Men's Basketball Heads To State Farm MVC Tournament

2011-12 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #31 vs. TBA at State Farm MVC Tournament • Friday, March 2, 2012 • 6 p.m.
Drake Bulldogs/Bradley Braves winner vs. #25 Creighton Bluejays
        Scottrade Center (18,592) • St. Louis, Mo.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: FSN Midwest
Series Histories: Creighton leads Drake 91-58; Creighton leads Bradley 44-41
Last Meetings: CU beat DU 77-69 on 1/25/12; CU beat BU 73-59 on 1/28/12

Complete 2012 State Farm MVC Tournament Schedule of Games
Thursday, March 1 -- Session I (all games on Fox Sports Midwest)
Game 1 -- #8 Indiana State (17-13, 8-10) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (8-22, 5-13)    6:00 pm
Game 2 -- #7 Drake (16-14, 9-9) vs. #10 Bradley (7-24, 2-16)    8:30 pm
Friday, March 2 -- Session II (all games on Fox Sports Midwest)
Game 3 -- #1 Wichita State (26-4, 16-2) vs. Winner Game 1    12:00 pm
Game 4 -- #4 Illinois State (18-12, 9-9) vs. #5 Northern Iowa (19-12, 9-9)    2:30 pm
Friday, March 2 -- Session III (all games on Fox Sports Midwest)
Game 5 -- #2 Creighton (25-5, 14-4) vs. Winner Game 2    6:00 pm
Game 6 -- #3 Evansville (15-14, 9-9) vs. #6 Missouri State (16-15, 9-9)    8:30 pm
Saturday, March 3 -- Session IV (all games on Fox Sports Midwest)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4    1:30 pm
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6    4:00 pm
Sunday, March 4 -- Session V (game on CBS, Westwood One Radio and Sirius XM Radio)
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8    1:00 pm

This Week
Second-seeded Creighton (25-5, 14-4 MVC) begins its quest for a league-record 11th State Farm MVC Tournament title, beginning with a quarterfinal round match-up on Friday at 6 pm. The Bluejays will face the winner of Thursday's 8:30 pm play-in round game between Drake (16-14, 9-9) and Bradley (7-24, 2-16).
    Scottrade Center (18,592) in St. Louis, Mo. , will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2011-12 season. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.
    Creighton's quarterfinal game can also be heard in St. Louis on 101 ESPN FM (WXOS), with Harry Schroeder and Ryan Robertson on the call.
Television Broadcast Information
For the second time in the 22-year history of the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis, all games of the tournament will be televised in high-definition.
    Telecasts will be cleared on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The games can also be seen on DirecTV channel 671, Dish Network channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse channel 748.
    Sunday's final will air on CBS Sports for the seventh straight year.
    Mitch Holthus and Rich Zvosec will call Creighton's quarterfinal game, with Scott Warmann serving as host and Tom Ackerman as sideline reporter.
    Coordinates for the first eight games follow:
What: MVC Tournament (except final)
Clearances: Live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Fox College Sports (Pacific), DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 748.
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 16, Transponder K13
Band: Digital KU Band
Format: HD
Video Compression Ratio: 4:2:0
Parameters: -- 4:2:0    Data Rate: 40.461 MSPS
Downlink Freq.: 11960 MHz Vertical
Bandwidth: 36 MHz
Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms FEC: 3/4
Modulation: QPSK

Postgame Coordinates
The MVC, in conjunction with its television production company Niles Media Group and KETC (St. Louis), will provide satellite feeds for the post-game press conferences for the tournament.
    Coordinates and uplink windows for Creighton's quarterfinal round postgame is as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 16, Transponder K5, Slot A
Band: Digital KU Band
Format: SD
Video Compression Ratio: 4:2:2
Data Rate: 18.295
Bandwith: 18 Megahertz
Parameters -- FEC: 3/4 QPSK
Symbol Rate: 13.235
Downlink Frequency: 11791 MHz Vertical

Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament games will have live stats. Fans can go to http://mvc.statbroadcast.com. Links to Creighton games will also be posted on www.gocreighton.com.
    Creighton's MVC Tournament games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices at www.gocreightonstats.com.
    Updates are also provided on the athletic department's Twitter page (@gocreighton).

Video Webcast Information
The first eight games of the State Farm MVC Tournament will be video webcast nationwide on ESPN3.com, except in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.

Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament games will have free live stats. Visit mvc.statbroadcast.com for the exact links.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 25-5 on the season and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 14-4 mark.
    The Bluejays, who have been nationally ranked in at least one poll in 13 of the past 15 weeks, have won four straight since a season-high three-game losing streak.
    Sophomore forward Doug McDermott (23.1 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) leads the MVC and ranks third nationally in scoring. Named MVC Player of the Year on Tuesday, he's either first or second in three different MVC categories, including three-point percentage, scoring and rebounding.
    Also scoring in double-figures is the team's lone scholarship senior, Antoine Young (12.3 ppg., 4.5 apg.). Young was named second-team all-MVC, whlie center Gregory Echenique (9.5 ppg., 7.4 rpg., 1.6 bpg.) took home MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
    On the wings, Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs (6.9 ppg., 5.4 apg., 4.3 rpg.) ranks second in the MVC in assists, while Jahenns Manigat (6.8 ppg.) leads the league in three-point percentage at 48.2 percent.
    The Jays finished 14-2 at home, but have done their most impressive work on the road. Included in CU's 10-3 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) and the defending MVC Tournament champs (Indiana State). The Jays also won 82-59 over Iowa on a neutral floor in Des Moines.
    Through games of February 26th, Creighton ranked among the national leaders in most offensive categories, including first in field goal percentage (.508), second in three-point percentage (.428), third in assists per game (18.0), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.44) and in scoring offense (79.7) and seventh average home attendance (16,664).

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his second season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 48-21 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 328-216 in 18 seasons and is 197-152 in 11 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
    McDermott is 6-5 all-time in the MVC Tournament, including the 2004 title while at Northern Iowa. He is 1-1 in the play-in round, 3-2 in the quarterfinals, 1-2 in the semifinals and 1-0 in the championship game.

Last Game Recap
Creighton picked up its second straight one-point win, defeating Indiana State, 61-60, on Saturday. Doug McDermott had 22 points and Antoine Young had 21 points for CU, which closed the game on a 7-2 run after falling behind by four with three minutes to play. Myles Walker topped ISU with 15 points and nine rebounds.

MVC Tournament History
Creighton owns a 37-20 all-time record in MVC Tournament play. Creighton's 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its 37 wins and .649 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops.
    Creighton is 17-12 in the quarterfinals, 10-7 in the semifinals and 10-1 in the championship games.
    Creighton is 3-2 all-time against Drake at the MVC Tournament, and 3-5 against Bradley.

History As A Second Seed
Creighton is 17-3 all-time as the second seed, including titles in four of its past five appearances in that spot. Creighton has won five titles overall from the second seed (1981, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2007).
    The second seed has won 13 of the 34 tournament titles all-time, which is tied for most in event history with the top seed. The second seed owns a 39-14 record in the event since the tournament moved to St. Louis in 1991, the best winning percentage of any slot.
    Additionally, the No. 2 seed has won at least one game in 12 straight tournaments, reached the final in 10 of the previous 13 seasons and won the title in five of the previous nine years.

Looking For History
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is seeking to become the first head coach in MVC history to win a Valley Tournament title at more than one school.
    McDermott won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa.
    McDermott also holds the honor of being the first coach in league history to win an MVC Tournament title at his alma mater. Since he did it in 2004 at Northern Iowa, SIU's Chris Lowery did so in 2006.

One Game At A Time
Creighton has won the MVC Tournament seven of the last 11 times it has won its first game in St. Louis.
    Each time they've lost their first-round game, they've been bounced from the single-elimination tournament.

Six Out Of 13 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 13 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Duke (10), Gonzaga (10), Winthrop (9), Creighton (6), Kansas (6), Kentucky (6) and Utah State (6).
    There are seven schools with five titles in the previous 13 years, a list consisting of Butler, Kent State, Memphis, Murray State, Siena, Temple and Western Kentucky.
    Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).

Ring Bearers
Creighton's current coaching staff and players have combined for seven MVC Tournament championship titles, and one West Coast Conference Tournament title.
    Darian Devries has been a part of six championship squads as a Bluejay assistant coach, while Greg McDermott won a title as head coach at Northern Iowa in 2004.
    In addition, Grant Gibbs was a redshirt on Gonzaga's 2008-09 team that defeated Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game.
    No current Bluejay player has won an MVC Tournament crown.
    Here's a breakdown of how many championships each person has been a part of:
Name    Titles Won    Years
Darian DeVries    6    1999, 2000, '02, '03, '05, '07
Greg McDermott    1    2004
Grant Gibbs    1    2009*
*won a WCC Tourney title as a redshirt at Gonzaga

Hall of Fame Weekend For Paul Silas
Paul Silas, a three-time All-American basketball player at Creighton from 1961-64, is part of the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame class that will be inducted on Friday at an 8 am breakfast ceremony held in the Peabody Opera House's Midland States Bank Ballroom (tickets required).
    Silas is being honored by the MVC as an "Institutional Great" since he never played in the MVC due to Creighton's independent affiliation at the time.
    Silas is one of five players in NCAA history to average more than 20 points (20.5) and 20 rebounds (21.6) during his college career, an elite list that also includes Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Kermit Washington and Artis Gilmore. He owns more rebounds than any player in the last 55 years, remains the only player with multiple games of 36 or more rebounds, and is also the only player in NCAA history with 557 rebounds at least three times.
    After being selected as the 10th overall pick in the 1964 Draft, Silas won three titles during his 16-year NBA playing career. He has also won 394 games (through Tuesday) in 11 years as an NBA coach with the Clippers, Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats organizations.
    Joining Silas in the 15th MVC Hall of Fame class will be coaching legend/television analyst Charlie Spoonhour of Missouri State, men's soccer coach Fred Schmalz of Evansville, track and field Olympian Connie Price-Smith of Southern Illinois, basketball icon Denny Crum of Louisville and track star Joey Woody of Northern Iowa.

Random Valley Tournament Facts
-Creighton is the only Valley school that has not appeared in the play-in round since that format began in 1997.
    -Creighton has not gone five consecutive seasons without winning a Valley Tournament title since 1992-98. CU won titles in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 in recent years.
    -Creighton has won its last nine games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less.
    -Creighton is 8-2 in its last 10 MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
    -Creighton is 4-0 all-time against teams defending an MVC Tournament title. Indiana State won the 2011 title.
    -Creighton has played Bradley in the 2006, 2008 and 2010 MVC Tournaments.
    -The last three times Creighton faced Drake in the MVC Tournament, the winner of that game won the tournament.
    -Creighton, which enters the MVC Tournament with one-point wins in its last two games of the regular-season, opened the 2003 and 2009 MVC Tournaments with a one-point win. The Jays were also a second-seed in both 2003 and 2009, winning the 2003 event.
    -Creighton is 11-2 in five MVC Tournaments with an MVC Player of the Year on its roster, including titles in three of the last four occurences.

With A Win
With a win on Friday, Creighton would improve to 26-5 on the season, and complete a three-game sweep over either Bradley or Drake.
    -Creighton would improve to 38-20 all-time in MVC Tournament action. Both the 38 wins and the .655 win percentage would be tops in event history.
    -Creighton would improve to 18-12 all-time in the quarterfinal round of the MVC Tournament.
    -Creighton head coach Greg McDermott would improve to 7-5 in the MVC Tournament, including a 4-2 mark in the quarterfinal round.

The Case For Creighton
Should Creighton not win the MVC Tournament, it still has an overwhelming case for inclusion into the NCAA Tournament. Consider the following...
    -Creighton is the nation's only team with four top-50 RPI wins and 10 true road wins.
    -Creighton went 10-3 in true road games this season, setting a school-record for road wins.
    -Creighton has been nationally-ranked by either the USA Today/ESPN or Associated Press poll 13 different weeks this season.
    -Creighton won road games at San Diego State and Wichita State, making it one of five schools with multiple road wins at top-28 RPI opponents.
    -Creighton finished in second-place in the nation's No. 8-ranked league, the MVC, finishing five games ahead of the third-place team.
    -Creighton ranks among the national leaders in winning percentage, and with 25 wins, entering Arch Madness.
    -Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage and is second in three-point percentage.
    -Creighton owns wins over potential NCAA Tournament teams San Diego State, Wichita State, Northwestern, Iowa and Long Beach State.
    -Creighton is the nation's only team to claim three non-conference wins over the Big Ten.

More Tourney Info
Below is a list of average seeds in the MVC Tournament since it expanded to include all 10 teams in 1997.
    Notably, Creighton is the only team to avoid the play-in round in the past 16 years, a span that has seen nine different schools to earn the top seed for Arch Madness.
Team    Avg. Seed    Best Seed    Worst Seed
Creighton    3.06    1    6
Southern Illinois    4.31    1    9
Missouri State    4.63    1    10
Wichita State    4.94    1    9
Northern Iowa    5.38    1    10
Illinois State    5.38    1    10
Bradley    5.75    2    10
Evansville    6.75    1    10
Indiana State    7.19    1    10
Drake    7.63    1    10

Passing Bob Gibson
In last Saturday's win over Indiana State, Creighton had a pair of men pass St. Louis legend Bob Gibson for a spot in the top-20 on Creighton's all-time scoring list.
    Antoine Young had 21 points to move up to 19th place with 1,287 points, while Doug McDermott had 22 points and now owns 1,273 points to rank 20th.
    Gibson, who later gained acclaim as a Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, had 1,272 points at Creighton and spent a year with the Harlem Globetrotters before signing with the Cardinals.

Jays Return To AP & Coaches Polls
After a two-week absence, Creighton returned to both top-25 polls this week. The Jays are 25th in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll.
    Creighton has now been in the Associated Press poll 10 of the last 13 weeks. Its' No. 13 ranking on Jan. 30th was Creighton's highest ranking since being 12th on Feb. 10, 2003.
    Creighton has now been in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll in 13 of the past 15 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.

Two Ranked Teams
For the first time in MVC Tournament history, two teams enter the event as ranked squads. Wichita State is ranked 15th this week, while Creighton is 25th.
    Incredibly, its the first time since Feb. 8, 1983 that the MVC has had two ranked teams in the same AP poll.
    The MVC hasn't had two ranked teams play each other since Jan. 16, 1982, when No. 18 Tulsa beat No. 16 Wichita State, 99-88.

MVC Tourney While Ranked?
Creighton is making just its second appearance as a ranked team at the MVC Tournament, joining the 2002-03 team.
    That 2002-03 team entered Arch Madness with a 26-4 record and ranked 19th nationally. The Jays won one-point decisions over Indiana State and Wichita State before stomping Southern Illinois, 80-56, in the title game.

Against Ranked Teams?
In the event No. 25 Creighton and No. 15 Wichita State meet in the final, it'll be the first time a ranked CU team has played a ranked opponent since taking on No. 19 Xavier on Dec. 19, 2003.
    Creighton owns an 18-117 record all-time against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll, including an 0-1 mark under Greg McDermott.
    Creighton has lost nine straight games against ranked competition since its last win, a 67-61 win over No. 11 Southern Illinois in the finals of the 2007 MVC Tournament.
    Creighton is 5-22 at neutral sites all-time vs. ranked foes.

You're My Boy, Blue!
Don't be surprised if it seems like half the lower bowl at Scottrade Center is filled with fans wearing blue.
    Creighton sold 2,575 all-session tickets to Arch Madness this year, most in event history by a single school.

Offense Wins Championships?
Creighton is putting the old saying “Defense wins championships” to the test this season. The Bluejays lead the MVC in scoring offense this season, averaging 79.7 points per game.
    Since 1997-98, six of the 14 teams to lead the league in scoring offense went on to win the MVC Tournament (Drake in 2008, ILS in 1998, CU in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003).
    By comparison, only two teams that led the league in scoring defense won the MVC Tournament (SIU in 2006, UNI in 2010).

Going On The Offensive
Speaking of offense, Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage at 50.8 percent.
    Since 2005-06 there have been seven teams that finished a year shooting 50.8 percent or better from the field. Six of those seven teams made the NCAA's, going 17-4 in the “Big Dance”, and two (Kansas in 2008 and Florida in 2007) won the national title.
    By comparison, nine teams held foes to 56.0 points per game or less in the same six-year span. Those teams combined for just four NCAA bids and went a combined 5-4 in the Big Dance.

Doug Digs This
Doug McDermott had his best two scoring averages in MVC play against the possible opponents for Friday's quarterfinal, Bradley (34.0 ppg.) and Drake (27.0 ppg.).
    McDermott averaged 34.0 points per game on 28-of-37 (75.7 percent) shooting from the floor vs. Bradley, including a career-high scoring output of 44 on Jan. 7th.
    Against Drake, McDermott averaged 27.0 points per game and shot 19-of-26 from the field (73.1 percent). He had 30 points at Drake on Jan. 25th.

McDermott Named MVC Player of the Year
Doug McDermott became the first sophomore in league history to be named Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.
    McDermott leads The Valley and ranks third nationally with 23.1 points per game and is also ranked second in the conference in both rebounding (8.1 rpg.) and three-point percentage (.479).
    McDermott's five MVC Player of the Week accolades were the most by any individual in a season in 25 years, and the only sophomores in league history with more points in a season are Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird.
    McDermott is the first Creighton player named MVC Player of the Year since Booker Woodfox in 2009, and fifth different Bluejay overall, a group that also includes Bob Harstad (1989), Chad Gallagher (1991), Kyle Korver (2002 and 2003), and Woodfox (2009).
    McDermott's honor gives Creighton six MVC Player of the Year awards, tying Bradley and Southern Illinois for most all-time.
    He is the first player to be named MVC Player of the Year from a non-championship team since Kyle Korver in 2002-03.
    He is just the second player in MVC history to be named both MVC Freshman of the Year (2011) and MVC Player of the Year (2012), joining Southern Illinois' great Ashraf Amaya (1990 FOY and 1992 POY).

Echenique Named MVC's Top Defender
Junior center Gregory Echenique is the first player in Creighton history to be named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.
    Echenique leads the MVC with 49 blocked shots this season and is second with 1.6 blocks per game. He's also fifth in the MVC with 7.4 rebounds per contest, and second with 61.2 percent shooting from the field.
    In league play, Echenique led the MVC with 1.7 blocks per game and 2.8 offensive rebounds per game, while also ranking second in rebounds per game (8.2) and field goal percentage (.630), fifth in defensive rebounds per contest (5.3) and 10th in free throw percentage (.811).

Oscar, Bird, Doug
Last year Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581. This season, McDermott has 692 points, passing Rodney Buford (581 points in 1996-97) for most points in school history by a sophomore.
    McDermott's 1,273 points to date are most in school history by a player in their first two seasons, passing Bob Portman (1,195).
    Doug McDermott enters Arch Madness with 692 points this year. He is just the 10th different player in Bluejay history with a season of 600 points or more, and eight points from becoming the third player in Bluejay history with 700 points.
    He's also just the ninth sophomore in MVC history to reach 600 points in a season, and trails only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird on that list.
    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
692    Doug McDermott, Creighton    2011-12
680    Mitchell Anderson, Bradley     1979-80
656    Hersey Hawkins, Bradley     1985-86

Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
    Pts.    Name (Class)    Year
    738    Bob Portman (Jr.)    1967-68
    734    Bob Harstad (Jr.)    1989-90
    692    Doug McDermott (So.)    2011-12
    688    Benoit Benjamin (Jr.)    1984-85
    681    Bob Portman (Sr.)    1968-69
    671    Vernon Moore (Sr.)    1984-85
    651    Rod Mason (Sr.)    1987-88

Sneaking Up On Two Milestones
Because he's split his college career between Rutgers and Creighton, you might not realize the rather impressive college stats being generated by Gregory Echenique.
    Just a junior, Echenique owns 959 points, 719 rebounds and 198 blocked shots in his first 99 games as a collegian.
    Had all those stats been generated at Creighton, Echenique would rank 41st in career points, seventh in career rebounds and second in career blocked shots at CU.

Won By One
Creighton won its Feb. 21 game vs. Evansville by a single point, 93-92, then topped Indiana State 61-60 last Saturday. The Bluejays are now 3-0 in one-point games this winter after going 0-1 a year ago.
    Creighton had not played two straight games decided by one point since the 2003 MVC Tournament, when it beat Indiana State and Wichita State by one point each before throttling Southern Illinois, 80-56, in the championship game.
    The last time Creighton played three straight games decided by one point came in the 1974-75 campaign.

Finishing Strong
Creighton has trailed with three minutes left in each of its last three games, only to rally and win each time.
    In those three wins (Long Beach State, Evansville, Indiana State), Creighton has outscored foes 24-8 in the final three minutes of regulation (34-17 if you include the Evansville OT).
    Creighton shot 9-of-13 from the field in the last three minutes of those games, while also holding foes to 3-of-11 shooting from the floor. Creighton has also outrebounded foes 10-3 in the last three minutes of those contests, and had just two turnovers while forcing four.
    After going 1-6 in games decided by three points or less this year, the Bluejays are 6-1 in games decided by three points or less this year.

Good To The Last Shot
Creighton took the lead on its final shot of the game to win back-to-back contests vs. both Long Beach State (Feb. 18) and Evansville (Feb. 21).
    The last time Creighton had won consecutive games on its final shot came on Nov. 24 and 30 of 2004, when Tyler McKinney hit game-winners to beat Ohio State and Xavier.

Dingman Rings It Up
Freshman Avery Dingman showed off his sweet stroke, scoring 14 points in Creighton's overtime win over Evansville on Feb. 21st.
    The freshman from Branson, Mo., made 5-of-6 shots and tied a career-high with 14 points. He drained 4-of-5 three-point attempts in the game.
    Creighton improved to 7-0 when Dingman scores four points or more this season.

The Ryan Express
Creighton could not stop Evansville guard Colt Ryan on Feb. 21st. Ryan scored an arena record 43 points, making 17-of-24 attempts, before coming up empty on a potential game-winning shot at the end of overtime.
    Ryan's 43 points were the most allowed by the Jays since Nebraska-Kearney's Bart Kofoed scored 43 points against CU on Dec. 21, 1985.

Road Trippers
Creighton has 10 road wins and one victory on a neutral site this year, which means that last Saturday's win in Terre Haute was Creighton's 11th win away from home this season.
    Each of Creighton's last eight NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home.
    Creighton is the only school in the country with four top-50 wins as well as 10 true road wins.
    Creighton's 10 true road wins are a school-record, breaking the mark of nine originally set in 1999-91.

Rare Bird
Doug McDermott's averages of 23.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, combined with his shooting percentages of 60.7 percent overall, 47.9 percent from three-point range and 80.1 percent from the line are something you usually only see in a video game.
    McDermott is the nation's only player averaging better than 19 points per game who shoots better than 54 percent from the field.
    Since 2008-09, no player nationally has averaged more than 20 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from three-point range, regardless of the number of attempts.
    Also, since 2004-05 McDermott is one of two sophomores nationally to average 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game or more. The other player to do that came in 2008-09 and was former Oklahoma and current Los Angeles Clippers standout Blake Griffin. Griffin had 90 dunks in his sophomore season, while McDermott owns one dunk this year (at Bradley).

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 483 assists are most in program history by a Nebraska product, 94 more than the 388 by predecessor Josh Dotzler (another Bellevue product and Young's former high school teammate).
    From a scoring prospective, Young's 1,287 points ranks third-most in school history by a Nebraska product. John C. Johnson (Omaha) leads that list with 1,526 points, while Schuyler product Gene Harmon (1,369) is second on the list.
    With 21 points at Indiana State last Saturday, Young moved past former St. Louis Cardinals baseball great and Omaha native Bob Gibson (1,272) for third place, as well as Omaha native Wally Anderzunas (1,267).

Upping The Antoine
Senior point guard Antoine Young continues to ascend up a few Creighton charts.
    He's up to 19th on Creighton's all-time scoring chart, and his 483 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.    1,287    Antoine Young    2008-Present
    20.    1,273    Doug McDermott    2010-Present
    21.    1,272    Bob Gibson    1954-57
    22.    1,267    Wally Anderzunas    1965-67, 1968-69
    23.    1,254    Gary Swain    1983-87
    24.    1,238    Ben Walker    1997-01
    25.    1,196    Ray Yost    1951-54
    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
483    Antoine Young    2008-Pres.
    458    Randy Eccker    1974-78
    430    Tyler McKinney    2001-05

20-Win Seasons
Creighton has earned its 24th 20-win season in program history. Only two of those teams have won 25 games or more like this year's squad has. 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)
    25-5    2011-12    TBA
    24-8    2000-01    NCAA (0-1)
    24-8    1990-91    NCAA (1-1)
    23-5    1921-22    --
    23-7    1973-74    NCAA (2-1)
    23-9    2001-02    NCAA (1-1)
    23-10    1999-00    NCAA (0-1)
    23-11    2004-05    NCAA (0-1)
    23-16    2010-11    CBI (4-2)
    22-7    1963-64    NCAA (1-2)
    22-9    1998-99    NCAA (1-1)
    22-11    2007-08    NIT (1-1)
    22-11    2006-07    NCAA (0-1)
    21-5    1961-62    NCAA (2-1)
    21-7    1976-77    NIT (0-1)
    21-9    1980-81    NCAA (0-1)
    21-12    1989-90    NIT (0-1)
    20-7    1974-75    NCAA (0-1)
    20-9    2003-04    NIT (0-1)
    20-10    2005-06    NIT (1-1)
    20-11    1988-89    NCAA (0-1)
    20-12    1984-85    --

Celsius or Fahrenheit ?
Sophomore Jahenns Manigat leads in the MVC with his 48.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range. When it came to CU's nine MVC road games, he was the barometer.
    In Creighton's seven Valley road wins, Manigat shot a robust 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) from downtown. In CU's two Valley road losses, Manigat was 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from deep.

McDermott Claims Fifth MVC Honor
Doug McDermott won his fifth MVC Player of the Week award on Feb. 20th after he averaged 27.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins over Southern Illinois and Long Beach State.
    His five awards are the second-most in MVC history for a single-season, trailing only the six won by Bradley's Hersey Hawkins in 1987-88 when Hawkins went on to earn National Player of the Year acclaim.
    McDermott was also named Dick Vitale's National Player of the Week on Feb. 20th, the second time this season he's been honored by Vitale.

Speaking Of Honors
Doug McDermott is also a finalist for the Lou Henson National Player of the Year, an award that collegeinsider.com hands out to the nation's top mid-major player.
    Fans can vote for McDermott at VoteLouHenson.com.

Senior Group
Creighton honored four men who suited up in their final home game on Feb. 21st; Antoine Young, Matthew Dorwart, Derek Sebastian and Ross Ferrarini, as part of Senior Night festivities.
    During the past four years, the Jays have gone 93-45 while appearing in the postseason every season and claiming a share of the 2008-09 MVC regular-season title.
    Of the quartet, Young owns the most accomplishments on court. The Bellevue, Neb., native is one of two players in school history with 1,200 points and 450 assists. He led the MVC in assist/turnover ratio as both a sophomore and junior, and last season also paced The Valley in assists per game en route to earning second-team all-MVC honors.
    A native of Sidney, Neb., Dorwart is finishing up his fourth year with the program. He's played in 26 games as a Bluejay, amassing eight points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Off the court he was part of a film crew that produced the award winning documentary “Mato Oput”, which focused on the civil war in Uganda during the past 20 years.
    Sebastian hails from Loveland, Colo., and plays on the wing. He's played in 24 games during his four years in the program, producing 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. When he's not on the court, Sebastian has spent this semester student-teaching at Omaha North High School.
    Ferrarini is a guard from Omaha in his third year in the program after transferring in from Nebraska in 2009. One of the team's top threats from long-range, Ferrarini owns 17 points and six rebounds in 44 career minutes played over the course of 23 games. Nicknamed “The Godfather”, he's twice had the hoop that gave the Jays 75 points and earned the home crowd free Godfather's Pizza.

Losses Can Teach Lessons Too
Though Creighton was upset in its Feb. 7 game at Evansville, it doesn't necessarily mean horrible things are ahead. 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

Heading Towards The Top 10
The MVC hasn't had a player rank in the top-10 nationally in scoring since Illinois State's Tarise Bryson finished fourth in 2000-01 at 22.8 points per contest.
    The MVC hasn't had two players finish in the top-10 in scoring since Bradley's Hersey Hawkins and Southern Illinois's Steve Middleton in 1987-88.
    Currently, Creighton's Doug McDermott (23.1) is third and Evansville's Colt Ryan (20.5) is 13th.
    Ryan's head coach, Marty Simmons, ranked sixth nationally by averaging 25.9 points per game as a senior at Evansville in 1987-88. The Purple Aces were not part of the MVC at that time.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Antoine Young's bucket with 0.3 seconds left vs. Long Beach State on Feb. 18th made him the first player in CenturyLink Center Omaha history with two game-winning scores.
    Creighton is now 6-2 in games with a go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the nine-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins, Last 10 Seconds
Date    Opponent    Score    Player/Score    Time
11/26/05    Dayton    W 91-90*    Funk FG    :5.7
01/28/06    Wichita St.    W 57-55    Tolliver FG    :0.0
11/25/06    George Mason    W 58-56    Watts FT    :7.5
03/18/08    Rhode Island    W 74-73    Witter 3FG    :3.2
01/13/10    Southern Illinois    W 71-69    Young FG    :1.3
02/18/12    Long Beach St.    W 81-79    Young FG    :0.3
*double-overtime

Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses, Last 10 Seconds
Date    Opponent    Score    Player/Score    Time
03/20/06    Miami (Fla.)    53-52    G. Diaz FT    :2.6
01/20/07    Southern Illinois    58-57    B. Mullins FG    :4.1

Little Mac Attack
Doug McDermott scored 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting in a Feb. 18th win over Long Beach State. His 36 points were the most in CenturyLink Center Omaha history for any game that didn't reach overtime.
    The two highest-scoring games in Creighton history in the building came when Cavel Witter scored 42 points in a double-OT win over Bradley on March 1, 2008, while Nate Funk had 38 points in a Nov. 26, 2005 double-OT triumph over Dayton.
    In a Feb. 21 overtime game vs. Evansville, Purple Aces guard Colt Ryan had a building record 43 points. The previous high by a Bluejay opponent had been 34, done twice previously (Dayton's Brian Roberts & Northwestern's Drew Crawford).

Can't Miss Kid
Gregory Echenique has missed a total of six field goal attempts in his last six games, while still imposing his will on the defensive end.
    Echenique started the streak with a 4-for-4 game at Evansville on Feb. 7th. Since then he was 5-6 vs. Wichita State, 4-4 at Southern Illinois, 3-4 vs. Long Beach State, 4-5 vs. Evansville on Feb. 21st and 1-4 at Indiana State last Saturday.
    Echenique is shooting 60.7 percent from the field this year, second in the MVC. His 61.0 percent marksmanship for his Creighton career is second in Bluejay history.

Home Sweet Home
Creighton 65-16 all-time in MVC games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, including a 9-0 mark vs. Evansville.
    An overtime win on Feb. 21st vs. Evansville guaranteed the fifth straight season Creighton has finished exactly 7-2 in league play at home, and eighth time in those nine years it's been 7-2 or better in Valley play at home.

Lights Out Shooting
In its Feb. 14 road game in Carbondale, Creighton missed its first shot and its last shot, but just seven others in between to set an MVC record by making 77.5 percent from the field (31-40).
    The mark easily eclipsed the previous school-record of 70.4 percent (Nov. 25, 2011 vs. Campbell) and also outdid the previous MVC record of 74.5 percent by Bradley vs. West Texas State (Jan. 28, 1984).
    Creighton's marksmanship was the best by any college team since 2005, and tied for the 20th-best mark in NCAA history for one game.

Lights Out Shooting, Part II
Creighton shot a season-best 75 percent (15-20) in the first half on Feb. 14th at Southern Illinois, its best half since shooting 18-of-23 in the second half at Drake on Jan. 9, 2007.
    The stellar performance lasted about an hour before CU made 16-of-20 shots in the second half (80 percent).
    The 80 percent effort in the second half is tied for the eighth-best figure in MVC history for one half.
    The Valentine's Day win marked the first time in program history that Creighton shot 70 percent or better in both halves of the same game.

Lights Out Shooting Part III
Creighton owns two of the top-three single-game shooting marks nationally in 2011-12.
    In addition to its 77.5 percent shooting on Feb. 14th, third on that list is Creighton's 70.4 percent accuracy vs. Campbell on Nov. 25th, which is just behind the 71.4 percent shot by Middle Tennessee in its win at UCLA on Nov. 15th.
    In the last 15 years (since 1997-98), the only three teams to shoot 70 percent or better twice in the same season have been Creighton (2011-12), Rice (2006-07) and Utah State (2004-05).

Lights Out Shooting, Part IV
One reason Creighton shot at a record rate on Feb. 14th was its proficiency from three-point range.
    Creighton's 12-of-14 shooting (85.7 percent) from three-point range was a school record and ranks tied for ninth-best in NCAA history for a team with at least 10 makes from deep.
    Creighton is also the only team nationally in the last 15 years to make 10 or more three-pointers in a game in which it shot 76 percent or better from the floor as a team.

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 averaged 16,664 fans at home so far this season, good for seventh place, and a MVC single-season record.
2011-12 Attendance Leaders (thru 2/27)
    Rk.    School    Average    Next Home
    1.    Kentucky    23,682    3/1
    2.    Syracuse    23,085    3/3
    3.    Louisville    21,470    2/29
    4.    North Carolina    20,066    2/29
    5.    Wisconsin    17,175    2/28
    6.    Tennessee    17,114    3/3
    7.    Creighton    16,664    --
    8.    Memphis    16,620    2/28
    9.    Ohio State    16,510    --
    10.    Indiana    16,354    2/28
    11.    Kansas    16,300    3/3
    12.    BYU    15,424    --
    13.    Illinois    14,959    3/1
    14.    Marquette    14,875    3/3
    15.    Michigan State    14,797    3/4
    16.    New Mexico    14,336    2/29
    17.    Arizona    13,906    --
    18.    Vanderbilt    13,661    2/28
    19.    UNLV    13,608    3/3
    20.    Purdue    13,246    2/29
    21.    Connecticut    12,794    3/3
    22.    Iowa State    12,935    3/3
    23.    Dayton    12,849    3/3
    24.    Kansas State    12,800    3/3

Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
    Home Att.    School    Year
    302,676    Creighton    2008-09
    297,161    Creighton    2010-11
    276,000    Creighton    2007-08
    266,632    Creighton    2011-12
    246,419    Creighton    2009-10
    236,313    Creighton    2005-06
    222,728    Creighton    2006-07
    192,258    Creighton    2003-04
    191,440    Louisville    1974-75

Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
    Avg. Att.    School    Year
    16,664    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

Full House
Creighton 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

Valley Record Falls Too
Creighton averaged 17,062 fans per MVC home tilt this year, easily an MVC record. The previous mark, also set by Creighton, is an average of 16,422 from the 2008-09 campaign.

Familiar Fives
Creighton has utilized the same starting line-up all season long, as Gregory Echenique, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Antoine Young have started all 30 games.
    According to STATS Inc., the only schools with the same starting five every game (through Feb. 26th) were Creighton, Long Beach State, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.
    Young owns 102 consecutive starts, which dates back to the second game of his sophomore season.

Linking Towards A Record
Numerous CenturyLink Center Omaha records have been set this season:
Season Records Set
Stat    Name, Stat    Old Record
Points/Game    D. McDermott, 22.1    19.1
Rebounds/Game    D. McDermott, 8.1    7.2

Career Records Set
Stat    Name, Stat    Old Record
Minutes Played    A. Young, 1878    1520
Points/Game    D. McDermott, 18.8    15.6
FG Made    D. McDermott, 272    266
FG Percentage    G. Echenique, .627    .600
FT Made    A. Young, 180    166
FT Attempted    A. Young, 245    221
Rebounds/Game    D. McDermott, 7.6    5.8
Assists    A. Young, 268    213
Turnovers    A. Young, 106    100

Road History
For the first time in 29 attempts Creighton has won a road game at all three of MVC schools in Illinois (Bradley, Illinois State, Southern Illinois) in the same season.
    Each of Creighton's first 10 teams to win two Valley road games in Illinois reached the postseason, including six NCAA Tournament squads.

Making Them Ill(inois)
Creighton is 8-0 this season against teams from the state of Illinois, having gone 2-0 against Bradley, Southern Illinois and Illinois State, and 1-0 versus Northwestern and Chicago State.
    The last time Creighton played a season without a loss to a team from Illinois was 1973-74.

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 276 wins in the millennium, as well as 11 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to 2/29/11)
        MVC    only          All Games
Team    W    L    Pct.    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    149    67    .690    276    119    .699
Wichita State    125    91    .579    237    149    .614
Southern Illinois    134    82    .620    238    150    .613
Northern Iowa    118    98    .546    225    156    .591
Missouri State    117    99    .542    223    162    .579
Illinois State    99    117    .458    198    173    .534
Bradley    93    123    .431    189    196    .491
Drake    92    124    .426    178    189    .485
Indiana State    79    137    .366    161    210    .434
Evansville    74    142    .343    141    214    .397

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

King of Efficiency
One of the most incredible things about Doug McDermott's lofty 23.1 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 Profiles McDermott
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.

It's Up, And It's Good
Doug McDermott leads the nation with 269 field goals made this season. That ranks second-most in a season in Bluejay history, and is the most by a CU player since Bob Portman set the record with 303 buckets in 1967-68.
    By comparison, no other player in the MVC has more than 179 buckets (Colt Ryan), and next closest nationally was Sacred Heart's Shane Gibson with 245.

Sophomore's Streak Reaches 31
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures in 31 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 1981-82
    No.    Name    Dates
    46    Vernon Moore    Jan. 30, 1984 - Mar. 5, 1985
    32    Bob Harstad    Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
    31    Benoit Benjamin    Mar. 8, 1984 - Feb. 20, 1985
    31    Doug McDermott    April 1, 2011-Present
    27    Bob Harstad    Nov. 27, 1989-Feb. 17, 1990

Multiple Weapons From Downtown
Both Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat drained five three-pointers in its Feb. 14 win over Southern Illinois. In school history, it marked just the fourth time that multiple men had five or more triples in the same game.
    It first happened on Feb. 21, 1989 when Matt Roggenburk and Todd Eisner did it vs. Montana State. It's also happened on Feb. 26, 2000 vs. Wichita State (Ryan Sears, Kyle Korver), and Feb. 19, 2005 vs. Chattanooga (Kellen Miliner, Nate Funk) in a BracketBusters contest.

Blocking Behemoth
Gregory Echenique owns 104 career blocked shots in a Creighton uniform, tied for seventh in school history.
    Echenique also owned 94 blocked shots in 39 games at Rutgers, giving him 198 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
    104    Gregory Echenique    2010-Pres.
    79    Adam Reid    1994-97

Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott has scored 12 or more points in all 30 games this season. That is CU's longest streak of double-figure games to start a season since Vernon Moore (32) in 1984-85.
    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
    30*    Doug McDermott, So.    2011-12
    28    Benoit Benjamin, Jr.    1984-85
*active

12+ Points, Every Team Game This Year
    Streak    Name, School    Next Game
    30    Doug McDermott, Creighton    3/2
    29    Kevin Jones, West Virginia    2/28
    27    Damian Lillard, Weber State    2/28

National Scoring Leaders
Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring at 23.1 points per game through games of Feb. 26th. Here's that list.
    Rk.    Name, School    Yr.    PPG
    1.    Reggie Hamilton, Oakland    Sr.    25.5
    2.    Damian Lillard, Weber State    Jr.    24.7
    3.    Doug McDermott, Creighton    So.    23.1
    4.    Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart    Jr.    22.0
    5.    Gerardo Suero, Albany    Jr.    21.7
    6.    C.J. McCollum, Lehigh    Jr.    21.7
    7.    Terrell Stoglin, Maryland    So.    21.2
    8.    Nate Wolters, South Dakota St.    Sr.    21.2
    9.    Frank Gaines, IPFW    Jr.    21.0
    10.    Nick Barbour, High Point    Sr.    20.8

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 604 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 Valley history.

Gibbs > Receiving
Though he's not even his own team's point guard, Grant Gibbs is second in the MVC with 5.4 assists per game. He's had six or more assists in 15 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 25-2 in its last 27 games when one of its players has six or more assists in a game, including a 20-1 mark this winter.

Game Tested
Senior Antoine Young has played in 137 games as a Bluejay, second-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
    137    Antoine Young    2008-Pres.
    135    Nate Funk    2002-07
    130    Dane Watts    2004-08
    128    Bob Harstad    1987-91
    128    Kyle Korver    1999-03

This Is, 20/20
Greg McDermott is the only 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.
    McDermott's 24 wins this season are his most in 11 years as a Division I head coach.

Mind-Boggling Road Stats
Credit MVC PR guru Mike Kern with this doozy of a road stat.
    Through games of February 26th, three MVC teams Creighton (10), Wichita State (10) and Missouri State (8) each own eight or more road wins.
    The only BCS-member schools with more than seven true road wins are Syracuse (8) and Baylor (8).

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 in the top-10 nationally in scoring (23.1) and field goal percentage (.607) for Creighton, which is 25-5. He's previously been named to the Midseason Watch List for the John Wooden Award.

Kind of a Big Deal
Creighton has played in 13 road games this season. Ten of the 13 schools to host the Bluejays have set a season-high in that venue for home attendance, all but Tulsa, Evansville and Southern Illinois.
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
2/14/12    Southern Illinois    3,408    4,272
2/25/12    Indiana State    6,790    7,911
*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 went 10-3 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 13 road games this season, Creighton is shooting an impressive 49.8 percent from the floor.
    Doug McDermott is averaging 24.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in those 13 tilts, making 24-of-43 shots from three-point range (55.8 percent).

Road Warriors
Creighton is 10-3 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, Drake and defending MVC Tournament champ Indiana State.
    This year marked the first time in program history the Bluejays had been 8-1 or better on the road.
    Creighton's 10 true road wins this season far surpasses 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. 26th, only five teams nationally owned two true road wins vs teams ranked in top-28 of the RPI; Creighton, Georgetown, Michigan State, Vanderbilt and Kansas State.

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    29-1    3/3
    13    Duke    25-4    2/28
    13    Kansas    24-5    2/27
    13    Gonzaga    23-5    2/27
    13    Florida    22-7    2/28
    12    Kentucky    28-1    3/1
    12    Creighton    25-5    3/2
    12    Kent State    19-9    2/29
    12    Xavier    18-10    2/28
    12    Texas    18-11    2/29
    12    Utah State    15-14    3/1
*doesn't include 20-win campaigns done this season

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.

Fun With Numbers
According to stats on BBstate.com, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with assists on 64.4 percent of its field goals this season. Denver leads the way at 67.5 percent.

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.

Field Day
Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage, and has had a better shooting percentage in all 25 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 35 of CU's last 36 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).
    Creighton is 17-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

Droppin' 30
Doug McDermott scored 36 points on Feb. 18 vs. Long Beach State, his fifth outburst of 30 points or more this season. That's the most by a Bluejay in one season since Bob Harstad had eight such games in 1989-90.
    In the last 25 years, the following men have scored 30 or more points in a game for Creighton.
30+ Point Games For Creighton, Since 1987-88
    No.    Name    Years
    12    Bob Harstad    1987-91
    6    Doug McDermott    2010-Present
    5    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    4    Rod Mason    1987-88
    3    Nate Funk    2002-07
    3    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    2    Kyle Korver    1999-03
    2    Duan Cole    1987-92
    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

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 Arch Madness ranked second in the MVC with 8.1 rebounds per game, just 1.3 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, both McDermott and Gregory Echenique (7.4) are within reach of that mark.
    This year's Creighton team is outrebounding foes by 5.5 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 12-2 so far this season after going a combined 5-11 last year vs. those same foes.

Passing 500 Points, Again
Doug McDermott enters Arch Madness with 692 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 6-1 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 1,273 career points in his young career. According to research by Creighton Sports Information's office and STATS Inc., that leads all active sophomores through games of Feb. 27th.
Most Career Points, Sophomores (through 2/27)
Source: Creighton Sports Information/STATS Inc.
    Rk.    Pts.    Name, School    Next
    1.    1,273    Doug McDermott, Creighton    3/2
    2.    1,092    Harrison Barnes, North Carolina    2/29
    3.    1,089    Jared Sullinger, Ohio State    2/29
    4.    970    Terrell Stoglin, Maryland    2/29
    5.    963    Will Barton, Memphis    2/28
    6.    958    Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut    2/28
    7.    955    Trey Ziegler, Central Michigan    2/29
    8.    952    Devon Saddler, Delaware    3/2
    9.    938    DeAndre Kane, Marshall    2/29
    10.    925    Terrence Jones, Kentucky    3/1

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 2/28):
Name    McDermott    Barnes
Games Played    69    66
Points    1,273    1,092
PPG    18.4    16.5
Rebounds    524    365
RPG    7.6    5.5
FG-FGA    489-862    391-891
FG%    .567    .439
3FG-3FGA    92-210    106-291
3FG%    .438    .364
FT-FTA    203-262    202-275
FT%    .775    .735

Shades of 2003?
Creighton's 24-5 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 30 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    25-5    26-4
Home W-L    14-2    17-0
Road W-L    10-3    7-4
FG    838-1648    871-1731
FG Pct.    .508    .503
3FG    246-575    248-632
3FG Pct.    .428    .392
FT    469-643    418-605
FT Pct.    .729    .691
Reb. Margin    +5.5    +1.0
Assists    540    511
Turnovers    376    400
Points    2391    2408
Points/Game    79.7    80.3

Stat    McDermott    Korver
Points    692    537
Points/Game    23.1    17.9
Rebounds    244    185
Rebounds/Game    8.1    6.2
FG Pct.    .607    .470
3FG-FGA    45-94    115-244
3FG Pct.    .479    .471
FT Pct.    .801    .897
Assists    33    88
Turnovers    66    58

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 (23.1 ppg.), is second in three-point percentage (.479) and rebounding (8.1 rpg.) and third in field goal percentage (.607).
    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.

Milestone Game Went Well
The Feb. 1 win vs. Illinois State was Creighton's 150th game at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Jays are now 130-23 at the nine-year old facility, which includes a 65-16 mark in MVC games and a 30-9 record in games decided by five points or less.
    Creighton has averaged 14,453 fans in the 153 games, including 18 crowds of 17,000 or more.

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 68-for-86 from the line, good for 79.1 percent. In league play, he's up to 60-for-74, 81.1 percent.
    Since December 1st, Echenique is 32-of-37 on the road from the charity stripe, 86.5 percent.

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 50.8 percent from the field.
    The Bluejays have shot 55 percent or better 12 times overall this season.
    In Creighton's last 36 games dating to late last season, it has shot 40 percent or better in all but two games.
    Creighton, which is also second 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 33 straight trips through the league, including both halves this year.
    Creighton's 32 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, with Wichita State next closest at eight.
    Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, Creighton was 8-1 at the midway mark for the first time since 2002-03.
Year    1st Half    2nd Half
2011-12    8-1    6-3
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)    103-49 (.678)

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 those 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    3-3
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)    66-36 (.647)

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 16 games, and averaged 8.8 boards in that span.
    Creighton is 10-1 all-time when Echenique collects 10 or more rebounds and 11-1 when he scores 15 or more points.
    Creighton is also 15-3 this season and 25-9 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 a late 71-57 deficit to beat Evansville on Feb. 21st, the fourth 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, and a home game vs. UNI when down by 11.
    Creighton has fallen behind by 10 points or more 35 times in CenturyLink Center Omaha history. Incredibly, Creighton has rallied to win 21 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
02/21/12    Evansville    14    W 93-92 ot
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.

Fresh 15
Doug McDermott has scored 15 or more points in 15 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
20    Doug McDermott, Long Beach State, 2/18    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
15    Doug McDermott, Southern Illinois, 2/14    2nd
15    Doug McDermott, Long Beach State, 2/18    1st
15    Doug McDermott, Evansville, 2/21    2nd

Pick Your Poison
Creighton is second in the nation from beyond the arc, hitting 42.8 percent of its shots from three-point range.
    The Bluejays have been remarkably consistent, making 40 percent or better from three-point range in 22-of-30 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 39-1 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    137    117    110    124
Starts    102    96    97    124
Points    1,287    422    570    1,311
PPG    9.4    3.6    5.2    10.6
Assists    483    388    430    570
APG    3.5    3.3    3.9    4.6
Turnovers    219    200    188    252
A/TO Ratio    2.21    1.94    2.29    2.03
Steals    98    196    119    283
SPG    0.72    1.68    1.08    2.29
Min./Game    26.7    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 43.8 percent for his career, just behind MVC Players of the Year Booker Woodfox (45.5%) and Kyle Korver (45.3%) and fifth on Creighton's all-time chart. Ethan Wragge is ninth on the list at 42.0 percent, while Jahenns Manigat (43.7 percent) is in sixth place.
    For the season, Creighton's freshmen are shooting 30-of-64 (46.9 percent) from three-point land, while the sophomore class is a collective 153-335 (45.7 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.    .441    Rod Mason    132-299    1986-88
    4.    .4403    Nerijus Karlikanovas    48-109    1998-00
    5.    .438    Doug McDermott    92-210    2010-Pres.
    6.    .4372    Jahenns Manigat    94-215    2010-Pres.
    7.    .4306    Michael Lindeman    62-144    2000-04
    8.    .430    Duan Cole    176-410    1987-92
    9.    .420    Ethan Wragge    137-326    2009-Pres.
    10.    .407    Nate Funk    200-492    2002-07

Triple Threats
Creighton has five current players who have made 70 or more career three-pointers. Four of the five men are shooting 37.3 percent or better from downtown. Here's a look at that quintet.
Creighton's Active 3FG Leaders
    3FG-FGA    Name    Pct.
    137-326    Ethan Wragge    .420
    94-215    Jahenns Manigat    .437
    92-210    Doug McDermott    .438
    87-233    Josh Jones    .373
    72-243    Antoine Young    .296

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 53-of-127 (41.7 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.

Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owns 692 points through 30 games, an average of 23.1 per contest that ranks him third nationally in scoring (through Feb. 26th).
    McDermott's 23.1 points per game would rank fourth-most in CU single-season history and would be the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
    Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), is the only Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
    McDermott's 23.1 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 69 Games
Doug McDermott has started all 69 games of his career and enters Arch Madness with 1,273 career points (18.4 ppg.) and 524 career rebounds (7.6 rpg.).
    By comparison, Creighton's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, had 1,215 career points after 69 games. However, Buford had “just” 1,010 points at the end of his sophomore season (59 games, 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 69 Career Games
Name    Points    Rebounds
Doug McDermott    1,273    524
Rodney Buford    1,215    361
Chad Gallagher    946    415
Bob Harstad    930    627
Kyle Korver    836    316

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.

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.

Fountains of Doug
Doug McDermott owns 20 or more points 21 times this season and 24 of his last 36 games overall dating to late last season.
    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 13 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' 5.4 assists per game average makes him the first Bluejay to average more than 5.5 helpers per game since Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per game in 1976-77.

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 53 straight games 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.
    In home games only, Creighton has won 89 straight games when scoring 70 or more points since a Feb. 5, 2005 loss to Missouri State.

Ball Control Offense
Creighton ranked eighth nationally with a 1.44 assist/turnover ratio through games of February 26th, and a big portion of that is due to its starting backcourt.
    Creighton's starting guard trio of Antoine Young (134 A, 55 TO), Jahenns Manigat (49/27) and Grant Gibbs (161/68) have combined for 344 assists and 146 turnovers, good for a collective 2.36 assist/turnover ratio.
    Reserve guards Avery Dingman (5/7), Josh Jones (53/31), Austin Chatman (53/38) and Taylor Stormberg (4/0) have combined for 115 assists against just 76 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 2,21,350 fans all-time in 153 games held at CenturyLink Center Omaha, good for an average of 14,453.
    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.

Non-Conference Home Success
Creighton has won 38 straight regular-season non-conference home games against unranked teams, a streak it will attempt to extend next season.
    Creighton's last regular-season home loss to a non-conference unranked foe came on Feb. 17, 2007, when Drexel upended the Jays. That game was also part of the BracketBusters series.

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 (at the time) 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 580 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.

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 35 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 30 regular-season contests (692 points, 946 minutes), he's scored 808 points in 1,052 minutes.
    According to stats through Feb. 26th on bbstate.com, McDermott's 29.3 points per 40 minutes lead the country, just ahead of 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.

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
Including this season, 10 of Creighton's last 15 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
    The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98, 2006-07 and 2011-12, 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 15 Years
1st Place    2000-01
Tied for First    2001-02 *, 2008-09
2nd Place    1997-98, 2002-03*, 2006-07*, 2011-12
Tied for 2nd    1998-99*, 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place    2004-05*
4th Place    1999-00*; 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place    2010-11
(won MVC Tourn.)

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.

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.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 153 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in nine seasons at the facility.
    The Bluejays own an 130-23 (.850) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday or Friday.
    Creighton has outscored its opponents 11,433-9,715 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.2 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 36 different times, including seven times this season.

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

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 84 of 153 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
    3    Doug McDermott    2010-Pres.
    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    Gregory Echenique    2010-Pres.

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.

Men's Basketball Heads To State Farm MVC Tournament

Players Mentioned

Will Artino

Austin Chatman

Avery Dingman

Matthew Dorwart

Gregory Echenique

Ross Ferrarini

Grant Gibbs

Geoffrey Groselle

Casey Harriman

Josh Jones

Kaleb Korver

Kenny Lawson Jr.

Jahenns Manigat

Doug McDermott

Derek Sebastian

Taylor Stormberg

Ethan Wragge

Antoine Young