the 20-win milestone for the 13th time in 14 years with a win vs. Bradley on Jan. 28.
The win, which came on Jan. 28th, was the earliest (by calendar) the team has ever won 20 games, just ahead of the 2002-03 squad (Feb. 4).
Below is a list of the nation's most 20-win seasons since 1998-99 (does not include this year).
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 13 Years
Seasons* School 2011-12 W-L Next Game
13 Syracuse 25-1 2/13
13 Duke 21-4 2/16
13 Gonzaga 20-4 2/16
13 Kansas 20-5 2/13
13 Florida 19-6 2/14
12 Kentucky 25-1 2/18
12 Creighton 21-5 2/14
12 Kent State 18-6 2/14
12 Xavier 16-9 2/18
12 Texas 16-9 2/14
12 Utah State 13-13 2/14
*doesn't include 20-win campaigns done this season
20-Win Seasons
Creighton has earned its 24th 20-win season in program history. Only 14 of those teams have won 22 or more games. Here's a look at Creighton's teams with 20 or more wins.
Previous 20-Win Seasons, Sorted By Wins
W-L Season Postseason?
29-5 2002-03 NCAA (0-1)
27-8 2008-09 NIT (1-1)
24-8 2000-01 NCAA (0-1)
24-8 1990-91 NCAA (1-1)
23-5 1921-22 --
23-7 1973-74 NCAA (2-1)
23-9 2001-02 NCAA (1-1)
23-10 1999-00 NCAA (0-1)
23-11 2004-05 NCAA (0-1)
23-16 2010-11 CBI (4-2)
22-7 1963-64 NCAA (1-2)
22-9 1998-99 NCAA (1-1)
22-11 2007-08 NIT (1-1)
22-11 2006-07 NCAA (0-1)
21-5 2011-12 TBA
21-5 1961-62 NCAA (2-1)
21-7 1976-77 NIT (0-1)
21-9 1980-81 NCAA (0-1)
21-12 1989-90 NIT (0-1)
20-7 1974-75 NCAA (0-1)
20-9 2003-04 NIT (0-1)
20-10 2005-06 NIT (1-1)
20-11 1988-89 NCAA (0-1)
20-12 1984-85 --
10 Conference Wins x 16
This season's Creighton team has 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), including this season.
Cancer Awareness Raises $$$
Creighton raised more than $29,600 in an auction in conjunction with its Jan. 28 Creighton vs. Cancer game vs. Bradley.
The Bluejays wore special-edition pink Nike jerseys for the game, in addition to special shooting shirts in warm-ups that honor those affected by cancer.
Fans had the chance to bid on a jersey/shooting shirt for each player, with the highest bid going for the #00 combination ($3,275). Six of the jerseys went for $1,000 or more.
Wragge's Streak Reached 24
Ethan Wragge is the MVC's active leader in free-throw percentage, having made 90.0 percent (36-40) of his career attempts from the line.
Wragge had made his last 24 free-throw attempts, a streak that started on Feb. 3, 2010 vs. Evansville, before a miss vs. Wichita State last Saturday. He finished his freshman season with six straight makes, was 6-for-6 during an injury-shortened 2010-11 campaign, and started a perfect 12-for-12 at the stripe this winter.
While impressive, Wragge still was only 2/3 of the way before to the Bluejay record for consecutive free throws, set by 2009 MVC Player of the Year Booker Woodfox.
Consecutive Free Throws
(Since 1980 and as available before that)
FT Name Dates of Streak
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
Ethan Wragge Feb. 3, 2010-Feb. 1, 2012
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 5, 2007
21 Kevin McKenna Dec. 22, 1980-Jan. 22, 1981
James Farr Jan. 2-28, 1989
Andre Tucker Feb. 20-Nov. 29, 1993
Kyle Korver Mar. 3-Nov. 25, 2002
20 Jason Singleton Jan. 18-23, 1993
Kyle Korver Jan. 11-Jan. 23, 2003
Kyle Korver Jan. 23-Feb. 4, 2003
Field Day
Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage, and has had a better shooting percentage in all 21 of its wins this year. The four times the opposition has had a better field goal percentage, the Jays lost.
Overall, the team with a better field goal percentage has won 31 of CU's last 32 games.
The only MVC team in history to lead the nation in field goal percentage was Bradley in 1967-68 (.524), and the only MVC team in history to lead the nation in three-point percentage was Illinois State in 2002-03 (.440).
Droppin' 30
Doug McDermott scored 30 points on Jan. 25 at Drake, his fourth outburst of 30 points or more this season.
According to ESPN, McDermott's four games of 30 points or more this year rank third-most nationally, trailing only Oakland's Reggie Hamilton (10) and Weber State's Damian Lillard (7).
In the last 20 years, the following men have scored 30 or more points in a game for Creighton.
30+ Point Games For Creighton, Last 20 Years
No. Name Years
5 Rodney Buford 1995-99
5 Doug McDermott 2010-Present
3 Nate Funk 2002-07
2 Kyle Korver 1999-03
1 Matt Petty 1992-93
1 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
1 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
1 Cavel Witter 2007-10
1 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
Finale To Air On ESPN or ESPN2
On Thursday the MVC announced that either ESPN or ESPN2 will air Creighton's regular-season finale at Indiana State on Feb. 25. The game will begin at 3 pm Central.
McDermott Scored 44
Sophomore Doug McDermott scored a career-best 44 points in Creighton's win at Bradley on Jan. 7th. It was nine more than his previous best, and included 31 points after halftime.
McDermott made his first 10 shots after halftime and was 18-of-23 for the game to tie the record for field goals made by a Bradley opponent. His 18 field goals are one shy of the Creighton record for field goals in a game, and the most by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin in 1985.
McDermott's 44 points were the most nationally by any sophomore since Akron's Derrick Tarver had 44 points vs. Wright State on Dec. 30, 2003.
Only four sophomores in MVC history have ever scored more points in a league contest than McDermott's 44 points. Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) had two 50-point games, while other players to do it once each were Indiana State's John S. Williams (47), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (46) and Indiana State's Larry Bird (45).
Rebounding Ruler
Doug McDermott enters Tuesday ranked second in the MVC with 8.3 rebounds per game, just 0.9 behind Illinois State's Jackie Carmichael. The only Creighton player to ever lead the MVC in rebounds per game was Bob Harstad (9.4) in 1988-89.
No Bluejay has averaged more than 7.4 rebounds per game since 1993-94, when Nate King averaged 9.0 rebounds per game.
This year's Creighton team is outrebounding foes by 5.4 caroms per contest, the first time since 1998-99 (+5.8) it's had a rebound margin of better than 4.0 per game.
The Avengers
Twelve different programs combined to hand Creighton its 16 losses last season. While the Jays are not scheduled to face Iowa State, BYU, Oregon or Akron this year, they've done rather well against the other eight teams to beat them a year ago.
Against those eight teams (Northwestern, Nebraska, Missouri State, Wichita State, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Drake), Creighton is 10-3 so far this season after going a combined 5-11 last year vs. those same foes.
Long Beach State Visits For BracketBusters
Creighton will host Long Beach State on Feb. 18 in a 9 pm start as part of the 10th Annual Sears BracketBusters series. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Creighton is 3-1 all-time against Long Beach, though the teams have not met since 1973.
Creighton is 6-3 all-time in BracketBuster games, including a 4-2 mark in televised games.
Passing 500 Points, Again
Doug McDermott enters Tuesday with 595 points, passing the 500 point milestone for a second straight season. Last year he set an MVC freshman record with 581 points.
McDermott is just the third player in MVC history with 500 or more points as both a freshman and sophomore, joining Mitchell Anderson (Bradley) and John S. Williams (Indiana State). McDermott is the first player in Valley history with 550 points or more as both as freshman and sophomore.
In Creighton history, the only other players with multiple seasons of 500 or more points are Paul Silas (3), Bob Harstad (3), Rodney Buford (3), Rick Apke (2), Bob Portman (2), Chad Gallagher (2) and Nate Funk (2).
Winning The Close Ones
Creighton's 66-65 win on Jan. 18th helps show the difference between this year's team and last year's squad.
Last year in Springfield, Creighton led nearly the entire game before giving up a lay-up in the final 15 seconds to lose, 67-66.
This year in Springfield, Creighton got a pair of defensive stops in the final 10 seconds to earn a 66-65 victory.
This year's club is 3-1 in games decided by three points or less, while last year's team was just 1-6 in such situations.
Near The Top Of His Class
Sophomore Doug McDermott owns 1,176 career points in his young career. According to research by Creighton Sports Information's office, that leads all active sophomores through games of Feb. 13th.
Most Career Points, Sophomores (through 2/13)
Source: Creighton Sports Information
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next
1. 1,176 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/14
2. 1,035 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 2/14
3. 1,018 Harrison Barnes, North Carolina 2/15
4. 887 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 2/18
5. 875 Trey Ziegler, Central Michigan 2/14
Really Dynamic Duo
It's hard to fathom, but two of the best sophomores nationally were high school teammates at Ames (Iowa) High School two years ago.
Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina phenom Harrison Barnes won a pair of state titles for a Ames High School team that posted undefeated campaigns in both 2008-09 (26-0) and 2009-10 (27-0) to become Iowa's first 4A team to repeat as undefeated state champs.
Both McDermott and Barnes are expected to receive consideration for first-team All-America status from the Associated Press. In the history of the AP All-America teams (which began in 1947-48), the only high school teammates to be named first-team All-America in the same season are former Columbus (Ohio) East High School products Dwight “Bo” Lamar (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Ed Ratleff (Long Beach State) in 1971-72.
Here's a look at the two sophomores and how they've performed in college (through 2/13):
Name McDermott Barnes
Games Played 65 62
Points 1,176 1,018
PPG 18.1 16.4
Rebounds 496 340
RPG 7.6 5.5
FG-FGA 454-805 363-825
FG% .564 .440
3FG-3FGA 90-203 98-268
3FG% .443 .366
FT-FTA 178-226 192-260
FT% .788 .738
Shades of 2003?
Creighton's 21-5 start is reminding some fans of the program's 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5 and spent most of the season in the national rankings.
Here's how the 2011-12 club compares to the 2002-03 team through 26 games, as well as how standout forwards Doug McDermott and Kyle Korver compare at that point in the year:
Stat 2011-12 2002-03
W-L Record 21-5 23-3
Home W-L 12-2 15-0
Road W-L 8-3 6-3
FG 726-1440 773-1502
FG Pct. .504 .515
3FG 216-507 223-551
3FG Pct. .426 .405
FT 400-547 361-524
FT Pct. .731 .689
Reb. Margin +5.4 +1.9
Assists 476 460
Turnovers 327 356
Points 2068 2130
Points/Game 79.5 81.9
Stat McDermott Korver
Points 595 464
Points/Game 22.9 17.8
Rebounds 216 155
Rebounds/Game 8.3 6.0
FG Pct. .606 .485
3FG-FGA 43-87 98-205
3FG Pct. .494 .478
FT Pct. .840 .899
Assists 30 77
Turnovers 58 49
Forty Win Dash
Greg McDermott won his 40th game on the Bluejay sideline on Jan. 18th at Missouri State, with the milestone coming in his 58th game at Creighton.
He became the first coach to reach 40 wins with a record of .500 or better since Tom Apke was 40-14 when he reached the mark in 1976.
Among some of his predecessors to reach 40 wins, McDermott reached the milestone quicker than notable names like Dana Altman (91 games), Tony Barone (95), Willis Reed (95), Eddie Sutton (68) and Red McManus (72).
Chasing History
Doug McDermott leads the MVC in scoring (22.9 ppg.) and in three-point percentage (.494) and is second in rebounding (8.3 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.606).
The last player to lead the MVC in scoring and rebounding in the same season is Southern Illinois legend Ashraf Amaya in 1991-92.
No player has ever led the MVC in field goal percentage and three-point percentage in the same season.
Taking Advantage of Charity
Gregory Echenique began the season 7-of-25 at the free-throw line, a dreadful 36 percent. Since then, however, he's 60-for-76 from the line, good for 78.9 percent. In league play, he's up to 52-for-64, 81.3 percent.
Since December 1st Echenique is 25-of-28 on the road from the charity stripe.
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 17 seasons, including this season.
Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 17 Years
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2011-12 18-2 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2010-11 13-7 23-16 CBI
2009-10 10-10 18-16 CIT
2008-09 15-5 27-8 NIT
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
Shooting Stars
Creighton continues to lead the country in field goal percentage, making an incredible 50.4 percent from the field.
The Bluejays have shot 55 percent or better 10 times overall this season.
In Creighton's last 32 games dating to late last season, it has shot 40 percent or better in all but one game.
Creighton, which is also third in the country in three-point percentage, is seeking to join Northern Arizona (in 1998-99) as the only teams in NCAA history to lead the nation in three-point percentage and field goal percentage in the same season.
Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 32 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
Creighton's 32 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, with Wichita State next closest at six.
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, Creighton is 8-1 at the midway mark for the first time since 2002-03.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2011-12 8-1 3-3 so far
2010-11 5-4 5-4
2009-10 5-4 5-4
2008-09 5-4 9-0
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
Total 99-54 (.647) 100-49 (.671)
Upping The Antoine
Senior point guard Antoine Young continues to ascend up a few Creighton charts.
He's up to 23rd on Creighton's all-time scoring chart, and his 463 assists rank third-most in Bluejay annals.
Young joins Ryan Sears as the only Bluejays in history with at least 1,000 points and 425 career assists.
Most Career Points
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
2. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
4. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
6. 1,754 Nate Funk 2002-07
7. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
8. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
9. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
10. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
11. 1,526 John C. Johnson 1975-79
12. 1,500 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
13. 1,437 Eddie Cole 1951-55
14. 1,369 Gene Harmon 1971-74
15. 1,361 Duan Cole 1987-92
16. 1,313 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
17. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
18. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
19. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
20. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
21. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
22. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
23. 1,214 Antoine Young 2008-Present
24. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
25. 1,176 Doug McDermott 2010-Present
26. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
27. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
28. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
29. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
31. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
32. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
33. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
34. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
35. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
36. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
463 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
Jays Win 10 Home Games, Again
With a Jan. 21 win vs. Indiana State, Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 16 straight seasons.
The current streak extends a school-record, four more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.
Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton was 11-1 in the MVC after the 12th game of the league slate.
This is the 17th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 16 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2011-12 11-1 0-3 so far
2010-11 6-6 4-2
2009-10 7-5 3-3
2008-09 8-4 6-0
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
Total 136-68 (.667) 63-36 (.636)
McManus To The Hall
Former Creighton men's basketball coach John J. “Red” McManus will be inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame on April 19th.
McManus went 138-118 as head coach of Creighton from 1959-69, and mentored All-Americans Paul Silas and Bob Portman, among others. He remains close to the program to this day and regularly attends home games and the State Farm MVC Tournament.
Also joining the Hall of Fame will be Lyell Bremser, Al Caniglia, Tom Jaworski, Kelly Lindsay, Erick Strickland and the 1982 Omaha Westside football team.
Midseason Honors
Doug McDermott was named Midseason National Player of the Year by four of the most prominent college basketball experts nationwide. He earned the nod from Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, as well as from ESPN experts Jay Bilas, Len Elmore and Doug Gottlieb.
Chairman of the Board
Creighton center Gregory Echenique has 10 or more rebounds in six of Creighton's last 12 games, and averaged 9.0 boards in that span.
Creighton is 10-1 all-time when Echenique collects 10 or more rebounds and 10-1 when he scores 15 or more points.
Creighton is also 12-3 this season and 22-9 in his career when he blocks two shots or more.
A Sprint to 1,000 Points
Doug McDermott needed just 57 career games to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so in a Jan. 15th win vs. Southern Illinois. He's the second Creighton player this season to surpass the milestone, as Antoine Young reached that feat on Dec. 10 at Saint Joseph's.
Young & McDermott are the first Bluejay teammates to go over 1,000 in the same season since Ryan Sears & Ben Walker in the Jays' 2000-01 campaign.
While it's unknown how many games it's taken every player in school history to get to 1,000 points, it is known that Paul Silas needed 47 games to reach 1,000.
Before McDermott, the only previous players in Creighton history to score 1,000 points or more in their first two seasons were Bob Portman (1,195), Paul Silas (1,124), Rod Mason (1,023) and Rodney Buford (1,010).
Here's a look at how many games it took Creighton's last 12 players to reach 1,000 career points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 12 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Double-Digit Deficits, No Problem
Creighton overcame an early 31-20 deficit to beat Northern Iowa on Jan. 10th, the third time this year it's won a game after previously trailing by double-digits. Creighton also won true road games after trailing by 17 at San Diego State and by 12 at Wichita State.
Creighton has fallen behind by 10 points or more 34 times in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that . Incredibly, Creighton has rallied to win 20 of those contests.
Overcoming Double-Digit Deficits at CLCO
Date Opponent Deficit Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/11/10 Saint Joseph's 12 W 82-75
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/10/12 Northern Iowa 11 W 63-60
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
02/03/10 Evansville 10 W 84-71
Gibbs Earns Newcomer Honor, Again
Grant Gibbs was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season on Jan. 15, and second straight week.
Gibbs helped Creighton to an unbeaten week, scoring in double-figures in all three games. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
His week was highlighted by his first career double-double, as he had 10 assists and tied a career-best with 12 points in a win at Illinois State on Jan. 13th.
Jays Duo Earn MVC Weekly Awards
Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season on Jan. 9th after a week that saw him average 34.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in two wins.
McDermott had 24 points on his 20th birthday on Jan. 3 in a win vs. Drake. He then had a career-high 44 points in a victory at Bradley, making 18-of-23 shots from the floor in a nine-point win. His 44 points are sixth-most in CU history, the most in the nation this year, and the most nationwide by any sophomore since 2003.
McDermott also earned the National Jesuit Basketball Spotlight Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
In addition, Grant Gibbs was also named MVC Newcomer of the Week. Gibbs averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds a week ago. He began his week with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 17-point win over Drake. He then had nine points, six assists and two rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 7th.
Healthy Half
As a team, Creighton made its first 11 field goals to start the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th, not missing until a Grant Gibbs three-point try went awry at the 10:44 mark.
For the game, Creighton shot 61.1 percent, its best mark on the road since shooting 61.9 percent at Wichita State on Feb. 16, 2005.
Earlier this season Creighton made its first 13 field goal attempts of the game in a win vs. Campbell.
Another Arena Record Falls
On Dec. 19, Doug McDermott's 35 points at Tulsa tied a Reynolds Center record for an opponent at the 13-year old facility. On Jan. 7th McDermott claimed another house record, as his 44 points were a Carver Arena mark for an opponent in the 30-year old building.
In fact only two players have ever scored more against Bradley than McDermott's 44…Detroit's Archie Tullos (49) in 1988 and Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (46) in 1960. McDermott's 44 points were the most in Peoria by a Bradley opponent since The Big O, and the most ever in a win over Bradley.
Speaking of arena records, Creighton's 28 assists (on 33 baskets) were the most by a Bradley opponent at Carver Arena. An incredible 17 of McDermott's 18 field goals were assisted, as four different players (Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Antoine Young, Josh Jones) had three or more assists to McDermott alone.
Of McDermott's 18 baskets, he used the backboard in 11 of them and used his left hand for five hoops.
Bringing The Heat
Creighton scored 102 points on Feb. 1st in a 102-74 victory over Illinois State. The Jays have now won 52 straight games when scoring 90 or more points, a streak that dates all the way to January of 1988.
Fresh 15
Doug McDermott has scored 15 or more points in 11 different halves this season, including 31 in the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th. The Bluejays have gone on to win each contest in which he's scored 15 or more in any half.
Below is the most points in any half by a Bluejay individual this year:
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
31 Doug McDermott, Bradley, 1/7 2nd
19 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/3 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Campbell, 11/25 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Northwestern, 12/22 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Nebraska, 12/4 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Iowa, 11/20 1st
17 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/25 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Illinois State, 2/1 1st
16 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 2nd
15 Doug McDermott, Houston Baptist, 12/17 1st
Pick Your Poison
Creighton is third in the nation from beyond the arc, hitting 42.6 percent of its shots from three-point range.
In the team's 11 games decided by single-digits, CU locks in to the tune of 43.7 percent (87-of-199) from deep.
The Bluejays have been remarkably consistent, making 40 percent or better from three-point range in 20-of-26 games to date. By comparison, CU made 40 percent or better from deep in just 15-of-39 contests a year ago.
Not Half Bad
Creighton trailed by 39-31 at halftime on Dec. 31 before outscoring Wichita State 37-22 in the second half and pull out a seven-point road win.
Under second-year head coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays are 36-1 when outscoring their foe after halftime.
Young Follows His Elders
Senior point guard Antoine Young is one of three players in Creighton history with more than 1,000 points and 400 career assists. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his point guard predecessors:
Name Young Dotzler McKinney Sears
Games 133 117 110 124
Starts 98 96 97 124
Points 1,214 422 570 1,311
PPG 9.1 3.6 5.2 10.6
Assists 463 388 430 570
APG 3.5 3.3 3.9 4.6
Turnovers 209 200 188 252
A/TO Ratio 2.22 1.94 2.29 2.03
Steals 95 196 119 283
SPG 0.71 1.68 1.08 2.29
Min./Game 26.5 23.0 26.5 33.7
Passing Fancy
Grant Gibbs had 10 assists at Tulsa on Dec. 19, then added 12 helpers vs. Northwestern three days later. In the win over Northwestern, Gibbs' 12 assists led to 32 points by his Creighton teammates.
His 12 assists were a CenturyLink Center Omaha single-game record, rank tied for sixth-most in a game in Creighton history for all venues, and most since Tyler McKinney also had 12 on Dec. 21, 2002.
Gibbs became the first Bluejay with consecutive games of 10 or more assists since Duan Cole did it on Jan. 27 & 30, 1990.
Sophomore Snipers
Three sophomores on the 2011-12 Creighton basketball team rank among the most nine most accurate shooters in school history in three-point field goal percentage.
Doug McDermott is third on that list at 44.3 percent for his career, just behind MVC Players of the Year Booker Woodfox (45.5%) and Kyle Korver (45.3%) on Creighton's all-time chart. Ethan Wragge is ninth on the list at 42.4 percent, while Jahenns Manigat (42.8 percent) is in eighth place.
For the season, Creighton's freshmen are shooting 25-of-53 (47.2 percent) from three-point land, while the sophomore class is a collective 134-290 (46.2 percent) from downtown.
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage, Career
(min. 100 attempts)
Rk. 3% Name 3FG-3FGA Years
1. .455 Booker Woodfox 147-323 2007-09
2. .453 Kyle Korver 371-819 1999-03
3. .443 Doug McDermott 90-203 2010-Pres.
4. .441 Rod Mason 132-299 1986-88
5. .440 Nerijus Karlikanovas 48-109 1998-00
6. .431 Michael Lindeman 62-144 2000-04
7. .430 Duan Cole 176-410 1987-92
8. .428 Jahenns Manigat 86-201 2010-Pres.
9. .424 Ethan Wragge 128-302 2009-Pres.
10. .407 Nate Funk 200-492 2002-07
Triple Threats
Creighton has five current players who have made 70 or more career three-pointers. Four of the five men are shooting 36.7 percent or better from downtown. Here's a look at that quintet.
Creighton's Active 3FG Leaders
3FG-FGA Name Pct.
128-302 Ethan Wragge .424
90-203 Doug McDermott .443
86-201 Jahenns Manigat .428
82-225 Josh Jones .364
72-242 Antoine Young .298
Jones'ing For MVC Play
Josh Jones opened MVC play with 11 points off the bench on Dec. 28 vs. Missouri State, making 3-of-4 three-point shots. Jones then pumped in eight points in the second half of Creighton's win at Wichita State.
Picking up his production for Valley games is nothing new for the junior from Omaha Central. In his career, he's shot 12-of-55 (21.8 percent) from three-point range prior to MVC play, a figure that improves drastically to 50-of-122 (41.0 percent) in league action.
Weekly Honors Roll In
Grant Gibbs and Doug McDermott were both honored on Dec. 26th by the MVC for their work in wins vs. Tulsa and Northwestern.
Gibbs was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 11.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 points per game. With 10 assists at Tulsa and 12 assists vs. Northwestern, he became the first Bluejay since 1990 with consecutive games of 10 or more assists.
McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week after averaging 31.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He scored a career-high 35 points in the win at Tulsa and scored 27 points in 28 minutes vs. Northwestern.
McDermott also earned National Player of the Week accolades from the USBWA, Dick Vitale, and Andy Katz of ESPN.com for his performance.
Filling It Up
Through games of Feb. 12th, Doug McDermott was leading the nation with 234 field goals made this season. By comparison, no other player in the MVC has more than 157 buckets (Kyle Weems), and next closest nationally was West Virginia's Kevin Jones and Sacred Heart's Shane Gibson with 214.
McDermott averages 9.0 field goals per game. No other player in the country averages more than nine field goals per game this season.
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owns 595 points through 26 games, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranks him third nationally in scoring (through Feb. 12th).
McDermott's 22.9 points per game would rank fourth-most in CU single-season history and would be the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), is the only Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game would make him the first MVC player over 20 points per game since Illinois State's Tarise Bryson (2000-01) and the most by a MVC player since Bradley's Curtis Stuckey (25.1 ppg.) in 1990-91. Bryson is the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay has averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad's 22.2 average in 1989-90.
Basketball Royalty
Creighton is the only team in the nation with three non-conference wins vs. the Big Ten this season.
This is the first time that Creighton has defeated three Big Ten teams in the same season in program history.
In three games against Big Ten competition this year, Doug McDermott averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds while shooting 29-44 from the floor (65.9 percent) and 7-of-11 from downtown (63.6 percent).
B1G Ten, Big Time
Creighton went 3-0 against the Big Ten this winter, including home wins vs. both Northwestern and Nebraska. This is the first year Creighton has hosted two games against Big Ten competition in the same season since 1936-37.
Unbelievably, Creighton had hosted just one Big Ten team since 1973 (Iowa in 1999) before this year's slate.
Doug vs. Others After 65 Games
Doug McDermott has started all 65 games of his career and enters Tuesday's contest with 1,176 career points (18.1 ppg.) and 496 career rebounds (7.6 rpg.).
By comparison, Creighton's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, had 1,138 career points after 65 games. However, Buford had “just” 943 points after 26th game of his sophomore season (17.1 ppg.).
McDermott also compares favorably to legendary big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher at this point. Harstad finished his career ranked second in CU history with 2,110 career points and 1,126 rebounds, while Gallagher is third with 1,983 points and fifth with 891 rebounds.
Through 65 Career Games
Name Points Rebounds
Doug McDermott 1,176 496
Rodney Buford 1,138 333
Chad Gallagher 880 388
Bob Harstad 829 581
Kyle Korver 759 287
Big Road Win
Creighton's 83-64 win at Tulsa on Dec. 19 was the Golden Hurricane's largest defeat at home since falling to No. 3 Memphis by 23 points in the 2005-06 campaign.
It was Creighton's largest victory margin in a true road contest since an 82-60 win at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, 2009 and biggest in a non-conference true road game since beating Drexel 72-48 on Dec. 1, 2007.
Triple-Double Threat?
Creighton has never had a player with a traditional point-rebound-assist triple-double, but Grant Gibbs is getting closer.
The junior guard had nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on Dec. 19 at Tulsa. He also had 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 13 at Illinois State.
Gibbs is the first player since James Farr in 1988-89 to have single-game highs of 10 or more points, 10 or more assists and nine or more rebounds in the same season.
Creighton owns three triple-doubles in school history, all by Benoit Benjamin in 1985. All three were of the point-rebound-blocked shot variety.
Four-Point Play For Wragge
Ethan Wragge delivered Creighton's first four-point play of the season when his clutch four-point play gave the Jays a 65-58 lead with 6:49 left vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22nd.
Creighton's only four-point play a year ago came from Kaleb Korver, who did it on Nov. 14 vs. Northern Arizona.
All I Wanted For Christmas Is 10 Wins
Creighton got to the Christmas break with a 10-1 record. In 94 seasons of basketball, this was just the third campaign that the Jays reached 10 wins before Christmas.
The Jays were 10-1 in 1963-64 and 10-2 in 2008-09 heading into Christmas.
The Godfather Strikes Again
Ross Ferrarini earned the CenturyLink Center Omaha crowd free Godfather's Pizza with a three-pointer in the waning seconds against Indiana State on Jan. 21st.
It's the second time in his 17 career home games that he's scored the 75th point. Last year he hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to close CU's scoring in a 75-59 home win over Illinois State win, one reason his teammates have dubbed him “The Godfather”.
Creighton has scored enough points for pizza (75 since 2006-07; 70 from 2003-06) in 83 of 150 all-time games at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Only 10 men have scored the 'pizza point' more than Ferrarini's two occasions, a list led by Johnny Mathies. Mathies did it 10 times.
Most Times Scoring Pizza Point, 2003-Present
Times Name Years
10 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
8 Cavel Witter 2007-10
5 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
4 Kellen Miliner 2003-05
4 Nate Funk 2003-07
4 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
4 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
4 Josh Jones 2009-Pres.
3 Kenton Walker 2007-09
3 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
2 Isacc Miles 2004-05
2 Nick Porter 2005-07
2 Dustin Sitzmann 2005-09
2 Josh Dotzler 2005-09
2 Nick Bahe 2006-08
2 Kaleb Korver 2007-11
2 Casey Harriman 2007-11
2 Ethan Wragge 2009-Pres.
2 Ross Ferrarini 2010-Pres.
2 Will Artino 2011-Pres.
2 Doug McDermott 2010-Pres.
2 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
Man of Steal
Senior guard Antoine Young had a career-high five steals on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, the most in a game by a CU player since Cavel Witter had five vs. Fresno State on Dec. 22, 2008.
Young owns 95 career steals, almost as many as his next two active teammates (Josh Jones 52; Jahenns Manigat 48) combined.
Big Man's Game
Junior center Gregory Echenique had his best statistical day as a Bluejay in a Dec. 17 victory over Houston Baptist. Echenique had a double-double in the first half (13 points, 12 rebounds) before finishing with season-highs of 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.
It was his second double-double as a Bluejay, as he had 12 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 13, 2011.
Echenique's five swats were his most since he had a career-high seven rejections at Missouri State on Jan. 22, 2011.
Creighton is now 10-1 in his career when he scores 15 points or more.
Echenique picked up two fouls in two minutes of first half action at Tulsa on Dec. 19 and was forced to the bench. He started the second half with a personal 9-0 run in the first three minutes as Creighton turned a 42-34 halftime lead into a 51-34 rout.
Fountains of Doug
Doug McDermott owns 20 or more points 18 times this season and 21 of his last 32 games overall dating to last year.
McDermott owns two different stretches where he's scored 25 points or more in four straight games this year. He did it from Nov. 16-30 earlier this year, as well as Dec. 10-22. The last Bluejay with five consecutive games of 25 or more was Benoit Benjamin, who did it in five straight games (Jan. 17-Feb. 2, 1985), a span in which he had 43, 45, 31, 26 and 29 points.
McDermott, who owns 12 different games of 25 points or more this season, is the first Bluejay with 10 different games of 25 or more points in the same year since Bob Harstad had 15 games like that in 1989-90.
How To Stop Him?
Leave it to Doug McDermott's father/coach and his roommate to explain the task of trying to slow him down.
"He's difficult to stop in that he scores a lot of different ways," his coach and father Greg McDermott said. "It's not just on the block, it's not just from the 3-point line, he can slash and score as well. In a lot of his post-up opportunities, the ball is gone before you can even think about double-teaming him. He's difficult to guard because of his versatility, and he has a lot of people scratching their heads trying to stop him. And the good news for us is that he's doing it within the framework of our offense and he's not taken bad shots."
"Doug's ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor is what amazes me," guard Jahenns Manigat said. "He has amazing hands and he finishes well. And when he steps back and knocks down a 3, that's when you can see the full extent of his game.”
Don't Take Our Word For It
Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik was similarly impressed after Doug McDermott scored a career-high 35 on Dec. 19. Here's an excerpt of Wojcik's post-game opening statement:
“I tell you what, that was one impressive performance by Doug McDermott. I thought the guy single-handedly broke the spirit of my team. In particular, my three seniors and sophomore post players. He was terrific...My goodness, it really surprised us how good McDermott was, particularly in the post against size, how good his strength is, how good his stamina is, how good his feet are, and how good of hands he has. He was very impressive to me, tonight.”
Dish Network
Grant Gibbs turned in an unusual stat line in a Dec. 19 victory over Houston Baptist. The junior guard had career-highs with eight assists and four steals, but did not attempt a shot from the field in 19 minutes of play.
He's the only Bluejay in more than 25 years to have eight or more assists in a game in which he did not attempt a field goal.
Gibbs continued to play the role of distributor on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, dishing a career-high 10 assists.
One game later vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22, Gibbs had 12 assists and eight rebounds, but was 0-for-2 from the field.
Gibbs' 5.7 assists per game average makes him the first Bluejay to average more than 5.5 helpers per game since Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per game in 1976-77.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has also won 52 straight games (at all sites) when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 18 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Minute Man's Many Minutes
Antoine Young has played 1,814 minutes in his 70 career games at CenturyLink Century Omaha, the most minutes played in facility history. Young's 260 assists in the building are also a facility record.
Ball Control Offense
Creighton ranked sixth nationally with a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio through games of February 12th, and a big portion of that is due to its starting backcourt.
Creighton's starting guard trio of Antoine Young (114 A, 45 TO), Jahenns Manigat (38/23) and Grant Gibbs (147/62) have combined for 299 assists and 130 turnovers, good for a collective 2.30 assist/turnover ratio.
Reserve guards Avery Dingman (5/7), Josh Jones (47/25), Austin Chatman (49/32) and Taylor Stormberg (4/0) have combined for 105 assists against just 64 turnovers.
McDermott's 20/10 Vision
Earlier this season Doug McDermott became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Nate King had four in a row during the 1993-94 campaign.
No Bluejay has owned five straight double-doubles since Benoit Benjamin had 28 in a row in the 1984-85 campaign.
2,000,000 Fan March
Creighton has attracted 2,178,400 fans all-time in 151 games held at CenturyLink Center Omaha, good for an average of 14,426.
Creighton's 1,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha was honored on Jan. 19, 2008, in CU's 74th game at the facility. That fan, Jared Stickrod, was then a 10-year old from Omaha who received numerous prizes, including an autographed basketball and season tickets for the 2008-09 campaign.
In Creighton's home game on Dec. 4 vs. Nebraska, Creighton honored Omaha native Sam King as the 2,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Among his prize package is four season tickets for 2012-13.
Call It A Comeback
Creighton trailed 31-14 early on at San Diego State on Nov. 30 before pulling off a comeback for the ages.
Below is a list of Creighton's 10 comebacks from down 15 points or more since 2000. Notably, Creighton's comeback at SDSU was CU's largest away from home in that time.
Overcoming Large Deficits, Last 10 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
11/30/11 at San Diego State 17 W 85-83
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
Bahamas Boost
Creighton got a head start to the 2011-12 season thanks to a four-game exhibition tour of the Bahamas in mid-August. The trip, which included CU's four scholarship freshmen, also included 10 valuable practices in the off-season.
Creighton won all four games on its tour by double-digits, outscoring foes by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Doug McDermott led the Jays in scoring (24.3 ppg.), Will Artino led the team in rebounding (11.0 rpg.), Geoff Groselle topped the squad with 10 blocked shots, and Austin Chatman had a team-best 30 assists.
Each of Creighton's last three teams to take a foreign trip have started the season strong. The 2007-08 and 2003-04 teams both went to Vancouver, with CU's 2007-08 team starting the regular-season 5-0, and the '03-04 squad opening 12-0. The Jays also toured Europe in the spring of 1998, with CU opening 6-0 to begin the 1998-99 campaign.
This year's team, which went to the Bahamas in August, started 7-0.
Red Hot Night
Creighton scorched the CenturyLink Center Omaha nets on Nov. 25th in its 104-81 win vs. Campbell.
The Jays made their first 13 field goal attempts from the floor during a dizzying display that included four three-pointers and two other traditional three-point plays. The scoring frenzy helped CU to a 32-14 lead after nine minutes and well on their way to another double-digit win.
For the evening, Creighton shot a school-record 70.4 percent on the night, the ninth-best mark in MVC history. Creighton's previous best shooting night came on Feb. 3, 2010, when CU made 66.7 percent (28-of-42) to beat Evansville.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has three players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season includes junior Grant Gibbs (Marion), sophomore Doug McDermott (Ames) and redshirt freshman Will Artino (Waukee).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 576 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Super Seven
Creighton's win vs. Nebraska on Dec. 4th was the Jays seventh straight this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 16 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Nearly A Point A Minute
A year ago at this time, Doug McDermott was still sneaking up on people as a baby-faced freshman. But after a record-setting freshman year and preseason acclaim on the Wooden and Naismith Award lists this fall, he's become priority number one on the opponent's scouting reports.
Despite the extra attention paid to him, he's scored almost a point per minute in 31 games in a Bluejay uniform this season. If you include four exhibition games in the Bahamas (97 points, 84 minutes), an exhibition win over Rockhurst (19 points, 22 minutes) and 26 regular-season contests (595 points, 818 minutes), he's scored 711 points in 924 minutes.
According to stats through Feb. 12th on bbstate.com, McDermott's 29.1 points per 40 minutes led the country, just behind nation-leading Damian Lillard's (Weber State) 29.2 per 40 minutes.
Productive Night
Doug McDermott had 25 points in just 18 minutes of work on Dec. 19 vs. Houston Baptist.
He became just the second Bluejay since 1985 to score 20 or more points in a game in which he played fewer than 20 minutes.
Ethan Wragge, McDermott's sophomore teammate, has done it twice. He did it against Xavier on Nov. 27, 2009 (21 points, 17 minutes) and also against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11, 2010 (22 points, 18 minutes).
Before Wragge had done it, no Bluejay had scored 20 or more points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
McDermott On Preseason Lists
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott is one of 50 players nationwide named to the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, as well as the Naismith preseason watch list. He was the only MVC player honored on either list.
McDermott is the first player from Creighton named to a Wooden Award list since the spring of 2003, when Kyle Korver was one of 22 finalists for the award. However, Korver never received preseason acclaim in his career from the Wooden Award voters.
McDermott is Creighton's first player on the preseason Naismith list since Nate Funk prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
All-Around Doug
Doug McDermott finished his remarkable freshman season with 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-point baskets last year.
According to research by STATS Inc., the last two freshmen to attain 525 points, 270 rebounds and 40 three-pointers in a season were über-freshmen Kevin Durant (Texas) in 2006-07 and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) in 2002-03.
The previous two men before them to do so, Quentin Richardson (1998-99 at DePaul) and Eddie Griffin (2000-01 at Seton Hall), like Durant and Anthony, were also named the National Freshman of the Year.
Below is the list, compiled by STATS Inc., of all 15 Division I players since 1996-97 to have McDermott's levels of at least 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-pointers in one season:
581+ Pts., 280+ Reb., 47+ 3FG Since 1996-97
Source: STATS Inc. & Creighton Sports Info
Name, School Year 3FG Reb. Pts.
Kevin Durant, Texas 2006-07 82 390 903
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 2002-03 56 349 778
Shane Battier, Duke 2000-01 124 285 778
Kyle Singler, Duke 2009-10 85 280 707
Keith Van Horn, Utah 1996-97 58 303 705
Ryan Anderson, Cal 2007-08 64 328 697
Matt Harpring, Ga. Tech 1997-98 52 302 691
Rasual Butler, LaSalle 2001-02 57 283 670
Brian Heinle, CS-Northridge 2000-01 52 293 646
Jamine Peterson, Providence 2009-10 51 315 609
James Posey, Xavier 1998-99 48 322 609
Kyle Singler, Duke 2008-09 69 284 609
Matt Howard, Butler 2010-11 53 285 608
Romain Sato, Xavier 2003-04 75 297 603
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11 47 280 581
Freshmen listed in bold italic
Father/Son Duo
Doug McDermott is the only player in Creighton men's basketball history to play for his father, head coach Greg McDermott. The previous closest relationship between a player/coach had been when Rick Apke (1974-78) played for his older brother, head coach Tom Apke (1974-81).
Other known father/son player/head coach duos this winter include Ray/Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit), Jim/Tyler Les (UC Davis), Ernie/Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan), Louis/Chauncey Orr (Bowling Green), Dave/Jordan Boots (South Dakota) and Jim/Billy Molinari (Western Illinois).
Tournament Champs
Creighton went 4-0 to win the Dale Howard Classic, its fourth-ever tournament title in a regular-season event. The Jays also claimed titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004 and the Las Vegas Classic crown in 2008.
Creighton has also won a record 10 MVC Tournament titles.
Passing Fancy
In the first eight years of CenturyLink Center Omaha, the single-game assist record was 28. Through 13 home games this season, the Jays have reached or surpassed that mark three times, including a facility-record 30 on Nov. 25 vs. Campbell.
Overall, the Jays have now assisted on 476-of-726 of its field goals this season (65.6 percent).
Last season Creighton's top passing output was 25 assists in a win over Kennesaw State, and the Jays dished on 60.7 percent of its field goals for the season.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches, SID's and media. The Bluejays earned 29-of-40 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Wichita State was second with 350 points and seven first-place votes, while Indiana State was third with 331 points and got four first-place votes.
Northern Iowa (245) and Evansville (234) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was defending regular-season champ Missouri State (216), where it was followed by Drake (159), Illinois State (111), Southern Illinois (90) and Bradley (75).
Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Missouri State's Kyle Weems, Indiana State's Jake Odum and Evansville's Colt Ryan. Weems was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year.
Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 14 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, and last year's club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 14 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
Postseason x 14
Creighton has made the postseason in 14 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only nine schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Besides a trip to the Bahamas, two Creighton players stayed busy competing internationally this summer.
Doug McDermott played for Team USA at the U19 World Championships, which were held in Riga, Latvia. McDermott started every game for coach Paul Hewitt's team and was third on the club in both points (11.3) and rebounds (6.1) per game, while topping the squad with 13 three-point baskets. Despite a 7-2 record and wins over the eventual gold and silver medalist teams, his team finished fifth overall after being upset by Russia in the quarterfinal round.
Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez. In head-to-head battles against NBA veterans such as Luis Scola (Argentina), Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Joel Anthony (Canada) and Andres Nocioni (Argentina), Echenique averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in eight games while helping Venezuela to fifth place at the FIBA Americas Tournament in Argentina. Venezuela's success means it will host a 12-team Olympic qualifier next July, of which the top three teams will make the 2012 Olympics in London.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 151 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in nine seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 128-23 (.848) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday or Friday.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,257-9,544 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.3 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 36 different times, including seven times this season.
Silas To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Paul Silas will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 2, 2012, during a banquet at the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Silas played for Creighton from 1961-64 and averaged 20.5 points and 21.6 rebounds per game during his college career. He is one of five men in NCAA history to average a “20/20”, joining Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington.
He owns more rebounds than any NCAA player in the last 55 years, including 22 different games of 25 or more rebounds.
Silas played 16 seasons in the NBA and has won 390 additional contests as an NBA head coach with the Clippers, Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats organizations.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the previous 13 seasons, something it did again this year. Each of Creighton's last 12 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Big Margin
Creighton's 97-65 win on Nov. 11 vs. North Carolina A&T was its highest point total in a season-opener since the 2002-03 team opened with a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington. That team went on to be 29-5.
Seven of Creighton's 16 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last five teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 ? ?
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the seventh time in the nine-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2010-11 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2010-11 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.
Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 23-16 on the season, winning a program-record four postseason games before falling in the best-of-three championship series in the College Basketball Invitational. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for a tie for fourth place, the Jays 14th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
Individually, Doug McDermott was a first-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring and rebounding during a standout freshman season that also saw him sweep MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year accolades. Antoine Young was named second-team all-MVC, while both McDermott and Jahenns Manigat were named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team. In addition, Manigat was named to the MVC's All-Bench Team, and Gregory Echenique was selected to the MVC's All-Newcomer and All-Defensive Team.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 season went on sale on October 31st at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free).
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Game #27 at Southern Illinois • Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Southern Illinois
SIU Arena (8,500) • Carbondale, Ill.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: KMTV; ESPN Full Court
Series History: Creighton leads, 50-36
Last Meeting: Creighton won 90-17 on Jan. 15, 2012 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
There's no love lost between long-time Valley rivals Creighton (21-5, 11-4 MVC) and Southern Illinois (8-18, 5-10 MVC), but that won't prevent the two programs from squaring off on Valentine's Day.
Tuesday night's tip-off from SIU Arena (8,500) in Carbondale, Ill., is set for 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2011-12 season, including Tuesday's game. T. Scott Marr and Rob Anderson will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Tuesday's game will be televised by KMTV, the eighth of eight broadcasts this season. It will also air on ESPN Full Court. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will announce, with coordinates below:
SES-2/K23 Analog
DL - 12160 H
Video Webcast Information
Tuesday's game will be video webcast nationwide 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 left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 21-5 on the season and second in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-4 mark. The Bluejays have lost their last three games after a 21-2 start, falling out of the national rankings after a 12-week run.
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott (22.9 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) leads the MVC and ranks third nationally in scoring. He's either first or second in four different MVC categories, including three-point percentage, field goal percentage, scoring and rebounding.
Also scoring in double-figures is the team's lone scholarship senior, Antoine Young (11.3 ppg., 4.4 apg.). Young was named honorable-mention preseason all-MVC along with junior center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.7 bpg.).
On the wings, Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs (7.2 ppg., 5.7 apg., 4.6 rpg.) ranks second in the MVC in assists, while Jahenns Manigat (6.8 ppg.) is second in the league in three-point percentage at 48.4 percent.
The Jays are 12-2 at home, but have done their most impressive work on the road. Included in CU's 8-3 true road record are wins at the defending league champs from the Mountain West (San Diego State), Missouri Valley (Missouri State) and Conference USA (UAB), in addition to league runner-ups from the MVC (Wichita State) and Conference USA (Tulsa).
Through games of February 12th, Creighton ranked among the national leaders in most offensive categories, including first in field goal percentage (.504), third in both three-point percentage (.426) and in assists per game (18.3), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.46), 10th in scoring offense (79.5) and eighth average home attendance (16,692).
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 8-18 on the season, including a 5-10 MVC mark. The Salukis struggled to a 3-8 non-conference mark before regaining their full line-up in late December, and are in a fight to finish in the top-six of the Valley standings to avoid the play-in round of next month's State Farm MVC Tournament.
Mamadou Seck averages team-high totals of 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He led the MVC in rebounding last season.
Freshman Dantiel Daniels (8.7 ppg., 1.8 bpg.) is one of many talented newcomers, and leads the MVC in blocked shots. Also scoring at a healthy clip are Jeff Early (8.5 ppg.), Kendal Brown-Surles (8.0) and T.J. Lindsay (7.4).
As a team, Southern Illinois averages 63.0 points per game and yields 68.3 per contest. The Salukis are outbounded by 1.4 caroms per contest.
Southern Illinois is 6-6 at SIU Arena this season (4-3 in MVC action), where it averages 3,279 fans per game.
The Series With Southern Illinois
Creighton owns a 50-36 all-time lead in the series against Southern Illinois, but the Salukis own the 22-17 edge in Carbondale.
Creighton has won the last eight meetings and nine of 10 since an eight-game losing streak to Southern Illinois was snapped in 2007.
Eighteen of the last 24 meetings have been decided by nine points or less, including three overtime games in the last seven encounters.
Greg McDermott is 7-7 against Southern Illinois (3-0 at CU) and 5-3 vs. Chris Lowery. Lowery is 7-9 against Creighton all-time.
Creighton's series history vs. Southern Illinois can be found on page five of these notes.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his second season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 44-21 mark. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 324-216 in 18 seasons and is 193-152 in 11 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 1995) owns a 145-111 record in his eighth year as head coach of the Salukis. Lowery, a former Saluki point guard and assistant coach, has been in the postseason in all but three of the 14 years he's been a part of the program. He is assisted by Ron Smith, Anthony Stewart and Brad Korn.
Last Game Recap
Wichita State took a two-game lead in the MVC standings with an 89-68 win at Creighton on Saturday. Joe Ragland had 24 points and Ben Smith scored 22 for WSU. Gregory Echenique paced Creighton with 16 points.
Be My Valentine, Again
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday at Southern Illinois. The Bluejays and Salukis have played just once before on Valentine's Day, with that meeting taking place in 2009. Creighton won that game, 82-60, which its largest road win over the Salukis in 39 trips to Carbondale.
Jays Look For Nine Straight vs. Salukis
Creighton has won eight straight games against Southern Illinois. The eight straight wins in the series is the longest run in Bluejay history.
Creighton has won three straight trips to Carbondale, and will attempt to match a program record with a fourth straight win at SIU that was first done from 1978-81.
Old Friends Meet Again
Two members of the Saluki coaching staff served as tour managers for Creighton's trip to the Bahamas last August. SIU associate coach Ron Smith and SIU graduate assistant Matt McCumber both helped plan CU's travel, accomodations, game schedule and assorted other tasks.
The relationship between Smith and Creighton head coach Greg McDermott goes way back. Smith was an assistant to McDermott from 2001-06 at Northern Iowa, then followed McDermott to Iowa State as the director of basketball operations.
Rare Losing Streak
Creighton looks to avoid a rare four-game losing streak on Tuesday. Creighton hasn't lost four straight games since Dec. 23, 1999 - Jan. 6, 2000 and hasn't lost four MVC games in a row since 1995.
Reasons For Optimism
Creighton's three-game losing streak, though rare, doesn't mean there's not time to right the ship. Consider the following championship teams from the past 12 months, and how they were able to recover to win:
New York Giants - Lost 4 in a row during weeks 11-14 this season...won Super Bowl.
St. Louis Cardinals - Six different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won World Series.
Dallas Mavericks - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won NBA title.
Boston Bruins - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more last year...won Stanley Cup.
Connecticut Huskies (MBB) - Went 4-7 from Jan. 29-March 5 last year...won NCAA title.
Indiana State Sycamores (MBB) - Fell to 12-12 on the season (7-6 in the MVC) with its fifth staight loss on Feb. 5, 2011, only to rebound to win the MVC Tournament title.
Looking For History
After claiming road wins at Bradley (Jan. 7) and Illinois State (Jan. 13) earlier this season, Creighton will look for history on Tuesday night at Southern Illinois.
With a victory in Carbondale, it would mark the first time in 29 attempts that Creighton has played at, and won, at all three of those Illinois schools in the same season.
This is the fifth time that Creighton has won its first two games in Illinois, but the Jays lost its third such game while attempting to complete the sweep in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2011.
Creighton has posted two Valley road wins in Illinois 10 times previously. Six of those teams made the NCAA Tournament (1989, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005), two made the NIT (2004, 2009), one team made the CIT (2010) and one team made the CBI (2011).
Making Them Ill(inois)
Creighton is 7-0 this season against teams from the state of Illinois, having gone 2-0 against Bradley and Illinois State, and 1-0 versus Southern Illinois, Northwestern and Chicago State.
The last time Creighton played a season without a loss to a team from Illinois was 1973-74.
Clash of the Titans
Tuesday's showdown in Carbondale features the league's two dominant teams since the turn of the millennium. Consider the following information about Creighton and Southern Illinois...
- Seven of the last 11 MVC regular-season champions.
- Six of the last 11 MVC Coaches of the Year.
- Six of the last 10 MVC Players of the Year.
- Seven of the last 13 MVC Tourney champs.
- Either Creighton or Southern Illinois (or both) has made the postseason in 21 of the past 23 years.
- Creighton (146 wins) and Southern Illinois (134) have more MVC victories than any other league school since the start of the 2000-01 season. No other Valley school has more than 122 conference wins in that time.
Team of the Millennium?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 272 wins in the millennium, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to 2/13/11)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 146 67 .685 272 119 .696
Southern Illinois 134 79 .629 238 146 .620
Wichita State 122 91 .573 233 149 .610
Northern Iowa 116 97 .545 223 154 .592
Missouri State 117 96 .549 223 158 .585
Illinois State 98 115 .460 196 171 .534
Bradley 93 120 .437 189 192 .496
Drake 90 123 .423 176 187 .485
Indiana State 77 136 .362 159 208 .433
Evansville 72 141 .338 138 213 .393
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 1 1 11
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Wichita State 1 5 1 0 7
Northern Iowa 5 0 0 1 6
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 4 0 1 5
Illinois State 0 4 0 0 4
Indiana State 2 0 1 0 3
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 1 1 2
Magic Number?
Since the 2002 MVC Tournament final, Creighton is 10-0 against Southern Illinois when scoring 70 points or more, but 2-10 when scoring less than 70 against the Salukis.
King of Efficiency
One of the most incredible things about Doug McDermott's lofty 22.9 points per game scoring average is how little he actually handles the ball.
Creighton video coordinator Nathan Wieseler broke down three different games this season where some of college basketball's top players each took 14 shots.
When McDermott faced Drake on Jan. 25, he made 10-of-14 field goals and finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and one assist. He handled the ball for a total of 1:23 of actual game time.
When Kansas standout forward Thomas Robinson played North Dakota on Dec. 31st, he had 30 points, 21 rebounds and four assists. Robinson had the ball in his hand for a total of 2:50.
When Weber State point guard and national scoring leader Damian Lillard faced Northern Arizona on Jan. 10th, Lillard had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. He had the ball in his hand for a whopping 7:13 of game time.
Sports Illustrated Comes To Town
Kelli Anderson of Sports Illustrated spent four days with the Bluejays in late January/early February for a feature on Bluejay sophomore Doug McDermott.
Her four-page article, which includes four photos, can be found on pages 54-57 of the Feb. 13, 2012 edition that features Eli Manning on the cover.
Road Trippers
Creighton has eight road wins and one victory on a neutral site this year. On Tuesday in Carbondale, the Jays will search for their 10th win away from home this season. Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home.
S*W*A*T* Teams
SIU's Dantiel Daniels and Creighton's Gregory Echenique rank first and second in the MVC in blocks per game. Daniels averages 1.8 per game, while Echenique swats 1.7 per contest.
Another Record Falls For McDermott
Last year Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581. This season, McDermott has 595 points, passing Rodney Buford (581 points in 1996-97) for most points in school history by a sophomore.
McDermott's 1,176 points to date are just 19 behind Bob Portman (1,195) for most in school history by a player in their first two seasons.
Doug McDermott enters this week with 595 points and 27 straight games of 10 or more points. With five more points, he'll become the 10th different player in Bluejay history with a season of 600 points or more.
He'd also become just the ninth sophomore in MVC history to reach 600 points in a season, a list that includes Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Hersey Hawkins, among others.
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 Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 - Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
680 - Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
656 - Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1985-86
645 - Danny Moore, Missouri St. 1996-97
632 - Maurice Evans, Wichita St. 1998-99
612 - Cliff Levingston, Wichita St. 1980-81
609 - John S. Williams, Indiana St. 1983-84
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
688 Benoit Benjamin (Jr.) 1984-85
681 Bob Portman (Sr.) 1968-69
671 Vernon Moore (Sr.) 1984-85
651 Rod Mason (Sr.) 1987-88
620 Chad Gallagher (Sr.) 1990-91
616 Ray Yost (Sr.) 1953-54
608 Eddie Cole (Jr.) 1953-54
604 Kyle Korver (Sr.) 2002-03
595 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
589 Rodney Buford (So.) 1996-97
586 Nate Funk (Jr.) 2004-05
Overtime, Over Time, Time After Time
Each of Creighton's last two trips to Carbondale have been overtime victories, and both have featured some late-game heroics by Bluejay guard Antoine Young. The teams also played an overtime game in 2009 in Omaha.
As a sophomore in 2010, Young had a then-career-high with 22 points, including six of CU's last eight, of an 83-78 victory.
In Creighton's 72-66 win last season, the Jays trailed 50-43 with 5:32 left before posting its comeback. Young finished with 13 points in 44 minutes of play, including six points in the final 11 minutes.
This is the first time in program history that Creighton has played an overtime game against the same team in three consecutive seasons.
Additionally, it's just the second time in program history that Creighton has played a road overtime game in consecutive years at the same venue. CU also won in overtime at Wichita State in both 1989 and 1990.
It's Up, And It's Good
Doug McDermott leads the nation with 234 field goals made this season. He can move into CU's single-season top-10 with three more baskets, which hasn't changed since Chad Gallagher's 237 buckets in 1990-91.
Losses Can Teach Lessons Too
When Creighton took the floor last Tuesday, it was upset at Evansville. However, five of the last six seasons that Evansville has beaten Creighton, the Jays have recovered to win either the MVC Tournament or regular-season title, as seen below:
Date UE Score MVC Title?
02/07/12 L 57-65 ? ? ?
02/13/08 L 56-60 --
12/22/04 L 61-63 Tournament
01/22/03 L 66-74 Tournament
01/24/01 L 52-61 Reg.-Season
01/23/00 L 83-88 Tournament
01/04/99 L 79-84 Tournament
Blocking Behemoth
Gregory Echenique owns 98 career blocked shots in a Creighton uniform, eighth in school history. He has 25 blocked shots in his last 13 games.
He is two swats shy of becoming the eighth man in school history with 100 rejections.
Echenique also owned 94 blocked shots in 39 games at Rutgers, giving him 192 rejections overall as a collegian.
Career Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
98 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
Sophomore's Streak Reaches 27
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 27 straight games, CU's longest stretch since Bob Harstad's streak of 32 straight games from Feb. 24, 1990 to Feb. 25, 1991.
CU's Top 10+ Point Streaks, Since 1989-90
No. Name Dates
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
27 Bob Harstad Nov. 27, 1989-Feb. 17, 1990
27 Doug McDermott April 1, 2011-Present
25 Chad Gallagher Jan. 22, 1990-Jan. 5, 1991
Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott has scored 12 or more points in all 26 games this season. McDermott's streak of 26 straight double-figure games to start the season is CU's longest streak of double-figure games to start the season since Bob Harstad (27 straight) in 1990-91.
McDermott is the only player in the MVC to score in double-figures in every game this season, and one of three players nationally with 12 or more points in every team game this winter.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double-figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
26* Doug McDermott, So. 2011-12
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
*active
12+ Points, Every Team Game This Year
Streak Name, School Next Game
26 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/14
26 Kevin Jones, West Virginia 2/16
24 Damian Lillard, Weber State 2/15
National Scoring Leaders
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring at 22.9 points per game through games of Feb. 12th. Here's that list.
Rk. Name, School Yr. PPG
1. Damian Lillard, Weber State Jr. 25.1
2. Reggie Hamilton, Oakland Sr. 24.6
3. Doug McDermott, Creighton So. 22.9
4. Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart Jr. 22.1
5. Gerardo Suero, Albany Jr. 22.0
6. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh Jr. 21.7
7. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland So. 21.6
8. Nate Wolters, South Dakota St. Sr. 21.5
9. Kevin Murphy, Tenn. Tech Sr. 21.0
10. Alex Young, IUPUI Sr. 20.9
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 600 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC, and longest streak in Vallely history.
Gibbs > Receiving
Though he's not even his own team's point guard, Grant Gibbs is second in the MVC with 5.7 assists per game. He's had six or more assists in 14 different games this season.
No game has shown his importance more than a Dec. 31 win at Wichita State. With Gibbs in the game, Creighton outscored the Shockers 50-25, compared to being outscored 36-18 without him.
Creighton is 22-2 in its last 24 games when one of its players has six or more assists in a game, including a 17-1 mark this winter.
Jays Drop From AP & Coaches Poll
Creighton has dropped out of the top-25 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top-25 coaches poll this week, falling to 28th in both rankings.
Despite missing the top-25 this week, Creighton has been in the Associated Press poll nine of the last 11 weeks. Its' No. 13 ranking on Jan. 30th was Creighton's highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
Creighton has been in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll in 12 of the past 13 weeks. The Jays' No. 12 rank on Jan. 30th was the highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
Creighton's highest rankings in school history are ninth in the coaches poll and 10th in the AP poll. Both came on Jan. 20, 2003.
For the sake of Creighton's records and consistency, the school recognizes the Associated Press poll, which can be found on page 165 of the Creighton men's basketball media guide.
Full House
Creighton has attracted six of its 11 largest crowds in program history this season. The Jays drew a state-record 18,735 fans on Feb. 11 vs. Wichita State, 18,436 fans on Jan. 28 vs. Bradley, 17,676 fans on Dec. 22 for Northwestern, and brought in 17,665 fans on Dec. 28 for Missouri State.
Here's a look at Creighton's top-15 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
2. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
3. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
4. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
5. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
6. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
7. 17,459 Southern Illinois 01/20/07
8. 17,411 George Mason 02/21/09
17,411 Indiana State 01/21/12
10. 17,371 Indiana State 01/19/08
11. 17,311 Illinois State 02/01/12
12. 17,283 Indiana State 01/27/07
13. 17,193 Drake 01/24/09
14. 17,152 Northern Iowa 12/29/09
15. 17,116 Illinois State 02/28/09
Full House
Last year Creighton averaged 13,507 fans per home game, which ranked 22nd nationally. The program ranked 14th at the end of the regular-season with an average of 15,026 before four CBI home games brought down the average.
Creighton surpassed 200,000 home fans in a season for the sixth time. No other school in the history of the MVC has ever done so even once.
Creighton has finished in the top-25 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous five seasons, and is averaging 16,692 fans at home so far this season, good for eighth place, and on pace for an MVC single-season record.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (thru 2/12)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,598 2/18
2. Syracuse 22,954 2/22
3. Louisville 21,321 2/13
4. North Carolina 19,960 2/18
5. Tennessee 17,192 2/15
6. Wisconsin 17,171 2/19
7. Memphis 16,697 2/18
8. Creighton 16,692 2/18
9. Kansas 16,300 2/18
10. Ohio State 16,273 2/21
11. Indiana 16,241 2/15
12. BYU 14,938 2/25
13. Illinois 14,906 2/15
14. Marquette 14,879 2/22
15. Michigan State 14,797 2/16
16. New Mexico 14,253 2/18
17. Arizona 13,805 2/23
18. Vanderbilt 13,659 2/22
19. UNLV 13,377 2/22
20. Purdue 13,063 2/19
21. Connecticut 12,929 2/15
22. Kansas State 12,842 2/13
23. Iowa State 12,795 2/18
24. Dayton 12,448 2/15
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
297,161 Creighton 2010-11
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
233,682 Creighton 2011-12
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,692 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
13,507 Creighton 2010-11
Nebraska's Finest
Antoine Young hails from south Omaha suburb of Bellevue, and statistically is one of the top homegrown products in Nebraska history to play at Creighton.
Young's 463 assists are most in program history by a Nebraska product, 75 more than the 388 by predecessor Josh Dotzler (another Bellevue product and Young's former high school teammate).
From a scoring prospective, Young's 1,214 points ranks fifth-most in school history by a Nebraska product. John C. Johnson (Omaha) leads that list with 1,526 points. Trailing him are Schuyler product Gene Harmon (1,369), baseball great and Omaha native Bob Gibson (1,272) and Omaha native Wally Anderzunas (1,267).
Game Tested
Senior Antoine Young has played in 133 games as a Bluejay, third-most in school history. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
143 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
135 Nate Funk 2002-07
133 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
130 Dane Watts 2004-08
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Chatman Picks It Up
Back-up point guard Austin Chatman has logged double-digit minutes in each of Creighton's last nine games.
Last Tuesday at Evansville, the freshman had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting while making his only attempt from long-range.
Chatman has made 5-of-7 three-pointers in the past 10 games.
This Is, 20/20
Greg McDermott became the first coach in Creighton history to post 20 or more wins in each of his first two seasons. McDermott, who won 23 games last season, claimed his 20th win on Jan. 28 vs. Bradley.
If you include his last three years at UNI (2003-06), he's won 20 or more games each of his last five years in the MVC.
The only other coaches to win 20 or more games in five straight seasons while in the MVC was Creighton's Dana Altman (11 from 1998-99 to 2008-09), Bradley's Chuck Orsborn (6 from 1956-57 to 1961-62) and Oklahoma State's Henry Iba (6 from 1943-44 to 1948-49).
McDermott is one of three active MVC coaches to start his Valley career with two straight 20-win seasons, and first since Illinois State's Tim Jankovich did it his first three years (2007-10).
Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery also began his career with three-straight 20-win campaigns from 2004-07.
Milestone Game Went Well
The Feb. 1 win vs. Illinois State was Creighton's 150th game at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Jays are now 128-23 at the nine-year old facility, which includes a 64-16 mark in MVC games and a 28-9 record in games decided by five points or less.
Creighton has averaged 14,426 fans in the 151 games, including 18 crowds of 17,000 or more.
Mind-Boggling Road Stats
Credit MVC PR guru Mike Kern with this doozy of a road stat.
Through games of February 12th, three MVC teams Creighton (8), Missouri State (8) and Wichita State (8) each own eight or more road wins.
The only BCS-member school with seven or more true road wins is Baylor (7).
It Went Up To 11
Creighton's 11-game win streak earlier this season is tied for eighth-longest in school history. Below is a list of CU's longest win streaks:.
Longest Win Streaks
W's Dates Postseason?
38 Feb. 22, 1917 - Feb. 11, 1920 --
17 March 25, 1942 - March 4, 1943 NIT/NIT
16 Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 23, 1929 --
14 Jan. 3-Feb. 21, 1925 --
14 Jan. 2 - Feb. 22, 1975 NCAA
12 Jan. 21 - March 1, 1922 --
12 Nov. 22, 2003 - Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27 - March 3, 2001 NCAA
11 Jan. 27 - March 6, 2009 NIT
11 Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012 ? ? ?
10 Jan. 18-Feb. 19, 1927 --
10 Jan. 27 - March 12, 1962 NCAA
10 March 9 - Dec. 20, 1963 NCIT/NCAA
10 Jan. 22 - Feb. 22, 1974 NCAA
10 Nov. 17 - Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
McDermott Up For An Oscar, Sort Of
Creighton forward Doug McDermott is among 20 players selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake in New Orleans at the USBWA's College Basketball Awards Breakfast on March 30.
McDermott ranks third nationally in scoring (22.9) and seventh in field goal percentage (.606) for Creighton, which is 21-5. He's previously been named to the Midseason Watch List for the John Wooden Award.
Kind of a Big Deal
Creighton has played in 11 road games this season. Nine of the 11 schools to host the Bluejays have set a season-high in that venue for home attendance, all but Tulsa and Evansville.
SIU's largest home crowd of the year currently stands at 4,272 vs. Saint Louis on Nov. 15th.
Date Opponent CU Crowd Previous High
11/16/11 UAB 4,417 --
11/30/11 San Diego State 12,414* 12,414
12/10/11 Saint Joseph's 4,200* 4,200
12/19/11 Tulsa 4,228 4,360
12/31/11 Wichita State 10,506* 10,466
1/7/12 Bradley 8,610 7,777
1/13/12 Illinois State 8,771 5,333
1/18/12 Missouri State 9,124 8,601
1/25/12 Drake 6,110 5,876
2/4/12 Northern Iowa 6,910 6,834
2/7/12 Evansville 5,128 9,640
*sold out
More Road Streaks
Before losing on Feb. 4 at UNI, Creighton had won six straight road games for the first time since 1975. Below is a list of Creighton's road win streaks of six or longer:
Longest Road Win Streaks
Streak Dates
14 Feb. 14, 1942 - Dec. 20, 1945
11 Feb. 26, 1917 - Feb. 27, 1919
8 Jan. 10, 1925 - Jan. 16, 1926
7 Jan. 27 - Dec. 1, 1962
7 Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 19, 1929
6 Jan. 2 - Feb. 15, 1975
6 Dec. 19, 2011 - Jan. 25, 2012
The Road Less Traveled
After going 6-21 in true road games the previous two seasons, Creighton is 8-3 in true road games this year. This year the Bluejays started 5-0 in league road games for the first time since 1942-43, when the program finished 5-0.
In 11 road games this season, Creighton is shooting an impressive 49.0 percent from the floor.
Doug McDermott is averaging 24.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in those 11 tilts, making 23-of-41 shots from three-point range (56.1 percent).
Road Warriors
Creighton is 8-3 in true road games this season, with road wins at last year's Mountain West champ (San Diego State), Conference USA champ (UAB), MVC champ (Missouri State), Conference-USA runner-up (Tulsa) and MVC runner-up (Wichita State). CU has also won at Bradley, Illinois State and Drake.
This year marked the first time in program history the Bluejays had been 8-1 or better on the road.
Creighton's eight true road wins this season surpass its total of six combined true road wins over the previous two seasons.
Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and seven of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.
After games of Feb. 12th, only four teams nationally owned two true road wins vs teams ranked in top-22 of the RPI; Creighton, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.
Fun With Numbers
According to stats on BBstate.com, Creighton ranks tied for third nationally with assists on 65.6 percent of its field goals this season. Denver leads the way at 67.2 percent.
Jays Reach 20 Wins, Again
Creighton reached the 20-win milestone for the 13th time in 14 years with a win vs. Bradley on Jan. 28.
The win, which came on Jan. 28th, was the earliest (by calendar) the team has ever won 20 games, just ahead of the 2002-03 squad (Feb. 4).
Below is a list of the nation's most 20-win seasons since 1998-99 (does not include this year).
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 13 Years
Seasons* School 2011-12 W-L Next Game
13 Syracuse 25-1 2/13
13 Duke 21-4 2/16
13 Gonzaga 20-4 2/16
13 Kansas 20-5 2/13
13 Florida 19-6 2/14
12 Kentucky 25-1 2/18
12 Creighton 21-5 2/14
12 Kent State 18-6 2/14
12 Xavier 16-9 2/18
12 Texas 16-9 2/14
12 Utah State 13-13 2/14
*doesn't include 20-win campaigns done this season
20-Win Seasons
Creighton has earned its 24th 20-win season in program history. Only 14 of those teams have won 22 or more games. Here's a look at Creighton's teams with 20 or more wins.
Previous 20-Win Seasons, Sorted By Wins
W-L Season Postseason?
29-5 2002-03 NCAA (0-1)
27-8 2008-09 NIT (1-1)
24-8 2000-01 NCAA (0-1)
24-8 1990-91 NCAA (1-1)
23-5 1921-22 --
23-7 1973-74 NCAA (2-1)
23-9 2001-02 NCAA (1-1)
23-10 1999-00 NCAA (0-1)
23-11 2004-05 NCAA (0-1)
23-16 2010-11 CBI (4-2)
22-7 1963-64 NCAA (1-2)
22-9 1998-99 NCAA (1-1)
22-11 2007-08 NIT (1-1)
22-11 2006-07 NCAA (0-1)
21-5 2011-12 TBA
21-5 1961-62 NCAA (2-1)
21-7 1976-77 NIT (0-1)
21-9 1980-81 NCAA (0-1)
21-12 1989-90 NIT (0-1)
20-7 1974-75 NCAA (0-1)
20-9 2003-04 NIT (0-1)
20-10 2005-06 NIT (1-1)
20-11 1988-89 NCAA (0-1)
20-12 1984-85 --
10 Conference Wins x 16
This season's Creighton team has 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), including this season.
Cancer Awareness Raises $$$
Creighton raised more than $29,600 in an auction in conjunction with its Jan. 28 Creighton vs. Cancer game vs. Bradley.
The Bluejays wore special-edition pink Nike jerseys for the game, in addition to special shooting shirts in warm-ups that honor those affected by cancer.
Fans had the chance to bid on a jersey/shooting shirt for each player, with the highest bid going for the #00 combination ($3,275). Six of the jerseys went for $1,000 or more.
Wragge's Streak Reached 24
Ethan Wragge is the MVC's active leader in free-throw percentage, having made 90.0 percent (36-40) of his career attempts from the line.
Wragge had made his last 24 free-throw attempts, a streak that started on Feb. 3, 2010 vs. Evansville, before a miss vs. Wichita State last Saturday. He finished his freshman season with six straight makes, was 6-for-6 during an injury-shortened 2010-11 campaign, and started a perfect 12-for-12 at the stripe this winter.
While impressive, Wragge still was only 2/3 of the way before to the Bluejay record for consecutive free throws, set by 2009 MVC Player of the Year Booker Woodfox.
Consecutive Free Throws
(Since 1980 and as available before that)
FT Name Dates of Streak
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
Ethan Wragge Feb. 3, 2010-Feb. 1, 2012
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 5, 2007
21 Kevin McKenna Dec. 22, 1980-Jan. 22, 1981
James Farr Jan. 2-28, 1989
Andre Tucker Feb. 20-Nov. 29, 1993
Kyle Korver Mar. 3-Nov. 25, 2002
20 Jason Singleton Jan. 18-23, 1993
Kyle Korver Jan. 11-Jan. 23, 2003
Kyle Korver Jan. 23-Feb. 4, 2003
Field Day
Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage, and has had a better shooting percentage in all 21 of its wins this year. The four times the opposition has had a better field goal percentage, the Jays lost.
Overall, the team with a better field goal percentage has won 31 of CU's last 32 games.
The only MVC team in history to lead the nation in field goal percentage was Bradley in 1967-68 (.524), and the only MVC team in history to lead the nation in three-point percentage was Illinois State in 2002-03 (.440).
Droppin' 30
Doug McDermott scored 30 points on Jan. 25 at Drake, his fourth outburst of 30 points or more this season.
According to ESPN, McDermott's four games of 30 points or more this year rank third-most nationally, trailing only Oakland's Reggie Hamilton (10) and Weber State's Damian Lillard (7).
In the last 20 years, the following men have scored 30 or more points in a game for Creighton.
30+ Point Games For Creighton, Last 20 Years
No. Name Years
5 Rodney Buford 1995-99
5 Doug McDermott 2010-Present
3 Nate Funk 2002-07
2 Kyle Korver 1999-03
1 Matt Petty 1992-93
1 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
1 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
1 Cavel Witter 2007-10
1 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
Finale To Air On ESPN or ESPN2
On Thursday the MVC announced that either ESPN or ESPN2 will air Creighton's regular-season finale at Indiana State on Feb. 25. The game will begin at 3 pm Central.
McDermott Scored 44
Sophomore Doug McDermott scored a career-best 44 points in Creighton's win at Bradley on Jan. 7th. It was nine more than his previous best, and included 31 points after halftime.
McDermott made his first 10 shots after halftime and was 18-of-23 for the game to tie the record for field goals made by a Bradley opponent. His 18 field goals are one shy of the Creighton record for field goals in a game, and the most by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin in 1985.
McDermott's 44 points were the most nationally by any sophomore since Akron's Derrick Tarver had 44 points vs. Wright State on Dec. 30, 2003.
Only four sophomores in MVC history have ever scored more points in a league contest than McDermott's 44 points. Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) had two 50-point games, while other players to do it once each were Indiana State's John S. Williams (47), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (46) and Indiana State's Larry Bird (45).
Rebounding Ruler
Doug McDermott enters Tuesday ranked second in the MVC with 8.3 rebounds per game, just 0.9 behind Illinois State's Jackie Carmichael. The only Creighton player to ever lead the MVC in rebounds per game was Bob Harstad (9.4) in 1988-89.
No Bluejay has averaged more than 7.4 rebounds per game since 1993-94, when Nate King averaged 9.0 rebounds per game.
This year's Creighton team is outrebounding foes by 5.4 caroms per contest, the first time since 1998-99 (+5.8) it's had a rebound margin of better than 4.0 per game.
The Avengers
Twelve different programs combined to hand Creighton its 16 losses last season. While the Jays are not scheduled to face Iowa State, BYU, Oregon or Akron this year, they've done rather well against the other eight teams to beat them a year ago.
Against those eight teams (Northwestern, Nebraska, Missouri State, Wichita State, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Bradley, Drake), Creighton is 10-3 so far this season after going a combined 5-11 last year vs. those same foes.
Long Beach State Visits For BracketBusters
Creighton will host Long Beach State on Feb. 18 in a 9 pm start as part of the 10th Annual Sears BracketBusters series. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Creighton is 3-1 all-time against Long Beach, though the teams have not met since 1973.
Creighton is 6-3 all-time in BracketBuster games, including a 4-2 mark in televised games.
Passing 500 Points, Again
Doug McDermott enters Tuesday with 595 points, passing the 500 point milestone for a second straight season. Last year he set an MVC freshman record with 581 points.
McDermott is just the third player in MVC history with 500 or more points as both a freshman and sophomore, joining Mitchell Anderson (Bradley) and John S. Williams (Indiana State). McDermott is the first player in Valley history with 550 points or more as both as freshman and sophomore.
In Creighton history, the only other players with multiple seasons of 500 or more points are Paul Silas (3), Bob Harstad (3), Rodney Buford (3), Rick Apke (2), Bob Portman (2), Chad Gallagher (2) and Nate Funk (2).
Winning The Close Ones
Creighton's 66-65 win on Jan. 18th helps show the difference between this year's team and last year's squad.
Last year in Springfield, Creighton led nearly the entire game before giving up a lay-up in the final 15 seconds to lose, 67-66.
This year in Springfield, Creighton got a pair of defensive stops in the final 10 seconds to earn a 66-65 victory.
This year's club is 3-1 in games decided by three points or less, while last year's team was just 1-6 in such situations.
Near The Top Of His Class
Sophomore Doug McDermott owns 1,176 career points in his young career. According to research by Creighton Sports Information's office, that leads all active sophomores through games of Feb. 13th.
Most Career Points, Sophomores (through 2/13)
Source: Creighton Sports Information
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next
1. 1,176 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/14
2. 1,035 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 2/14
3. 1,018 Harrison Barnes, North Carolina 2/15
4. 887 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 2/18
5. 875 Trey Ziegler, Central Michigan 2/14
Really Dynamic Duo
It's hard to fathom, but two of the best sophomores nationally were high school teammates at Ames (Iowa) High School two years ago.
Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina phenom Harrison Barnes won a pair of state titles for a Ames High School team that posted undefeated campaigns in both 2008-09 (26-0) and 2009-10 (27-0) to become Iowa's first 4A team to repeat as undefeated state champs.
Both McDermott and Barnes are expected to receive consideration for first-team All-America status from the Associated Press. In the history of the AP All-America teams (which began in 1947-48), the only high school teammates to be named first-team All-America in the same season are former Columbus (Ohio) East High School products Dwight “Bo” Lamar (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Ed Ratleff (Long Beach State) in 1971-72.
Here's a look at the two sophomores and how they've performed in college (through 2/13):
Name McDermott Barnes
Games Played 65 62
Points 1,176 1,018
PPG 18.1 16.4
Rebounds 496 340
RPG 7.6 5.5
FG-FGA 454-805 363-825
FG% .564 .440
3FG-3FGA 90-203 98-268
3FG% .443 .366
FT-FTA 178-226 192-260
FT% .788 .738
Shades of 2003?
Creighton's 21-5 start is reminding some fans of the program's 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5 and spent most of the season in the national rankings.
Here's how the 2011-12 club compares to the 2002-03 team through 26 games, as well as how standout forwards Doug McDermott and Kyle Korver compare at that point in the year:
Stat 2011-12 2002-03
W-L Record 21-5 23-3
Home W-L 12-2 15-0
Road W-L 8-3 6-3
FG 726-1440 773-1502
FG Pct. .504 .515
3FG 216-507 223-551
3FG Pct. .426 .405
FT 400-547 361-524
FT Pct. .731 .689
Reb. Margin +5.4 +1.9
Assists 476 460
Turnovers 327 356
Points 2068 2130
Points/Game 79.5 81.9
Stat McDermott Korver
Points 595 464
Points/Game 22.9 17.8
Rebounds 216 155
Rebounds/Game 8.3 6.0
FG Pct. .606 .485
3FG-FGA 43-87 98-205
3FG Pct. .494 .478
FT Pct. .840 .899
Assists 30 77
Turnovers 58 49
Forty Win Dash
Greg McDermott won his 40th game on the Bluejay sideline on Jan. 18th at Missouri State, with the milestone coming in his 58th game at Creighton.
He became the first coach to reach 40 wins with a record of .500 or better since Tom Apke was 40-14 when he reached the mark in 1976.
Among some of his predecessors to reach 40 wins, McDermott reached the milestone quicker than notable names like Dana Altman (91 games), Tony Barone (95), Willis Reed (95), Eddie Sutton (68) and Red McManus (72).
Chasing History
Doug McDermott leads the MVC in scoring (22.9 ppg.) and in three-point percentage (.494) and is second in rebounding (8.3 rpg.) and field goal percentage (.606).
The last player to lead the MVC in scoring and rebounding in the same season is Southern Illinois legend Ashraf Amaya in 1991-92.
No player has ever led the MVC in field goal percentage and three-point percentage in the same season.
Taking Advantage of Charity
Gregory Echenique began the season 7-of-25 at the free-throw line, a dreadful 36 percent. Since then, however, he's 60-for-76 from the line, good for 78.9 percent. In league play, he's up to 52-for-64, 81.3 percent.
Since December 1st Echenique is 25-of-28 on the road from the charity stripe.
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 17 seasons, including this season.
Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 17 Years
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2011-12 18-2 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2010-11 13-7 23-16 CBI
2009-10 10-10 18-16 CIT
2008-09 15-5 27-8 NIT
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
Shooting Stars
Creighton continues to lead the country in field goal percentage, making an incredible 50.4 percent from the field.
The Bluejays have shot 55 percent or better 10 times overall this season.
In Creighton's last 32 games dating to late last season, it has shot 40 percent or better in all but one game.
Creighton, which is also third in the country in three-point percentage, is seeking to join Northern Arizona (in 1998-99) as the only teams in NCAA history to lead the nation in three-point percentage and field goal percentage in the same season.
Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 32 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
Creighton's 32 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, with Wichita State next closest at six.
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, Creighton is 8-1 at the midway mark for the first time since 2002-03.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2011-12 8-1 3-3 so far
2010-11 5-4 5-4
2009-10 5-4 5-4
2008-09 5-4 9-0
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
Total 99-54 (.647) 100-49 (.671)
Upping The Antoine
Senior point guard Antoine Young continues to ascend up a few Creighton charts.
He's up to 23rd on Creighton's all-time scoring chart, and his 463 assists rank third-most in Bluejay annals.
Young joins Ryan Sears as the only Bluejays in history with at least 1,000 points and 425 career assists.
Most Career Points
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
2. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
4. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
6. 1,754 Nate Funk 2002-07
7. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
8. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
9. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
10. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
11. 1,526 John C. Johnson 1975-79
12. 1,500 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
13. 1,437 Eddie Cole 1951-55
14. 1,369 Gene Harmon 1971-74
15. 1,361 Duan Cole 1987-92
16. 1,313 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
17. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
18. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
19. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
20. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
21. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
22. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
23. 1,214 Antoine Young 2008-Present
24. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
25. 1,176 Doug McDermott 2010-Present
26. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
27. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
28. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
29. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
31. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
32. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
33. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
34. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
35. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
36. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
463 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
Jays Win 10 Home Games, Again
With a Jan. 21 win vs. Indiana State, Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 16 straight seasons.
The current streak extends a school-record, four more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.
Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton was 11-1 in the MVC after the 12th game of the league slate.
This is the 17th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 16 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2011-12 11-1 0-3 so far
2010-11 6-6 4-2
2009-10 7-5 3-3
2008-09 8-4 6-0
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
Total 136-68 (.667) 63-36 (.636)
McManus To The Hall
Former Creighton men's basketball coach John J. “Red” McManus will be inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame on April 19th.
McManus went 138-118 as head coach of Creighton from 1959-69, and mentored All-Americans Paul Silas and Bob Portman, among others. He remains close to the program to this day and regularly attends home games and the State Farm MVC Tournament.
Also joining the Hall of Fame will be Lyell Bremser, Al Caniglia, Tom Jaworski, Kelly Lindsay, Erick Strickland and the 1982 Omaha Westside football team.
Midseason Honors
Doug McDermott was named Midseason National Player of the Year by four of the most prominent college basketball experts nationwide. He earned the nod from Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, as well as from ESPN experts Jay Bilas, Len Elmore and Doug Gottlieb.
Chairman of the Board
Creighton center Gregory Echenique has 10 or more rebounds in six of Creighton's last 12 games, and averaged 9.0 boards in that span.
Creighton is 10-1 all-time when Echenique collects 10 or more rebounds and 10-1 when he scores 15 or more points.
Creighton is also 12-3 this season and 22-9 in his career when he blocks two shots or more.
A Sprint to 1,000 Points
Doug McDermott needed just 57 career games to surpass 1,000 career points, doing so in a Jan. 15th win vs. Southern Illinois. He's the second Creighton player this season to surpass the milestone, as Antoine Young reached that feat on Dec. 10 at Saint Joseph's.
Young & McDermott are the first Bluejay teammates to go over 1,000 in the same season since Ryan Sears & Ben Walker in the Jays' 2000-01 campaign.
While it's unknown how many games it's taken every player in school history to get to 1,000 points, it is known that Paul Silas needed 47 games to reach 1,000.
Before McDermott, the only previous players in Creighton history to score 1,000 points or more in their first two seasons were Bob Portman (1,195), Paul Silas (1,124), Rod Mason (1,023) and Rodney Buford (1,010).
Here's a look at how many games it took Creighton's last 12 players to reach 1,000 career points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 12 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Double-Digit Deficits, No Problem
Creighton overcame an early 31-20 deficit to beat Northern Iowa on Jan. 10th, the third time this year it's won a game after previously trailing by double-digits. Creighton also won true road games after trailing by 17 at San Diego State and by 12 at Wichita State.
Creighton has fallen behind by 10 points or more 34 times in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that . Incredibly, Creighton has rallied to win 20 of those contests.
Overcoming Double-Digit Deficits at CLCO
Date Opponent Deficit Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/11/10 Saint Joseph's 12 W 82-75
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/10/12 Northern Iowa 11 W 63-60
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
02/03/10 Evansville 10 W 84-71
Gibbs Earns Newcomer Honor, Again
Grant Gibbs was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third time this season on Jan. 15, and second straight week.
Gibbs helped Creighton to an unbeaten week, scoring in double-figures in all three games. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
His week was highlighted by his first career double-double, as he had 10 assists and tied a career-best with 12 points in a win at Illinois State on Jan. 13th.
Jays Duo Earn MVC Weekly Awards
Doug McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season on Jan. 9th after a week that saw him average 34.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in two wins.
McDermott had 24 points on his 20th birthday on Jan. 3 in a win vs. Drake. He then had a career-high 44 points in a victory at Bradley, making 18-of-23 shots from the floor in a nine-point win. His 44 points are sixth-most in CU history, the most in the nation this year, and the most nationwide by any sophomore since 2003.
McDermott also earned the National Jesuit Basketball Spotlight Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
In addition, Grant Gibbs was also named MVC Newcomer of the Week. Gibbs averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds a week ago. He began his week with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 17-point win over Drake. He then had nine points, six assists and two rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 7th.
Healthy Half
As a team, Creighton made its first 11 field goals to start the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th, not missing until a Grant Gibbs three-point try went awry at the 10:44 mark.
For the game, Creighton shot 61.1 percent, its best mark on the road since shooting 61.9 percent at Wichita State on Feb. 16, 2005.
Earlier this season Creighton made its first 13 field goal attempts of the game in a win vs. Campbell.
Another Arena Record Falls
On Dec. 19, Doug McDermott's 35 points at Tulsa tied a Reynolds Center record for an opponent at the 13-year old facility. On Jan. 7th McDermott claimed another house record, as his 44 points were a Carver Arena mark for an opponent in the 30-year old building.
In fact only two players have ever scored more against Bradley than McDermott's 44…Detroit's Archie Tullos (49) in 1988 and Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (46) in 1960. McDermott's 44 points were the most in Peoria by a Bradley opponent since The Big O, and the most ever in a win over Bradley.
Speaking of arena records, Creighton's 28 assists (on 33 baskets) were the most by a Bradley opponent at Carver Arena. An incredible 17 of McDermott's 18 field goals were assisted, as four different players (Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Antoine Young, Josh Jones) had three or more assists to McDermott alone.
Of McDermott's 18 baskets, he used the backboard in 11 of them and used his left hand for five hoops.
Bringing The Heat
Creighton scored 102 points on Feb. 1st in a 102-74 victory over Illinois State. The Jays have now won 52 straight games when scoring 90 or more points, a streak that dates all the way to January of 1988.
Fresh 15
Doug McDermott has scored 15 or more points in 11 different halves this season, including 31 in the second half at Bradley on Jan. 9th. The Bluejays have gone on to win each contest in which he's scored 15 or more in any half.
Below is the most points in any half by a Bluejay individual this year:
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
31 Doug McDermott, Bradley, 1/7 2nd
19 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/3 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Campbell, 11/25 1st
18 Doug McDermott, Northwestern, 12/22 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Nebraska, 12/4 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Iowa, 11/20 1st
17 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/25 2nd
17 Doug McDermott, Illinois State, 2/1 1st
16 Doug McDermott, Tulsa, 12/19 2nd
15 Doug McDermott, Houston Baptist, 12/17 1st
Pick Your Poison
Creighton is third in the nation from beyond the arc, hitting 42.6 percent of its shots from three-point range.
In the team's 11 games decided by single-digits, CU locks in to the tune of 43.7 percent (87-of-199) from deep.
The Bluejays have been remarkably consistent, making 40 percent or better from three-point range in 20-of-26 games to date. By comparison, CU made 40 percent or better from deep in just 15-of-39 contests a year ago.
Not Half Bad
Creighton trailed by 39-31 at halftime on Dec. 31 before outscoring Wichita State 37-22 in the second half and pull out a seven-point road win.
Under second-year head coach Greg McDermott, the Bluejays are 36-1 when outscoring their foe after halftime.
Young Follows His Elders
Senior point guard Antoine Young is one of three players in Creighton history with more than 1,000 points and 400 career assists. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his point guard predecessors:
Name Young Dotzler McKinney Sears
Games 133 117 110 124
Starts 98 96 97 124
Points 1,214 422 570 1,311
PPG 9.1 3.6 5.2 10.6
Assists 463 388 430 570
APG 3.5 3.3 3.9 4.6
Turnovers 209 200 188 252
A/TO Ratio 2.22 1.94 2.29 2.03
Steals 95 196 119 283
SPG 0.71 1.68 1.08 2.29
Min./Game 26.5 23.0 26.5 33.7
Passing Fancy
Grant Gibbs had 10 assists at Tulsa on Dec. 19, then added 12 helpers vs. Northwestern three days later. In the win over Northwestern, Gibbs' 12 assists led to 32 points by his Creighton teammates.
His 12 assists were a CenturyLink Center Omaha single-game record, rank tied for sixth-most in a game in Creighton history for all venues, and most since Tyler McKinney also had 12 on Dec. 21, 2002.
Gibbs became the first Bluejay with consecutive games of 10 or more assists since Duan Cole did it on Jan. 27 & 30, 1990.
Sophomore Snipers
Three sophomores on the 2011-12 Creighton basketball team rank among the most nine most accurate shooters in school history in three-point field goal percentage.
Doug McDermott is third on that list at 44.3 percent for his career, just behind MVC Players of the Year Booker Woodfox (45.5%) and Kyle Korver (45.3%) on Creighton's all-time chart. Ethan Wragge is ninth on the list at 42.4 percent, while Jahenns Manigat (42.8 percent) is in eighth place.
For the season, Creighton's freshmen are shooting 25-of-53 (47.2 percent) from three-point land, while the sophomore class is a collective 134-290 (46.2 percent) from downtown.
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage, Career
(min. 100 attempts)
Rk. 3% Name 3FG-3FGA Years
1. .455 Booker Woodfox 147-323 2007-09
2. .453 Kyle Korver 371-819 1999-03
3. .443 Doug McDermott 90-203 2010-Pres.
4. .441 Rod Mason 132-299 1986-88
5. .440 Nerijus Karlikanovas 48-109 1998-00
6. .431 Michael Lindeman 62-144 2000-04
7. .430 Duan Cole 176-410 1987-92
8. .428 Jahenns Manigat 86-201 2010-Pres.
9. .424 Ethan Wragge 128-302 2009-Pres.
10. .407 Nate Funk 200-492 2002-07
Triple Threats
Creighton has five current players who have made 70 or more career three-pointers. Four of the five men are shooting 36.7 percent or better from downtown. Here's a look at that quintet.
Creighton's Active 3FG Leaders
3FG-FGA Name Pct.
128-302 Ethan Wragge .424
90-203 Doug McDermott .443
86-201 Jahenns Manigat .428
82-225 Josh Jones .364
72-242 Antoine Young .298
Jones'ing For MVC Play
Josh Jones opened MVC play with 11 points off the bench on Dec. 28 vs. Missouri State, making 3-of-4 three-point shots. Jones then pumped in eight points in the second half of Creighton's win at Wichita State.
Picking up his production for Valley games is nothing new for the junior from Omaha Central. In his career, he's shot 12-of-55 (21.8 percent) from three-point range prior to MVC play, a figure that improves drastically to 50-of-122 (41.0 percent) in league action.
Weekly Honors Roll In
Grant Gibbs and Doug McDermott were both honored on Dec. 26th by the MVC for their work in wins vs. Tulsa and Northwestern.
Gibbs was named MVC Newcomer of the Week after averaging 11.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 points per game. With 10 assists at Tulsa and 12 assists vs. Northwestern, he became the first Bluejay since 1990 with consecutive games of 10 or more assists.
McDermott was named MVC Player of the Week after averaging 31.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He scored a career-high 35 points in the win at Tulsa and scored 27 points in 28 minutes vs. Northwestern.
McDermott also earned National Player of the Week accolades from the USBWA, Dick Vitale, and Andy Katz of ESPN.com for his performance.
Filling It Up
Through games of Feb. 12th, Doug McDermott was leading the nation with 234 field goals made this season. By comparison, no other player in the MVC has more than 157 buckets (Kyle Weems), and next closest nationally was West Virginia's Kevin Jones and Sacred Heart's Shane Gibson with 214.
McDermott averages 9.0 field goals per game. No other player in the country averages more than nine field goals per game this season.
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owns 595 points through 26 games, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranks him third nationally in scoring (through Feb. 12th).
McDermott's 22.9 points per game would rank fourth-most in CU single-season history and would be the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), is the only Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott's 22.9 points per game would make him the first MVC player over 20 points per game since Illinois State's Tarise Bryson (2000-01) and the most by a MVC player since Bradley's Curtis Stuckey (25.1 ppg.) in 1990-91. Bryson is the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay has averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad's 22.2 average in 1989-90.
Basketball Royalty
Creighton is the only team in the nation with three non-conference wins vs. the Big Ten this season.
This is the first time that Creighton has defeated three Big Ten teams in the same season in program history.
In three games against Big Ten competition this year, Doug McDermott averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds while shooting 29-44 from the floor (65.9 percent) and 7-of-11 from downtown (63.6 percent).
B1G Ten, Big Time
Creighton went 3-0 against the Big Ten this winter, including home wins vs. both Northwestern and Nebraska. This is the first year Creighton has hosted two games against Big Ten competition in the same season since 1936-37.
Unbelievably, Creighton had hosted just one Big Ten team since 1973 (Iowa in 1999) before this year's slate.
Doug vs. Others After 65 Games
Doug McDermott has started all 65 games of his career and enters Tuesday's contest with 1,176 career points (18.1 ppg.) and 496 career rebounds (7.6 rpg.).
By comparison, Creighton's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, had 1,138 career points after 65 games. However, Buford had “just” 943 points after 26th game of his sophomore season (17.1 ppg.).
McDermott also compares favorably to legendary big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher at this point. Harstad finished his career ranked second in CU history with 2,110 career points and 1,126 rebounds, while Gallagher is third with 1,983 points and fifth with 891 rebounds.
Through 65 Career Games
Name Points Rebounds
Doug McDermott 1,176 496
Rodney Buford 1,138 333
Chad Gallagher 880 388
Bob Harstad 829 581
Kyle Korver 759 287
Big Road Win
Creighton's 83-64 win at Tulsa on Dec. 19 was the Golden Hurricane's largest defeat at home since falling to No. 3 Memphis by 23 points in the 2005-06 campaign.
It was Creighton's largest victory margin in a true road contest since an 82-60 win at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, 2009 and biggest in a non-conference true road game since beating Drexel 72-48 on Dec. 1, 2007.
Triple-Double Threat?
Creighton has never had a player with a traditional point-rebound-assist triple-double, but Grant Gibbs is getting closer.
The junior guard had nine points, seven rebounds and 10 assists on Dec. 19 at Tulsa. He also had 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 13 at Illinois State.
Gibbs is the first player since James Farr in 1988-89 to have single-game highs of 10 or more points, 10 or more assists and nine or more rebounds in the same season.
Creighton owns three triple-doubles in school history, all by Benoit Benjamin in 1985. All three were of the point-rebound-blocked shot variety.
Four-Point Play For Wragge
Ethan Wragge delivered Creighton's first four-point play of the season when his clutch four-point play gave the Jays a 65-58 lead with 6:49 left vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22nd.
Creighton's only four-point play a year ago came from Kaleb Korver, who did it on Nov. 14 vs. Northern Arizona.
All I Wanted For Christmas Is 10 Wins
Creighton got to the Christmas break with a 10-1 record. In 94 seasons of basketball, this was just the third campaign that the Jays reached 10 wins before Christmas.
The Jays were 10-1 in 1963-64 and 10-2 in 2008-09 heading into Christmas.
The Godfather Strikes Again
Ross Ferrarini earned the CenturyLink Center Omaha crowd free Godfather's Pizza with a three-pointer in the waning seconds against Indiana State on Jan. 21st.
It's the second time in his 17 career home games that he's scored the 75th point. Last year he hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to close CU's scoring in a 75-59 home win over Illinois State win, one reason his teammates have dubbed him “The Godfather”.
Creighton has scored enough points for pizza (75 since 2006-07; 70 from 2003-06) in 83 of 150 all-time games at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Only 10 men have scored the 'pizza point' more than Ferrarini's two occasions, a list led by Johnny Mathies. Mathies did it 10 times.
Most Times Scoring Pizza Point, 2003-Present
Times Name Years
10 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
8 Cavel Witter 2007-10
5 Antoine Young 2008-Pres.
4 Kellen Miliner 2003-05
4 Nate Funk 2003-07
4 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
4 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
4 Josh Jones 2009-Pres.
3 Kenton Walker 2007-09
3 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
2 Isacc Miles 2004-05
2 Nick Porter 2005-07
2 Dustin Sitzmann 2005-09
2 Josh Dotzler 2005-09
2 Nick Bahe 2006-08
2 Kaleb Korver 2007-11
2 Casey Harriman 2007-11
2 Ethan Wragge 2009-Pres.
2 Ross Ferrarini 2010-Pres.
2 Will Artino 2011-Pres.
2 Doug McDermott 2010-Pres.
2 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
Man of Steal
Senior guard Antoine Young had a career-high five steals on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, the most in a game by a CU player since Cavel Witter had five vs. Fresno State on Dec. 22, 2008.
Young owns 95 career steals, almost as many as his next two active teammates (Josh Jones 52; Jahenns Manigat 48) combined.
Big Man's Game
Junior center Gregory Echenique had his best statistical day as a Bluejay in a Dec. 17 victory over Houston Baptist. Echenique had a double-double in the first half (13 points, 12 rebounds) before finishing with season-highs of 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.
It was his second double-double as a Bluejay, as he had 12 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 13, 2011.
Echenique's five swats were his most since he had a career-high seven rejections at Missouri State on Jan. 22, 2011.
Creighton is now 10-1 in his career when he scores 15 points or more.
Echenique picked up two fouls in two minutes of first half action at Tulsa on Dec. 19 and was forced to the bench. He started the second half with a personal 9-0 run in the first three minutes as Creighton turned a 42-34 halftime lead into a 51-34 rout.
Fountains of Doug
Doug McDermott owns 20 or more points 18 times this season and 21 of his last 32 games overall dating to last year.
McDermott owns two different stretches where he's scored 25 points or more in four straight games this year. He did it from Nov. 16-30 earlier this year, as well as Dec. 10-22. The last Bluejay with five consecutive games of 25 or more was Benoit Benjamin, who did it in five straight games (Jan. 17-Feb. 2, 1985), a span in which he had 43, 45, 31, 26 and 29 points.
McDermott, who owns 12 different games of 25 points or more this season, is the first Bluejay with 10 different games of 25 or more points in the same year since Bob Harstad had 15 games like that in 1989-90.
How To Stop Him?
Leave it to Doug McDermott's father/coach and his roommate to explain the task of trying to slow him down.
"He's difficult to stop in that he scores a lot of different ways," his coach and father Greg McDermott said. "It's not just on the block, it's not just from the 3-point line, he can slash and score as well. In a lot of his post-up opportunities, the ball is gone before you can even think about double-teaming him. He's difficult to guard because of his versatility, and he has a lot of people scratching their heads trying to stop him. And the good news for us is that he's doing it within the framework of our offense and he's not taken bad shots."
"Doug's ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor is what amazes me," guard Jahenns Manigat said. "He has amazing hands and he finishes well. And when he steps back and knocks down a 3, that's when you can see the full extent of his game.”
Don't Take Our Word For It
Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik was similarly impressed after Doug McDermott scored a career-high 35 on Dec. 19. Here's an excerpt of Wojcik's post-game opening statement:
“I tell you what, that was one impressive performance by Doug McDermott. I thought the guy single-handedly broke the spirit of my team. In particular, my three seniors and sophomore post players. He was terrific...My goodness, it really surprised us how good McDermott was, particularly in the post against size, how good his strength is, how good his stamina is, how good his feet are, and how good of hands he has. He was very impressive to me, tonight.”
Dish Network
Grant Gibbs turned in an unusual stat line in a Dec. 19 victory over Houston Baptist. The junior guard had career-highs with eight assists and four steals, but did not attempt a shot from the field in 19 minutes of play.
He's the only Bluejay in more than 25 years to have eight or more assists in a game in which he did not attempt a field goal.
Gibbs continued to play the role of distributor on Dec. 19 at Tulsa, dishing a career-high 10 assists.
One game later vs. Northwestern on Dec. 22, Gibbs had 12 assists and eight rebounds, but was 0-for-2 from the field.
Gibbs' 5.7 assists per game average makes him the first Bluejay to average more than 5.5 helpers per game since Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per game in 1976-77.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has also won 52 straight games (at all sites) when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 18 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Minute Man's Many Minutes
Antoine Young has played 1,814 minutes in his 70 career games at CenturyLink Century Omaha, the most minutes played in facility history. Young's 260 assists in the building are also a facility record.
Ball Control Offense
Creighton ranked sixth nationally with a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio through games of February 12th, and a big portion of that is due to its starting backcourt.
Creighton's starting guard trio of Antoine Young (114 A, 45 TO), Jahenns Manigat (38/23) and Grant Gibbs (147/62) have combined for 299 assists and 130 turnovers, good for a collective 2.30 assist/turnover ratio.
Reserve guards Avery Dingman (5/7), Josh Jones (47/25), Austin Chatman (49/32) and Taylor Stormberg (4/0) have combined for 105 assists against just 64 turnovers.
McDermott's 20/10 Vision
Earlier this season Doug McDermott became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Nate King had four in a row during the 1993-94 campaign.
No Bluejay has owned five straight double-doubles since Benoit Benjamin had 28 in a row in the 1984-85 campaign.
2,000,000 Fan March
Creighton has attracted 2,178,400 fans all-time in 151 games held at CenturyLink Center Omaha, good for an average of 14,426.
Creighton's 1,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha was honored on Jan. 19, 2008, in CU's 74th game at the facility. That fan, Jared Stickrod, was then a 10-year old from Omaha who received numerous prizes, including an autographed basketball and season tickets for the 2008-09 campaign.
In Creighton's home game on Dec. 4 vs. Nebraska, Creighton honored Omaha native Sam King as the 2,000,000th fan at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Among his prize package is four season tickets for 2012-13.
Call It A Comeback
Creighton trailed 31-14 early on at San Diego State on Nov. 30 before pulling off a comeback for the ages.
Below is a list of Creighton's 10 comebacks from down 15 points or more since 2000. Notably, Creighton's comeback at SDSU was CU's largest away from home in that time.
Overcoming Large Deficits, Last 10 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
11/30/11 at San Diego State 17 W 85-83
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
Bahamas Boost
Creighton got a head start to the 2011-12 season thanks to a four-game exhibition tour of the Bahamas in mid-August. The trip, which included CU's four scholarship freshmen, also included 10 valuable practices in the off-season.
Creighton won all four games on its tour by double-digits, outscoring foes by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Doug McDermott led the Jays in scoring (24.3 ppg.), Will Artino led the team in rebounding (11.0 rpg.), Geoff Groselle topped the squad with 10 blocked shots, and Austin Chatman had a team-best 30 assists.
Each of Creighton's last three teams to take a foreign trip have started the season strong. The 2007-08 and 2003-04 teams both went to Vancouver, with CU's 2007-08 team starting the regular-season 5-0, and the '03-04 squad opening 12-0. The Jays also toured Europe in the spring of 1998, with CU opening 6-0 to begin the 1998-99 campaign.
This year's team, which went to the Bahamas in August, started 7-0.
Red Hot Night
Creighton scorched the CenturyLink Center Omaha nets on Nov. 25th in its 104-81 win vs. Campbell.
The Jays made their first 13 field goal attempts from the floor during a dizzying display that included four three-pointers and two other traditional three-point plays. The scoring frenzy helped CU to a 32-14 lead after nine minutes and well on their way to another double-digit win.
For the evening, Creighton shot a school-record 70.4 percent on the night, the ninth-best mark in MVC history. Creighton's previous best shooting night came on Feb. 3, 2010, when CU made 66.7 percent (28-of-42) to beat Evansville.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has three players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season includes junior Grant Gibbs (Marion), sophomore Doug McDermott (Ames) and redshirt freshman Will Artino (Waukee).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 576 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Super Seven
Creighton's win vs. Nebraska on Dec. 4th was the Jays seventh straight this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 16 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Nearly A Point A Minute
A year ago at this time, Doug McDermott was still sneaking up on people as a baby-faced freshman. But after a record-setting freshman year and preseason acclaim on the Wooden and Naismith Award lists this fall, he's become priority number one on the opponent's scouting reports.
Despite the extra attention paid to him, he's scored almost a point per minute in 31 games in a Bluejay uniform this season. If you include four exhibition games in the Bahamas (97 points, 84 minutes), an exhibition win over Rockhurst (19 points, 22 minutes) and 26 regular-season contests (595 points, 818 minutes), he's scored 711 points in 924 minutes.
According to stats through Feb. 12th on bbstate.com, McDermott's 29.1 points per 40 minutes led the country, just behind nation-leading Damian Lillard's (Weber State) 29.2 per 40 minutes.
Productive Night
Doug McDermott had 25 points in just 18 minutes of work on Dec. 19 vs. Houston Baptist.
He became just the second Bluejay since 1985 to score 20 or more points in a game in which he played fewer than 20 minutes.
Ethan Wragge, McDermott's sophomore teammate, has done it twice. He did it against Xavier on Nov. 27, 2009 (21 points, 17 minutes) and also against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11, 2010 (22 points, 18 minutes).
Before Wragge had done it, no Bluejay had scored 20 or more points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
McDermott On Preseason Lists
Sophomore forward Doug McDermott is one of 50 players nationwide named to the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, as well as the Naismith preseason watch list. He was the only MVC player honored on either list.
McDermott is the first player from Creighton named to a Wooden Award list since the spring of 2003, when Kyle Korver was one of 22 finalists for the award. However, Korver never received preseason acclaim in his career from the Wooden Award voters.
McDermott is Creighton's first player on the preseason Naismith list since Nate Funk prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
All-Around Doug
Doug McDermott finished his remarkable freshman season with 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-point baskets last year.
According to research by STATS Inc., the last two freshmen to attain 525 points, 270 rebounds and 40 three-pointers in a season were über-freshmen Kevin Durant (Texas) in 2006-07 and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) in 2002-03.
The previous two men before them to do so, Quentin Richardson (1998-99 at DePaul) and Eddie Griffin (2000-01 at Seton Hall), like Durant and Anthony, were also named the National Freshman of the Year.
Below is the list, compiled by STATS Inc., of all 15 Division I players since 1996-97 to have McDermott's levels of at least 581 points, 280 rebounds and 47 three-pointers in one season:
581+ Pts., 280+ Reb., 47+ 3FG Since 1996-97
Source: STATS Inc. & Creighton Sports Info
Name, School Year 3FG Reb. Pts.
Kevin Durant, Texas 2006-07 82 390 903
Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 2002-03 56 349 778
Shane Battier, Duke 2000-01 124 285 778
Kyle Singler, Duke 2009-10 85 280 707
Keith Van Horn, Utah 1996-97 58 303 705
Ryan Anderson, Cal 2007-08 64 328 697
Matt Harpring, Ga. Tech 1997-98 52 302 691
Rasual Butler, LaSalle 2001-02 57 283 670
Brian Heinle, CS-Northridge 2000-01 52 293 646
Jamine Peterson, Providence 2009-10 51 315 609
James Posey, Xavier 1998-99 48 322 609
Kyle Singler, Duke 2008-09 69 284 609
Matt Howard, Butler 2010-11 53 285 608
Romain Sato, Xavier 2003-04 75 297 603
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11 47 280 581
Freshmen listed in bold italic
Father/Son Duo
Doug McDermott is the only player in Creighton men's basketball history to play for his father, head coach Greg McDermott. The previous closest relationship between a player/coach had been when Rick Apke (1974-78) played for his older brother, head coach Tom Apke (1974-81).
Other known father/son player/head coach duos this winter include Ray/Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit), Jim/Tyler Les (UC Davis), Ernie/Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan), Louis/Chauncey Orr (Bowling Green), Dave/Jordan Boots (South Dakota) and Jim/Billy Molinari (Western Illinois).
Tournament Champs
Creighton went 4-0 to win the Dale Howard Classic, its fourth-ever tournament title in a regular-season event. The Jays also claimed titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004 and the Las Vegas Classic crown in 2008.
Creighton has also won a record 10 MVC Tournament titles.
Passing Fancy
In the first eight years of CenturyLink Center Omaha, the single-game assist record was 28. Through 13 home games this season, the Jays have reached or surpassed that mark three times, including a facility-record 30 on Nov. 25 vs. Campbell.
Overall, the Jays have now assisted on 476-of-726 of its field goals this season (65.6 percent).
Last season Creighton's top passing output was 25 assists in a win over Kennesaw State, and the Jays dished on 60.7 percent of its field goals for the season.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches, SID's and media. The Bluejays earned 29-of-40 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Wichita State was second with 350 points and seven first-place votes, while Indiana State was third with 331 points and got four first-place votes.
Northern Iowa (245) and Evansville (234) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was defending regular-season champ Missouri State (216), where it was followed by Drake (159), Illinois State (111), Southern Illinois (90) and Bradley (75).
Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Missouri State's Kyle Weems, Indiana State's Jake Odum and Evansville's Colt Ryan. Weems was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year.
Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 14 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, and last year's club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 14 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
Postseason x 14
Creighton has made the postseason in 14 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only nine schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Besides a trip to the Bahamas, two Creighton players stayed busy competing internationally this summer.
Doug McDermott played for Team USA at the U19 World Championships, which were held in Riga, Latvia. McDermott started every game for coach Paul Hewitt's team and was third on the club in both points (11.3) and rebounds (6.1) per game, while topping the squad with 13 three-point baskets. Despite a 7-2 record and wins over the eventual gold and silver medalist teams, his team finished fifth overall after being upset by Russia in the quarterfinal round.
Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez. In head-to-head battles against NBA veterans such as Luis Scola (Argentina), Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Joel Anthony (Canada) and Andres Nocioni (Argentina), Echenique averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in eight games while helping Venezuela to fifth place at the FIBA Americas Tournament in Argentina. Venezuela's success means it will host a 12-team Olympic qualifier next July, of which the top three teams will make the 2012 Olympics in London.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 151 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in nine seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 128-23 (.848) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday or Friday.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,257-9,544 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.3 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 36 different times, including seven times this season.
Silas To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Paul Silas will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 2, 2012, during a banquet at the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Silas played for Creighton from 1961-64 and averaged 20.5 points and 21.6 rebounds per game during his college career. He is one of five men in NCAA history to average a “20/20”, joining Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington.
He owns more rebounds than any NCAA player in the last 55 years, including 22 different games of 25 or more rebounds.
Silas played 16 seasons in the NBA and has won 390 additional contests as an NBA head coach with the Clippers, Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats organizations.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the previous 13 seasons, something it did again this year. Each of Creighton's last 12 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Big Margin
Creighton's 97-65 win on Nov. 11 vs. North Carolina A&T was its highest point total in a season-opener since the 2002-03 team opened with a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington. That team went on to be 29-5.
Seven of Creighton's 16 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last five teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 ? ?
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the seventh time in the nine-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2010-11 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2010-11 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.
Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 23-16 on the season, winning a program-record four postseason games before falling in the best-of-three championship series in the College Basketball Invitational. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for a tie for fourth place, the Jays 14th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
Individually, Doug McDermott was a first-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring and rebounding during a standout freshman season that also saw him sweep MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year accolades. Antoine Young was named second-team all-MVC, while both McDermott and Jahenns Manigat were named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team. In addition, Manigat was named to the MVC's All-Bench Team, and Gregory Echenique was selected to the MVC's All-Newcomer and All-Defensive Team.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 season went on sale on October 31st at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free).
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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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
