Game #31 vs. Bradley • Friday, March 5, 2010 • 2:30 p.m.
Bradley Braves vs. Creighton Bluejays
Scottrade Center (21,472) • St. Louis, Mo.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: FSN Midwest
Series History: Creighton leads 41-39
Last Meeting: Creighton won 82-71 on Feb. 27, 2010 in Omaha, Neb.
Complete 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament Schedule of Games
Thursday, March 4 -- Session I
Game 1 -- #8 Drake (13-18, 7-11) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (15-14, 6-12) 6 pm
Game 2 -- #7 Missouri State (19-11, 8-10) vs. #10 Evansville (9-20, 3-15) 8:30 pm
Friday, March 5 -- Session II (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 3 -- #1 Northern Iowa (25-4, 15-3) vs. Winner Game 1 Noon
Game 4 -- #4 Creighton (16-14, 10-8) vs. #5 Bradley (15-14, 9-9) 2:30 pm
Friday, March 5 -- Session III (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 5 -- #2 Wichita State (23-8, 12-6) vs. Winner Game 2 6 pm
Game 6 -- #3 Illinois State (21-9, 11-7) vs. #6 Indiana State (17-13, 9-9) 8:30 pm
Saturday, March 6 -- Session IV (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 1:30 pm
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 4 pm
Sunday, March 7 -- Session V (game on CBS, Westwood One Radio and Sirius XM Radio)
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 1 pm
This Weekend
Creighton (16-14, 10-8 MVC) heads to St. Louis, Mo., for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on a season-long three-game winning streak, hoping it can win the next three games to claim yet another Valley Tournament title.
Tournament play starts on Thursday with two play-in games before four games on quarterfinal Friday.
Creighton’s first game will be Friday at 2:30 pm against the same team it beat last Saturday, Bradley (15-14, 9-9 MVC).
With a win, Creighton would play on Saturday at 1:30 pm against the winner of the Northern Iowa vs. Drake/Southern Illinois quarterfinal game.
The championship game is Sunday at 1 pm, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Scottrade Center (21,472) in St. Louis, Mo., will host all the tournament action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
T. Scott Marr and former Valley Tournament champion Nick Bahe will call the action.
Television Information
Friday’s game will be televised live by Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Metro Sports in Kansas City, DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 748, with Dan McLaughlin and Charlie Spoonhour on the call.
Coordinates for the game follow:
What: MVC Tournament Quarterfinals
When: Friday, March 5 -- 2:30 p.m. (Central)
Where: Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.
Clearances: Live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Metro Sports (Kansas City), DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 748.
On Air: 2:30 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17K - 13 - Digital Slot B
Band: Digital KU Band
Downlink Freq.: 11955.500 MHz Horizontal
Bandwidth: 9.0 MHz
Symbol Rate: 6.1113 Ms
Parameters: -- FEC 3/4
On-Air Talent: Dan McLaughlin (play-by-play), coach Charlie Spoonhour (analyst), Tom Ackerman (sideline)
Postgame Coordinates
The MVC, in conjunction with its television production company Metro Sports and KETC (St. Louis), will provide satellite feeds for the post-game press conferences for the tournament. Coordinates and uplink windows for games Friday and Saturday are as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17K - 21 - Channel A
Band: Digital KU
Bandwith: 9 Megahertz
Parameters -- FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 12106.5000 MHz Horizontal
Video Webcast Information
None of the MVC Tournament games will be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament games will have live stats. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com or www.mvc.org and look for the Live Stats links for the exact link.
Scouting Bradley
Bradley is 15-14 overall and finished tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 9-9 league record.
Andrew Warren (14.4 ppg.), Taylor Brown (14.1 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) and Sam Maniscalco (12.6 ppg.) give Bradley a high-scoring trio that have combined for 120 three-pointers. All three men also shoot better than 82 percent at the foul line. Brown poured in a career-high 27 points last Saturday at Creighton and scored 46 points in two meetings vs. the Jays this season.
Bradley shoots 44.2 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three-point land and 73.0 percent at the line. The Braves score and allow teams 67.9 points per game margin, and have been outrebounded by 2.1 boards per contest.
The Braves are 1-1 on neutral floors this season, including a win over No. 20 Illinois on Nov. 28th in Las Vegas.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton used a season-long three-game win streak to finish the regular-season with a 16-14 overall record and fourth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference after compiling a 10-8 league mark.
Center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton in scoring (13.0 ppg.), rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocks (1.4) per game while also knocking down 54.9 percent of his shots from the floor and 82.3 percent at the line.
Justin Carter (9.8 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and Darryl Ashford (7.8 ppg.) give Creighton a pair of athletic wings who can shoot from the outside or drive to the basket.
Sophomore point guard Antoine Young (6.6 ppg.) runs the show, leading the team with 87 assists and 23 steals. He had a career-high 22 points at Southern Illinois in Tuesday’s overtime victory, then added career-bests with eight assists and five rebounds in Saturday’s win over Bradley.
Creighton’s bench averages 26.1 points and 14.6 rebounds per game and is led by Cavel Witter (7.0 ppg.) and Ethan Wragge (6.6 ppg.). Redshirt freshman Josh Jones (3.7 ppg.) has also been a difference-maker of late, averaging 6.5 points in CU’s last 10 games. Wragge and Jones, however, have moved into the starting line-up for CU’s last three games, all Bluejay wins.
Creighton averages 69.6 points per game and shoots 44.0 percent from the floor, 32.8 percent from downtown and 70.7 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 68.0 points per game and 42.0 percent shooting.
The Jays outrebound teams by 0.3 boards per game and has beaten six straight foes on the glass.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton’s Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 325-174 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 408-241 (.629) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton’s all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC’s All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team’s graduate manager.
Jim Les (Bradley, 1986) owns a 141-119 (.542) record in his eighth year at his alma mater, which also doubles as his career record. Les was named 1986 MVC Player of the Year and played seven seasons in the NBA. He is assisted by Eric Buescher, Alvin Brooks III and Kyle Vogt.
Series History With Bradley
Creighton leads the all-time series with Bradley by a narrow 41-39 margin, using six straight wins to take the all-time series lead for the first time ever. Much of that difference has been made up in the past nine years, as the Jays have won 18 of the past 21 meetings.
Creighton and Bradley have split four neutral site games, and the Braves lead 4-3 in the seven previous Valley Tournament encounters.
In the last 29 meetings between the schools, Creighton is 15-1 when holding Bradley to 65 points or less but 6-7 when it allows more than 65 points. Creighton has also won the last 22 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against BU.
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 22-13 all-time against Bradley and 15-3 against Jim Les.
A complete series history against Bradley can be found on page seven of this release.
MVC Tournament History
Creighton owns a 36-18 all-time record in MVC Tournament games. Creighton’s 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its 36 wins and .667 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops.
Creighton is 16-11 in the quarterfinals, 10-6 in the semifinals and 10-1 in the championship games.
History As A Fourth Seed
Creighton is 6-5 all-time as the fourth seed, including a 3-1 record against Bradley (wins in 1984, 2000 and 2008, and a loss in 2006).
Creighton’s 2000 team beat Bradley 71-62 in the quarterfinals en route to a title, something this year’s team is looking to do as well.
That 2000 Bluejay team is the only one in MVC history to win the league tournament as a fourth seed.
One Game At A Time
Creighton has won the MVC Tournament seven of the last 10 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 11 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 11 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (9), Winthrop (8), Duke (8) and Creighton (6).
Creighton’s 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Top-Notch Coach
Creighton’s Dana Altman ranks among the top coaches in MVC Tournament history. Altman’s six titles and 21 wins are the most of any coach in league history, and his .724 winning percentage is third all-time among coaches with six or more games under their belt.
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Wins
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Dana Altman, CU 21 8 .724 6
Rich Herrin, SIU 17 8 .680 3
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Barry Hinson, MSU 11 9 .550 0
Jim Molinari, BU 11 10 .524 0
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Titles
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Dana Altman, CU 21 8 .724 6
Rich Herrin, SIU 17 8 .680 3
Kevin Stallings, ILS 9 4 .692 2
Tom Apke, CU 5 2 .714 2
Tony Barone, CU 8 4 .667 2
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Win Pct.
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Charlie Spoonhour, MSU 5 1 .833 1
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Dana Altman, CU 21 8 .724 6
Tom Apke, CU 5 2 .714 2
Kevin Stallings, ILS 9 4 .692 2
The Altman Invitational?
Need another reason why Dana Altman’s teams are among the most dangerous at Arch Madness?
Altman owns a 21-8 MVC Tournament record, including six titles, in 14 trips.
The league’s other nine active coaches have combined for a 21-23 record and two titles in 25 trips.
Ring Bearers
Creighton’s current coaching staff and players have combined for 19 MVC Tournament championship titles.
That includes three current student-athletes (Chad Millard, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Casey Harriman) from CU’s last title run in 2007, though all redshirted that campaign.
Here’s a breakdown of how many championships each person has been a part of:
Name Titles Won Years
Dana Altman 6 1999, 2000, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07
Darian DeVries 6 1999, 2000, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07
Todd Eisner 2 1989, ‘91
Brian Fish 2 2005, ‘07
Chad Millard 1 2007*
Kenny Lawson Jr. 1 2007*
Casey Harriman 1 2007*
Note: *indicates player’s redshirt year at CU
Quick Rematch vs. Braves
Creighton will open MVC Tournament play against the same team it closed the regular-season with, Bradley. This has happened five times previously, including four times under Dana Altman.
In each of the previous four occurrences, the teams had the same result in the MVC Tournament as they did in the regular-season finale.
Year Opponent Reg. Season MVC Tourney
2010 Bradley W 82-71 ? ? ?
2008 Bradley W 111-110 W 74-70
2005 Illinois State W 64-59 W 69-52
2001 Missouri State W 72-48 W 63-41
1998 Bradley L 63-76 L 68-76
1984 Bradley L 61-67 W 50-40
Three-Game Sweep?
Already 2-0 against Bradley this season, Creighton will be looking to go 3-0 against the Braves on Friday at the Valley Tournament. Creighton has never previously beaten Bradley three times in one campaign.
Creighton has won both regular-season meetings from an eventual MVC Tournament opponent 16 times. The Jays have then gone 14-2 in the Valley Tournament against those teams.
Those 16 meetings have come over the course of 13 different tournaments. CU won nine of those 13 tournaments, including the last four such occasions and six of the past seven.
CU 2-0 Reg.-Season, Then MVC Tourney Meeting
Year Opponent MVC Tourney Score Title?
1978 Indiana State CU 54-52 Yes
1979 S. Illinois SIU 71-67 No
1980 Drake CU 86-80 No
1981 Indiana State CU 64-61 Yes
1989 Indiana State CU 85-70 Yes
1989 Drake CU 54-49
1989 S. Illinois CU 79-77
1990 Wichita State CU 70-66
1991 Drake CU 77-58 Yes
1991 S. Illinois CU 71-66
1999 Missouri State CU 78-70 Yes
2001 Indiana State ISU 87-74 No
2002 Illinois State CU 90-63 Yes
2003 Indiana State CU 57-56 Yes
2005 Wichita State CU 70-60 Yes
2007 Missouri State CU 75-58 Yes
Back-to-Back Days = Wins
One of the benefits to Dana Altman's frequent substitution patterns is that it keeps plenty of fresh legs on the bench. That strategy works best when Creighton enters tournament play requiring it to play on back-to-back days.
Since the start of the 1998-99 season, Creighton owns 17-1 record on the first day of events they have played back-to-back games in. They are 14-4 during the second day of back-to-back games, and 6-2 when playing on a third-straight day.
The Jays have won three games in three days at six of the last 11 Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments.
They have also won back-to-back games four different times in Guardians Classic action and once in the Las Vegas Classic without a loss.
What A Win Would Mean
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
-Improve to 17-14 on the season, and win its season-high fourth straight game.
-Win at least one game at the MVC Tournament for the fourth straight season, The Valley’s longest active streak.
-Improve to 23-5 in MVC Tournament action since 1999.
-Reach the semifinals for the 10th time in the past 12 seasons.
-Improve to 17-11 in quarterfinal round action of the MVC Tournament.
-Improve to 37-18 at the MVC Tournament all-time, tops in wins and winning percentage (.673) in the event’s history.
-Give The Valley’s No. 4 seed a quarterfinal round win for the fourth straight year.
-Head coach Dana Altman would improve to 22-8 in MVC Tournament games, extending his league record for tournament victories.
Hall of Fame Weekend For Kyle Korver
Former Creighton men’s basketball standout Kyle Korver (1999-2003) is entering the MVC Hall of Fame this weekend. He will be inducted on Friday at an 8:30 am breakfast ceremony held in the Scottrade Center’s Bud Light Zone (tickets required).
The MVC Hall of Fame, now in its 13th year, is also inducting former Southern Illinois men’s basketball coach Rich Herrin and former Missouri State women’s basketball coach Cheryl Burnett.
Korver earned All-America honors each of his final two seasons at Creighton and played on three teams that won the MVC Tournament (2000, 2002 and 2003). A two-time MVC Player of the Year (2002, 2003), Korver ranks fifth in Creighton history with 1,801 career points and owns The Valley record with 371 career three-pointers. He remains the only player to be named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player more than once (2002, 2003). He is currently in his seventh year in the NBA, and third season with the Utah Jazz.
Altman To Coach In 500th Game At CU
Friday will mark the 500th game of Dana Altman’s Creighton head coaching career, and his 650th of his Division I coaching career.
Altman owns a 408-241 career record and is 325-174 with Creighton. Altman won the 400th game of his Bluejay career in the 2007 MVC Tournament championship game with a 67-61 victory over No. 11 Southern Illinois, as seen below:
Dana Altman’s Milestone Games at Creighton
Game No. W-L @ CU Opponent Date
1 1-0 CU 68, ORU 61 11/26/94
50 20-30 MU 63, CU 57 2/14/96
100 45-55 BU 61, CU 58 1/17/98
150 82-68 CU 89, NU 72 12/9/99
200 116-84 CU 69, DU 44 2/7/01
250 155-95 CU 81, NU 73 12/21/02
300 194-106 SIU 68, CU 60 2/24/04
350 226-124 CU 71, ILS 52 1/5/06
400 260-140 CU 67, SIU 61 3/4/07
450 294-156 UNI 69, CU 66 1/6/09
499 325-174 CU 82, BU 71 2/27/10
Success In St. Louis
Creighton has won at least one game in the State Farm MVC Tournament in each of the past three years. That ranks as the MVC’s longest current active streak.
The only other streak of that length or better in Bluejay history came from 1999-2003, a span that saw the Jays claim four Arch Madness titles in five years.
Rare Bird
Kenny Lawson Jr. is putting together a spectacular season, with 390 points, 200 rebounds and 43 blocked shots so far this year.
Since Creighton began recording blocked shots in 1980-81, Lawson Jr. is just the fourth man in Bluejay history to accomplish more than 390 points, 200 rebounds and 40 blocks in the same season. Notably, each of the three men to also accomplish that feat played in the NBA.
390 Points, 200 Rebounds, 40 Blocks, Same Year
Name Year Pts. Reb. Blk.
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010 390 200 43
Anthony Tolliver 2007 443 220 57
Anthony Tolliver 2006 397 200 47
Chad Gallagher 1991 620 280 70
Chad Gallagher 1990 584 266 62
Benoit Benjamin 1985 688 451 162
Benoit Benjamin 1984 487 295 157
Benoit Benjamin 1983 400 259 92
Another Rare Bird
With 40 blocked shots and 31 three-pointers in his career, senior Chad Millard is one of the rare players in Creighton history who can both shoot the three-pointer as well as block shots inside.
In fact, Millard is just the fourth player in Bluejay history with more than 30 blocks and more than 30 three-pointers in his career, joining a decorated group that consists of Rodney Buford, Kyle Korver and Dane Watts.
30+ Blocks, 30+ 3-Pointers, Career in CU History
Name Years 3FG’s Blocks
Chad Millard 2007-Pres. 31 40
Dane Watts 2004-08 144 54
Rodney Buford 1995-99 212 59
Kyle Korver 1999-03 371 58
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 junior Kaleb Korver is attempting to become the third member of his family to win a Valley Tournament title. Oldest brother Kyle won titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003 at Creighton, while older brother Klayton won a title at Drake in 2008.
-Creighton has not gone three 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 eight games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less.
-Creighton is 7-1 in its last eight MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
Entering On A Roll
Creighton enters the MVC Tournament with a three-game winning streak, the league’s longest active streak.
In its history, Creighton has five times previously headed to the Valley Tourney with a win streak of three or longer. The Jays won their first game each time and on three of those five occasions the Jays would win the tournament.
Entering MVC Tourney With 3-Game Win Streak
Year Win Streak MVC Tourney Result
2010 Won 3 ? ? ?
2009 Won 10 1-1
2005 Won 5 3-0 (Champs)
2001 Won 10 1-1
1999 Won 3 3-0 (Champs)
1991 Won 4 3-0 (Champs)
At Neutral Sites?
Creighton is 79-63 (.556) all-time at neutral sites, including a 36-22 (.621) mark under Dana Altman. Altman owns a 34-15 (.694) record in neutral site games that have not been part of the NCAA Tournament.
Can You Forecast This?
Even though the games are played indoors at Scottrade Center, the weather in the St. Louis metro area may play a bigger factor that you’d expect.
According to historical weather data found on www.almanac.com for St. Louis, consider the following information:
-Creighton is 13-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high temperature that day was 49 degrees or warmer.
-Creighton is 8-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high is 47 degrees or cooler.
-Creighton is 0-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games and the high that day was exactly 48 degrees.
The forecast for this weekend is supposed to be rather average for this time of year. Weather.com expects it to be 53 degrees on Friday, 51 degrees on Saturday, and 50 degrees on championship Sunday.
Deans of The Valley
Friday’s game features The Valley’s two longest-tenured coaches: Creighton’s Dana Altman (325 wins at Creighton in 16 seasons) and Bradley’s Jim Les (141 wins in eight years) have combined to win 466 games at their respective schools, while the league’s other eight head coaches have combined for 467 wins with their respective teams in 26 seasons.
Breakout Games vs. Bradley
Three Bluejay guards have experienced break-out games in the past against Bradley.
Earlier this year Josh Jones, in his first dose of extended playing time, had a then-career-high with 13 points in 21 minutes in a win at Bradley.
Last year Antoine Young broke into double-figures for the first time in his career with 13 points in a Jan. 10 road win at Bradley.
In 2008, Cavel Witter had a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points (double his previous high) in a 111-110 double-overtime win over Bradley, then followed it up with 15 points and eight assists in a four-point MVC Tourney victory over the Braves six days later.
Streaks Extended With A Clutch Week
Creighton needed two wins last week (at Southern Illinois, home vs. Bradley) to extend a pair of lengthy streaks, but got the needed wins.
-Creighton’s Valley-record streak of 14 straight seasons of 10 or more league wins. This year’s team finished 10-8.
-Creighton has been 3-3 or better in its final six MVC games in each of its last 15 seasons. This year’s team finished 3-3 in the last six games.
-Creighton has been 5-4 or better through each “half” of league play in 29 straight halves. This year’s team finished 5-4 in its final nine league games.
-Creighton has finished in fourth place or better in 13 straight seasons.
What It Takes For The Best Seeds
Since 1997 all 66 teams that had 10 more wins have had a top-six seed, and 77 of the 78 teams with nine or more league triumphs avoided the play-in round as well.
Below is a chart showing the average MVC record of each seed entering the tournament, as well as the best and worst mark for each seed.
Seed Avg. MVC Wins Best W-L Worst W-L
1 14.71 17-1 13-5
2 12.64 15-3 11-7
3 11.57 12-6 11-7
4 10.86 12-6 10-8
5 9.50 11-7 8-10
6 8.86 11-7 7-11
7 7.36 9-9 5-13
8 6.21 8-10 5-13
9 5.07 7-11 4-14
10 3.21 5-13 0-18
More Tourney Info
Below is a list of average seeds in the MVC Tournament since it expanded to include all 10 teams (1997).
Notably, Creighton is the only team to avoid the play-in round in the past 14 years, a span that has seen eight different schools to earn the top seed for Arch Madness.
Team Avg. Seed Best Seed Worst Seed
Creighton 3.00 1 6
Southern Illinois 3.71 1 9
Missouri State 4.79 2 10
Bradley 5.14 2 8
Illinois State 5.21 1 10
Wichita State 5.43 1 9
Northern Iowa 5.50 1 10
Evansville 7.07 1 10
Indiana State 7.43 1 10
Drake 7.71 1 10
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Nine of his last 13 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley’s regular-season race, with the other four finishing in the top four of the league standings. Two of Altman’s three previous teams that didn’t won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton’s MVC Finishes, Last 13 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Road Win Equals A Home Win?
Since 2002-03, all 21 times the Bluejays beat a Valley rival on the road before hosting the same team, Creighton has completed the sweep with a home victory, as seen below. Creighton added Evansville and Bradley to that list this season.
Year Opponent Road Mtg. Home Mtg.
2002-03 Illinois State 76-57 95-82
2002-03 Northern Iowa 65-52 84-75
2002-03 Bradley 65-58 88-65
2002-03 Indiana State 74-46 77-54
2003-04 Illinois State 56-55 72-63
2003-04 Bradley 66-49 74-56
2003-04 Indiana State 61-44 69-65
2004-05 Drake 61-58 82-67
2004-05 Northern Iowa 67-66 83-82
2005-06 Northern Iowa 55-52 63-55
2005-06 Indiana State 69-53 67-62
2006-07 Evansville 75-62 79-74
2006-07 Northern Iowa 62-54 66-55
2007-08 Wichita State 68-65 65-63
2007-08 Northern Iowa 68-59 74-50
2007-08 Missouri State 50-49 88-67
2008-09 Indiana State 79-61 73-62
2008-09 Bradley 73-64 79-65
2008-09 Evansville 79-57 89-84
2009-10 Evansville 72-64 84-71
2009-10 Bradley 73-68 82-71
Road Win Trio
Creighton has three road victories in The Valley this season, winning at Bradley, Southern Illinois and Evansville.
The Jays also won at all three schools last season.
Since Evansville joined the league in 1994-95, Creighton is the only team to earn road wins over those three schools in consecutive seasons.
Young Not Restless
Antoine Young had a (then) season-best with 13 points in Creighton’s Feb. 16th game at Northern Iowa. He also tied career-highs with four rebounds and three steals in the game while limiting preseason all-Valley counterpart Kwadzo Ahelegbe to six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Young followed that up with nine points in the Feb. 20th win over Loyola Chicago.
Young added a career-high with 22 points at Southern Illinois, including six of CU’s final eight points in overtime. He made seven field goals as well as 8-of-9 free throws in the win.
Most recently, Young had 12 points and career-highs with eight assists and five rebounds in last Saturday’s win over Bradley.
In Creighton’s last 11 games, Young is Creighton’s third-leading scorer at 9.3 points per game and tops the team with 37 assists and 13 steals in that time.
Point Taken
Antoine Young’s 22 points at SIU were a career-high for the sophomore point guard.
It was also the most by a starting Bluejay point guard since Johnny Mathies had 24 on Nov. 26, 2005 in double-overtime win vs. Dayton.
Closer Than You’d Think
While Northern Iowa guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe is being mentioned as a potential MVC Player of the Year candidate, some of his numbers aren’t too different than those of CU’s Antoine Young.
Statistic Ahelegbe Young
FG-FGA 100-258 73-176
FG Pct. .388 .415
3FG’s Made 20 10
Assists 81 87
Turnovers 89 40
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.91 2.18
Steals 19 23
Points/Minute 0.351 0.266
Rebounds/Minute 0.103 0.064
Assists/Minute 0.093 0.116
Double-Double Trouble
Kenny Lawson Jr. owns six double-doubles this season, tied for fourth-most in the MVC.
Below is a list of the individuals with Creighton’s most double-doubles under Dana Altman.
Most Double-Doubles, Season
(since 1994-95)
Double-Doubles Name Year
7 Rodney Buford 1997-98
6 Randall Crutcher 1996-97
6 Kyle Korver 2002-03
6 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
6 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2009-10
5 Chuckie Johnson 1995-96
5 Ben Walker 2000-01
Most Double-Doubles, Career
(since 1994-95)
Double-Doubles Name Year
11 Rodney Buford 1995-99
11 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
10 Kyle Korver 1999-03
9 Randall Crutcher 1994-97
9 Ben Walker 1997-01
6 Chuckie Johnson 1995-97
6 Dane Watts 2004-08
6 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
A Tradition of Win Streaks
Creighton has won three games in a row for the first time this season.
Creighton has had at least one five-game win streak in each of the past 12 seasons, and 20 such streaks overall in the 16-year tenure of Dana Altman.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 15 previous times they’ve had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven’t.
Below is a list of Creighton’s longest win streaks under Dana Altman.
Creighton’s Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
W’s Dates Postseason
12 Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27-March 3, 2001 NCAA
11 Jan. 27 - March 6, 2009 NIT
10 Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
9 Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998 NIT
9 Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999 NCAA
9 Dec. 2-31, 2008 NIT
8 Feb. 16-March 7, 2005 NCAA
7 Four Times
6 Four Times
5 Four Times
Tolliver Returns to NBA
Former Bluejay center Anthony Tolliver has signed a contract with Golden State that will last the rest of the season. Previously this year he played in two games for Portland. He has also spent time on NBA rosters with Cleveland, San Antonio and Charlotte since graduating from Creighton to all-Valley acclaim in 2007.
Tolliver has collected five double-doubles and is now averaging 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest for the Warriors.
He joins former All-American Kyle Korver as Bluejay alumni currently in the NBA. Korver plays for the Utah Jazz, and is averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game this year while shooting 59.6 percent from three-point range.
Comparing AT to P’OB
How impressive is Anthony Tolliver's run with Golden State? Let's compare to fellow Valley alum Patrick O'Bryant, who went to Bradley.
In 20 games with Golden State, Tolliver has 200 points and 122 rebounds. He has had five double-doubles and had a career-high of 29 points on Feb. 10 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.
In 40 career games with Golden State (after being selected with the ninth overall pick in 2006), O'Bryant had 66 points and 50 rebounds. He never had an NBA double-double or scored more than 16 points.
And in case you were wondering, in five head-to-head meetings in college, O'Bryant averaged 8.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks compared to Tolliver's 12.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Tolliver's CU team won three of those five games.
Defense Stepped Up
Creighton made just one field goal in the final 9:20 of the game at Bradley on Jan. 27th, but its defense stood up to the test down the stretch in its Jan. 27 win, allowing just one point in the final 3:55 to the Braves.
Bradley had five different chances to tie the score or take the lead in the final three minutes. On each occasion, Creighton got the badly-needed defensive stop and/or rebound.
2:58 (CU 69-68) - Chris Roberts misses FT, rebound goes out of bounds to the Jays.
2:23 (CU 69-68) - Ethan Wragge picks off Andrew Warren pass.
1:13 (CU 71-68) - Chris Roberts misses three-pointer, Chad Millard grabs rebound.
0:19 (CU 71-68) - Andrew Warren misses three-pointer, Antoine Young grabs rebound.
0:10 (CU 71-68) - Sam Maniscalco misses three-pointer, Justin Carter grabs rebound.
Nine Weapons
Creighton is the only team in the country to have nine different players with 10 or more three-pointers this season. That ties a school-record as the Bluejays previously did that in both 2007-08 as well as 2005-06.
No other MVC school has more than seven players with 10 three-point makes this year.
Creighton is also the nation’s only school with eight players to have made 15 or more three-pointers this season.
Lawson Jr. Attending Boarding School
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton with 200 rebounds this season, and now has 517 in his career. That makes Lawson CU’s first junior to reach the 500-rebound milestone since former Valley Player of the Year Chad Gallagher in 1989-90.
Lawson, who also owns 127 career blocks, is the first Bluejay junior with 125 career blocks since Benoit Benjamin (1984-85).
Boffo On The Boards
Creighton has outrebounded the opposition in each of its last six games, its longest stretch since doing so in seven straight games in 2006-07.
For the season, Creighton is outrebounding teams by an average of 34.7 - 34.4 per game.
The Jays 34.7 rebounds per game matches its highest figure for a season since 2001-02.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Creighton is 6-2 in Missouri Valley Conference games this season to have been decided by five points or less. Over the past two years, that record improves to 9-3.
In the history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton is 19-5 against MVC schools and 25-9 overall in games decided by five or less points.
Friday’s foe, Bradley, went 3-4 in league games decided by five or fewer points this year.
For the season, 31 of the MVC’s 90 games were decided by five points or less.
Give Me Five
Creighton’s has used eight different starting line-ups this season, including the quintet of Josh Jones, Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson Jr., Antoine Young and Ethan Wragge the past three wins.
Each of the last four times Creighton has used six or more different starting five’s (2007, 2002, 2000, 1999) over the course of a season, that team has reached the NCAA Tournament.
Below is a list of the number of different starting line-ups by season in the past dozen years by Creighton.
Year Different Starting Line-ups
2009-10 8
2008-09 5
2007-08 5
2006-07 5
2005-06 4
2004-05 6
2003-04 2
2002-03 2
2001-02 6
2000-01 4
1999-00 7
1998-99 8
Freshmen Get First Starts
Two Bluejay freshmen made their first career starts on February 20th vs. Loyola Chicago, Josh Jones and Ethan Wragge.
It was the first time that Creighton started two freshmen in the same game since March 21, 2008, when Kenny Lawson Jr. and P'Allen Stinnett both started at Florida.
With Antoine Young (Bellevue) and Jones (Omaha) in the starting line-up, it marked the first time since March 16, 2000 that the Jays started two Omaha-area preps in the same game. In that game vs. Auburn, Omaha natives Matt West and Donnie Johnson both started.
Army of Iowans
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 507 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton had two 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 include juniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella).
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).
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 115 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 97-18 (.843) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 22-0 figure on Wednesday’s, a 6-0 mark on Thursday’s and a 1-0 mark on Friday’s.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 8,494-7,182 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.4 points per game. The 18 losses have been by a combined 99 points (5.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 25 different times, including six times this year.
Helping Hands
Creighton had 21 assists on 25 baskets in its Feb. 9 win over Indiana State, including all 11 first half baskets.
Since January 27, 2009, Creighton is 19-1 against MVC schools when recording 11 or more assists, and just 2-8 when its assist total is 10 or less.
This year’s Creighton team averaged 15.2 assists in its 10 league wins, but just 8.8 helpers in its eight league setbacks.
For the season Creighton is averaging 13.7 assists per game, a figure that moves to 12.3 in league play.
It assists on 63.8 percent of made field goals in wins, and just 49.5 percent in its losses.
Lawson The Law At The Stripe
Kenny Lawson Jr. has made 42 of his last 46 free throws and had his streak of consecutive makes snapped at 19 on Feb. 9 vs. Indiana State. He had been seeking to become the first Bluejay in recorded history to stand 6-foot-9 or taller and make 20 or more straight shots at the line.
Among Bluejays with 20 or more attempts this year, Lawson shoots a team-best 82.3 percent at the line. He is a career 75.5 percent free throw shooter.
Wragge Sinking Shots
Freshman forward Ethan Wragge has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 17 games, the longest streak by any Bluejay this winter.
Wragge’s streak establishes the Creighton record by a freshman, breaking the mark of 12 previously held by Rodney Buford from Jan. 12 - Feb. 14, 1996.
It’s the longest streak by a Bluejay (regardless of year) since senior guard Booker Woodfox closed last season with a trey in his final 31 contests.
Below is a streak of the MVC’s longest active streaks of games with a three-pointer:
Consec. Games With a 3-Pointer (MVC - Active)
Streak Name, School Next
21 Tony Freeman, SIU 3/4
17 Ethan Wragge, CU 3/5
17 Adam Templeton, DU 3/4
Below is a chart comparing the freshmen years of Wragge and Kyle Korver:
Stat Wragge Korver
Team W-L 16-14 23-10
Games Started 3 1
Points/Game 6.6 8.8
FG-FGA 63-145 97-204
FG Pct. .434 .475
3-Point FG-FGA 56-134 63-145
3-Point Pct. .418 .434
FT-FTA 16-19 34-38
FT Pct. .842 .895
Rebounds/Game 2.3 3.1
MInutes/Game 15.0 18.2
Three-Mendous!
Speaking of Ethan Wragge, his 56 three-pointers lead Creighton this season and put him in some elite company.
Kyle Korver (in 1999) and Ryan Sears (in 1997), who both made 63 three-pointers to set the Bluejay record for freshmen, are Creighton’s only freshmen in school history to make more three-pointers than Wragge.
Toughest Thing In Basketball
Did you realize that Creighton has as many true road wins this season as the combined total of true road wins by South Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and DePaul this year?
It’s often been said that winning on the road is the toughest thing to do in college sports, and this year’s Creighton team has found that out.
After going 8-4 on the road last winter, Creighton is currently 3-9 in true road games this year.
The Bluejays have plenty of company in their struggles away from home, as 10 BCS schools (of 73 BCS schools total) entered this week with one or fewer true road wins this season:
BCS Schools, 1 or Less True Road Wins, 2009-10
(Through Feb. 28, 2010)
School Home W-L Road W-L
DePaul 6-7 0-11
Georgia 12-3 0-10
LSU 10-7 0-8
Colorado 12-2 1-10
South Carolina 11-4 1-9
Rutgers 13-5 1-8
Nebraska 12-5 1-8
Iowa 9-9 1-8
Oklahoma 11-3 1-7
Indiana 7-9 1-7
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached last season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school has ever put together more than six straight 20-win seasons.
There’s no doubt that this streak appears to be in serious jeopardy, with Creighton entering the MVC Tournament and just 16 wins to date:
Creighton is one of six teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 11 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. All but Creighton (currently 16-14) have already reached 20 wins this year.
10 Conference Wins x 14
This season’s Creighton team has extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 14th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman’s arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (16).
Postseason x 12
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 12 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is two more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 12 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Below is a look at how those teams have done so far this year, through Feb. 28th:
Team W-L Record Next Game
Kansas 27-2 3/3
Kentucky 27-2 3/3
Syracuse 27-2 3/2
Duke 25-4 3/3
Gonzaga 24-5 3/2
Michigan State 22-7 3/4
Maryland 21-7 3/3
Oklahoma State 20-8 3/3
Florida 20-9 3/2
Creighton 16-14 3/5
Arizona 14-14 3/4
Stanford 13-16 3/6
Jays Pass 1.6 Million Fans at Qwest Center
Creighton moved over the 1.6 million fan mark at Qwest Center Omaha in its Feb. 9 home game vs. Indiana State.
Creighton has attracted 1,647,557 fans in 115 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,327 per contest.
How impressive is that average? No other league school has ever drawn more than 13,675 fans per game for a season and none of the league’s other nine current venues has a capacity of 11,600 or greater.
Creighton men’s basketball team has drawn 238,247 fans to Qwest Center Omaha this season. The Jays are the only team in MVC history to attract 200,000 or more home fans in a season, something it has done each of the past five seasons.
State and Local Pride
When Josh Jones (14) and Antoine Young (12) each scored in double-figures on Feb. 3rd vs. Evansville, it marked a rare daily double.
The last time two Nebraska prep products had scored in double-figures in the same game for Creighton was March 5, 2000, when Matt West (11) and Justin Haynes (10) did so versus Indiana State in the MVC Tournament.
The last time two Omaha-area prep products scored in double-figures in the same game for Creighton was Dec. 22, 1997, when West (14) and Kevin Mungin (13) did so at Towson.
Lights Out Shooting
Creighton shot a school-record 66.7 percent from the field in its Feb. 3 win over Evansville, sinking 28-of-42 shots.
The mark eclipsed the previous Bluejay single-game record of 65.9 percent vs. Drake on Jan. 9, 2007, when CU was 29-of-44.
Below is Creighton’s top-five shooting performances under Dana Altman:
Best FG Percentage, Game, Under Dana Altman
Rk. Pct. Opponent (FG-FGA) Date
1. .667 Evansville (28-42) 2/03/10
2. .659 Drake (29-44) 1/09/07
3. .654 Evansville (34-52) 2/28/00
4. .643 Illinois State (27-42) 1/01/07
5. .636 Evansville (28-44) 2/02/97
Speaking of 60 Percent
Creighton has shot 60 percent or better from the field 14 times in 499 games under Dana Altman.
CU has done it four times each against Drake, Evansville and Illinois State and once each versus Notre Dame and Wichita State.
Jays Win 10 Games at Home, Again
Creighton’s win over Evansville on Feb. 3rd was its 10th home victory this season. This is the 14th straight season it has accomplished that feat.
The current streak of 14 is a school-record, two 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.
Handful Of Options
Creighton had five men score in double-figures in its Feb. 3 win over Evansville, just the fourth time it has done that this season.
All four times it has happened, Cavel Witter has been a part of that group.
The Bluejays haven’t had six men in double-figures since Dec. 29, 2001 vs. Mississippi Valley State.
That contest was also the second time this season that Creighton had three reserves score in double-figures in the same game.
Altman Earned 200th MVC Win
Dana Altman owns 203 career wins against Missouri Valley Conference schools since arriving at Creighton, a figure that includes 182 regular-season wins and a league-record 21 MVC Tournament triumphs.
He was also 3-1 against the MVC while serving as head coach at Kansas State, with all four games taking place against Wichita State.
Bench Getting It Done
Creighton’s bench has outscored the opposition 241-177 over the past 10 games, including a 30-3 differential on Jan. 30 at Drake.
What makes that figure all the more impressive is that Creighton played its game at Drake without Darryl Ashford (7.8 ppg.) and played all 10 without P'Allen Stinnett (9.2 ppg.).
Creighton’s bench has outscored the opposition 784-639 (+145) this season and 2925-1849 (+1,076) since the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
The Bluejays have ranked in the top-four nationally in minutes played by their bench in two straight years, and are third nationally this season.
Jones Provides Instant Offense
Redshirt freshman Josh Jones had 20 points in Creighton’s first 20 games of the season, but has pumped in 65 points in the last 10 games.
Jones started just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6 percent) this year, but has made 24-of-50 shots (48.0 percent) over the past 10 contests.
On Jan. 27 at Bradley, Jones hit 5-of-8 shots and scored then-career-high 13 points. His 21 minutes were also a career-high effort.
Jones then scored six points in 19 minutes at Drake on Jan. 30, including a three-pointer with 8:53 left that produced the game’s only tie.
Jones then erased several career-highs on Wednesday in the win over Evansville, scoring 14 points in 23 minutes in the victory over the Purple Aces.
Jones followed with 10 points off the bench on Feb. 6 at Missouri State on 4-of-6 shooting.
In Creighton’s first nine MVC games, Jones’s experience in league play consisted of one (missed) shot and no points in less than nine minutes (8:50) on the floor.
Jones’ breakout performance at Bradley reminded some of that of Antoine Young last year at Bradley, when Young scored a then-career-high 13 points.
Young averaged 7.4 points in 17.8 minutes per game from that Bradley game on after averaging just 1.8 points in 9.7 minutes per game in CU’s first 16 contests a year ago. He would go on to earn MVC all-Bench Team accolades.
Room To Grow
With eight returners (P'Allen Stinnett, Kenny Lawson Jr., Justin Carter, Cavel Witter, Antoine Young, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman and Chad Millard) back from last year’s 27-8 team, one of the expected strengths of this year’s squad was to be its offensive productivity.
However, despite increased playing time compared to last year, those same eight men have seen their numbers decrease almost across the board, shooting 0.8 percent better from the field, 5.2 percent lower from three-point range and 2.3 percent lower from the line, which has led to that group averaging 0.1 fewer points per game in 0.8 more minutes per game.
Stat 2008-09 2009-10
FG-FGA 578-1340 481-1095
FG% .431 .439
3FG-3FGA 176-509 111-377
3FG% .346 .294
FT-FTA 410-555 333-465
FT% .739 .716
Games Played 268 218
Points 1742 1406
PPG 6.5 6.4
Minutes 4901 4161
MPG 18.3 19.1
Captain Charge
Casey Harriman has taken 19 of the 42 charges taken by Creighton this season, doing so while playing in just 27 games this winter. Over the previous seven seasons, the Bluejays have averaged taking 49.2 per year.
Below is a list of the CU players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season, as well as season and career leaders since ‘02-03.:
Name 2002-08 ‘08-09 ‘09-10 Total
Casey Harriman 17 8 19 44
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 5 5
Antoine Young n/a 4 4 8
Justin Carter n/a 9 3 12
Cavel Witter 3 0 3 6
Wayne Runnels n/a n/a 3 3
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Chad Millard 7 4 1 12
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 1 7
Kaleb Korver 0 3 1 4
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Former Players 264 11 n/a 275
Total 298 47 42 387
Most Charges Taken, Season
(since 2002-03)
Charges Name Year
23 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
19 Casey Harriman 2009-10
17 Mike Grimes 2002-03
17 Anthony Tolliver 2005-06
17 Casey Harriman 2007-08
17 Dane Watts 2007-08
Most Charges Taken, Career
(since 2002-03)
Charges Name Year(s)
49 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
44 Casey Harriman 2007-Pres.
43 Dane Watts 2004-08
24 Joe Dabbert 2002-04
22 Mike Grimes 2002-04
21 Tyler McKinney 2002-05
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 102-year history of the MVC. The Jays also set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton averaged 15,930 fans (12th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
This year’s Creighton team is averaging 15,883 fans per game so far, which ranks 10th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 2/28/10)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 24,096 3/7
2. Syracuse 21,934 3/2
3. Louisville 19,356 3/6
4. Tennessee 19,103 3/3
5. North Carolina 18,493 3/2
6. Wisconsin 17,230 3/3
7. Memphis 16,806 3/6
8. Maryland 16,715 3/3
9. Kansas 16,441 3/3
10. Creighton 15,883 --
11. Illinois 15,497 3/7
12. Marquette 15,351 3/2
13. Indiana 15,172 3/6
14. Michigan State 14,759 3/4
15. Texas 14,543 3/1
2008-09 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,012
2. Syracuse 21,044
3. North Carolina 21,035
4. Tennessee 20,483
5. Louisville 19,397
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 17,048
8. Memphis 16,933
9. Kansas 16,350
10. Marquette 16,200
11. Arkansas 16,043
12. Creighton 15,930
13. Illinois 15,498
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
238,247 so far Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,883 so far Creighton 2009-10
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
League’s Best, At Home
Since Qwest Center Omaha opened in the 2003-04 season, Creighton owns the most home wins (97) and best home winning percentage (.843) among all Missouri Valley Conference schools.
In MVC-only action, Creighton’s 51 home wins and .810 home winning percentage both are tied for best in The Valley in that time.
MVC Home Records, Since 2003-04
School All Home MVC Home
Creighton 97-18 51-12
Missouri State 89-27 43-20
Wichita State 88-25 46-17
Bradley 87-26 43-20
Northern Iowa 84-22 47-16
Southern Illinois 83-17 51-12
Illinois State 82-27 40-23
Drake 69-40 34-29
Indiana State 62-38 32-31
Evansville 60-46 27-36
MVC Road Records, Since 2003-04
School All Road MVC Road
Northern Iowa 50-41 34-29
Southern Illinois 48-48 33-30
Creighton 39-48 31-32
Wichita State 39-49 24-39
Missouri State 35-59 19-44
Drake 31-54 20-43
Bradley 31-65 19-44
Illinois State 30-61 17-46
Indiana State 20-75 11-52
Evansville 16-78 8-55
Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton finished 10-8 in the MVC, including a 3-3 mark in its final six games.
This is the 15th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of time the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
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
1994-95 3-9 1-5
Total 122-70 (.635) 60-36 (.625)
18-11-7 In The Same Game?
Kenny Lawson Jr.rsquo;s monster game of 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots at Evansville on Jan. 3rd hasn’t been seen too often in the history of Creighton basketball.
To find the last player with to reach each of those categories in the same game, you’d have to go all the back way to Benoit Benjamin, who posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots at Bradley on Feb. 12, 1985.
Most impressively, Lawson stepped up when Creighton needed it most at Evansville. The junior center had six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in Creighton’s game-ending 12-4 run, which spanned the final five minutes.
Carter Loses Knee Brace, Play Improves
Justin Carter played his first nine games of the season with a brace on his left knee, the result of a partially torn MCL suffered when his knee buckled during the exhibition season. During that time, Carter averaged 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 25-of-58 from the field (43.1 percent) and 10-of-21 at the line (47.6 percent).
Carter shed his knee brace on January 1st, and his play has picked up since then. In the past 18 games, Carter has averaged 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. He’s shooting 69-of-143 from the field (48.3 percent) and 47-of-67 at the line (70.1 percent).
Over .500 In The MVC, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 29 straight trips through the league.
Creighton’s 29 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley’s longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (6), Northern Iowa (5), Wichita State (3) and Indiana State (1).
Here’s how Dana Altman’s clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
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
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 89-55 (.618) 93-51 (.646)
What’s Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 15 seasons, a streak it extended to 15 with a win on Jan. 24.
In fact, prior to this season, Creighton had won at least 13 of its first 20 games in 12 straight seasons, going on to reach the postseason each time.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s record after 20 games in the 16 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton -- First 20 Games Under Dana Altman
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2009-10 10-10 ? ? ? ? ? ?
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 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
Home Cooking
Creighton is 51-12 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.810), compared to a 31-31 (.500) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
Only five MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU) have ever won a game in the seven-year old Qwest Center Omaha. The other four Valley schools (BU, UE, INS, WSU) have an Omaha losing streak of 10 or longer.
Below is a look at Creighton’s current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent CU Home Win Streak CU W-L at QCO
Bradley Won 12 7-0
Drake Won 1 5-2
Evansville Won 11 7-0
Illinois State Lost 1 4-3
Indiana State Won 11 7-0
Missouri State Won 5 6-1
Northern Iowa Lost 2 5-2
So. Illinois Won 3 3-4
Wichita State Won 17 7-0
Block Party
Kenny Lawson Jr.’s seven blocked shots against Evansville on Jan. 3rd were two more than his previous high and tie the most by any player in The Valley this season (Indiana State’s Josh Crawford also had seven swats at UE).
The last Creighton player with seven or more blocked shots in a game was Doug Swenson, who had eight rejections against UMKC on Nov. 18, 1998.
The last MVC player with seven or more blocks in a game was Bradley’s Patrick O’Bryant, who had nine vs. Tennessee Tech on Feb. 18, 2006.
The Creighton record for blocks in a game by one player is 12, set by Benoit Benjamin at Bradley on Feb. 2, 1985.
As a team, Creighton’s nine blocked shots were its most since it blocked nine shots against Evansville on Jan. 9, 2008 in a game played in Omaha. Lawson had three blocks in that game.
Creighton’s Most Blocked Shots (Since 1979-80)
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
127 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
Young With The Winner
Antoine Young delivered Creighton’s first game-winning shot of the season, connecting on a six-foot shot from the right side of the lane to beat Southern Illinois on Jan. 13th, 71-69.
It was the first time that Creighton hit a game-winning shot in the final five seconds of a game since Booker Woodfox’s buzzer-beater to top Wichita State last March 6. Woodfox hit a shot as time expired to beat the Shockers, 63-62.
Creighton hadn’t won a game after being in that kind of situation (with the ball in a tie game with less than 10 seconds left) since Nov. 25, 2006. On that day Dane Watts made two free throws with 7.5 seconds left to beat George Mason, 58-56.
Ironically enough, Creighton was in the exact same situation in the rematch with Southern Illinois on Feb. 23rd. On that occasion, Young and Kenny Lawson Jr. would miss potential game-winning shots, but the Jays would win in overtime.
Altman Earns 400th Division I Win
Dana Altman earned his 400th win as a Division I head coach on Jan. 13 when his team beat the same club he topped for his 100th and 200th career Division I victories, Southern Illinois.
Altman owns a 408-241 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 325 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
Altman has a 325-174 mark in 16 years at Creighton, an average of 20.3 wins per season. This is especially impressive when you consider that Creighton had just 24 wins total in the three seasons prior to his arrival.
Win # Game # Opponent Date
50 94 at UC-Santa Barbara 12/30/92
100 195 Southern Illinois 01/29/96
150 280 Illinois State 01/23/99
200 351 at Southern Illinois 02/10/01
250 414 Bradley 02/08/03
300 486 vs. Wichita State 03/06/05
350 559 Houston Baptist 12/17/07
400 636 Southern Illinois 01/13/10
Lawson Passes Board Test
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 14 rebounds in the Jan. 1st game at Indiana State. Not only was that a season-high, but it was also three more than his previous career-high of 11 boards. His 14 caroms are tied for second-most in the MVC this season.
Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, eight different Bluejays have had at least one game of 14 or more rebounds but no player has multiple games of 14 or more boards.
Most Rebounds, Game, Under Dana Altman
Reb. Name, Opponent Date
16 Donald Davenport vs. Missouri St. 1/21/95
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12/4/99
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 3/23/09
14 Rodney Buford vs. Northern Iowa 2/16/98
14 Doug Swenson vs. Towson 11/14/98
14 Brody Deren at Bradley 1/5/04
14 Anthony Tolliver at Bradley 1/31/07
14 Kenny Lawson Jr. at Indiana St. 1/1/10
Lawson Chasing Rebound Leaders Too
Kenny Lawson Jr. has 125 rebounds in his past 18 games, moving his season average to 6.7 rebounds per game. Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, the only player to average at least 7.0 rebounds for a season is Rodney Buford, who did it twice.
Buford averaged 7.3 boards per game in 1997-98, then followed that up by averaging 7.2 caroms per contest the following season.
40 Percent Barometer
Creighton is holding opponents to 42.0 percent shooting from the floor this season, seeking to hold the opposition under 40 percent for the year for the first time since the 1962-63 team held opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor (706-1795).
Over the last 16 years, Creighton has been extremely successful when holding opponents to 40 percent or lower shooting from the field, sporting a 146-20 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 8-3
2008-09 11-1
2007-08 10-2
2006-07 13-1
2005-06 10-3
2004-05 8-0
2003-04 8-1
2002-03 12-0
2001-02 9-1
2000-01 10-1
1999-00 11-0
1998-99 11-0
1997-98 8-1
1996-97 5-1
1995-96 8-4
1994-95 4-1
TOTAL 146-20
It’s About Time
Creighton is 16-7 in the Central Time Zone this season, 0-6 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone and 0-1 in the Mountain Time Zone. The Jays lost three times in Orlando, Fla., and single games at George Mason (in Fairfax, Va.), at Dayton (in Dayton, Ohio), at Indiana State (Terre Haute, Ind.) and at New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Before this season, Creighton had not played five or more games in the Eastern Time Zone of the same season since 1970-71 under the direction of Eddie Sutton. That 1970-71 season saw them play one game each in Charlotte, N.C., South Bend, Ind., Olean, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and two games in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Witter Wonderland
Senior guard Cavel Witter had his two best shooting nights of the season in consecutive home games in late December.
On Dec. 22nd against Houston Baptist, he made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and finishing with a season-best 18 points. Witter tied a personal best with four three-pointers (done twice previously) and did not have a turnover in 20 minutes of action.
Witter then had 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, to lead all scorers in the Northern Iowa game.
In his career, Creighton is 14-2 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 12.1 points per contest. Creighton is also 9-3 in games that Witter plays and does not commit a turnover.
Call It A Comeback
Dana Altman frequently urges his team to play hard all 40 minutes regardless of the score, whether they are up 10 points or down 10 points. In recent seasons Bluejay fans have seen plenty of comebacks, many of which have favored CU.
Each of the last eight times Creighton has lost a game it led by 10 points or more, it has come away from home. In that same span, Creighton has won eight home games and one road game (at Missouri State, last season) after trailing by 10 points or more.
The Jays are 81-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 38 straight wins.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 18-9 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 8-0 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 25-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.
Below is a chart showing how many times Creighton (or its opponent) overcame a 10-point deficit to win a game in the past six years:
Comebacks From 10 Points Down, Last 6 Years
CU Comebacks Opp. Comebacks
2009-10 1 3
2008-09 4 2
2007-08 4 2
2006-07 2 2
2005-06 6 1
2004-05 5 3
Total 22 13
Lawson Produces 25 & 10
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first player in The Valley to have 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game this year when he produced those numbers in Creighton's seventh straight regular-season home win over Nebraska on Dec. 6th.
The 25 points were seven more than Lawson's previous best, and his 10 rebounds were a season-high.
He’d owned 11 previous games of at least eight points and eight rebounds in the same contest before finally notching his first double-double in his 77th career contest.
He currently is leading Creighton with 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Lawson One Of Four
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first Creighton player since 1992 to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game against a school from one of the six major BCS football conferences. That dates back to when Mike Amos had 28 points and 17 rebounds against Nebraska.
Lawson was also just the fourth player in the Dana Altman era (1994-Present) with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game, joining Anthony Tolliver, Rodney Buford and Randall Crutcher. That list is below:
25 Points & 10 Rebounds, Under Altman
Name (Points, Rebounds) vs. Opp. Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. (25/10) vs. Nebraska 12/06/09
Anthony Tolliver (26/10) vs. Xavier 12/18/05
Rodney Buford (30/10) at Northern Iowa 12/30/97
Rodney Buford (28/11) at Drake 01/24/98
Randall Crutcher (25/12) at Illinois State 02/24/97
Junior Year, Game No. 7 A Big One
Creighton’s last center, Anthony Tolliver, took a big step forward in his junior season, something that Kenny Lawson Jr. seems to be doing as well.
Tolliver’s year-end stats in 30 games as a junior (13.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) are similar to those Lawson Jr. has put up (13.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) through 30 games.
Tolliver had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign, a home win over Xavier. Lawson had 25 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign on Dec. 6th, a home win over Nebraska.
Tolliver was named second-team all-MVC as a junior and first-team all-Valley as a senior. He finished his career with 1,004 points, 603 rebounds and 136 blocked shots.
Below are the numbers comparing Tolliver and Lawson by year, as well as through 99 career games.
Stat Tolliver Lawson Jr.
Freshman PPG 0.8 5.9
Freshman RPG 1.3 4.2
Freshman BPG 0.3 0.8
Sophomore PPG 4.2 8.5
Sophomore RPG 4.4 4.8
Sophomore BPG 0.7 1.6
Junior PPG 13.2 13.0
Junior RPG 6.7 6.7
Junior BPG 1.6 1.4
Points Thru 100 Games Played 682 896
Rebounds Thru 100 Games Played 443 517
Blocks Thru 100 Games Played 93 127
Wins Thru 100 Games Played 67 67
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 19-16 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 19 road wins are already more than all of last year (10).
In recent history, road success has translated into multiple bids in the NCAA Tournament.
Recent MVC Non-Conference Road Records
2008-09 -- 10-24 (1 NCAA, 2 NIT, 3 CIT, 1 CBI)
2007-08 -- 18-26 (1 NCAA, 3 NIT, 1 CBI)
2006-07 -- 19-20 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2005-06 -- 17-18 (4 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2004-05 -- 14-20 (3 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2003-04 -- 12-23 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
Winning From Within
Creighton beat Nebraska on Dec. 6th, despite making just 1-of-10 three-point shots. That snapped a streak of 74 straight games making four or more treys (the nation's fifth-longest active streak).
Creighton had made just one three-pointer in a game just once previously in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure at CU, on Jan. 20, 2007 vs. Southern Illinois.
Creighton's 531 straight games with at least one trifecta is the MVC's longest active streak.
20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had five individuals score more than 20 points this season (including Kenny Lawson Jr. four times), and two did it in a reserve role.
Justin Carter scored a career-high 21 points off the bench in the overtime setback to Michigan on Nov. 26th.
A day later, Ethan Wragge had a career-best 21 points off the bench against Xavier.
Before those two games, Creighton hadn’t had a player score 20 points off the bench since Cavel Witter had 25 points against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22, 2008.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 325. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,108 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Feb. 28th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 826-290 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 3/2
2. 785-219 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 3/3
3. 574-217 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 3/3
4. 439-236 Gary Williams, Maryland 3/3
5. 382-247 Bob McKillop, Davidson 3/5
382-273 Bob Thomason, Pacific 3/4
7. 379-339 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 3/1
8. 358-144 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 3/4
9. 329-135 Billy Donovan, Florida 3/2
329-275 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 3/2
11. 325-174 Dana Altman, Creighton 3/5
Tenure? He’s Got 16 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in his 16th season as head coach at Creighton. His 16 years at CU ranks 15th-longest nationally among active Division I head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs. Name, School
34 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
32 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
30 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
28 Don Maestri, Troy
26 Greg Kampe, Oakland
24 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
22 Bob Thomason, Pacific
21 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
20 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
17 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
16 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
15 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O’Hanlon, Lafayette
Keeping It Fresh
The 21 points scored by Ethan Wragge against Xavier were the most by a Bluejay freshman since P'Allen Stinnett had 22 points against Rhode Island on March 18, 2008. Stinnett had four games of 20 or more points as a freshman en route to sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors.
Wragge’s 21 points came in just 17 minutes. That made him the first CU player to score more than 20 points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
Wragge’s five three-pointers against Xavier were the most by a CU freshman since Stinnett had five three-pointers in a season-opening win over DePaul on Nov. 9, 2007.
27 Wins in 2008-09
Creighton tied for 15th nationally with 27 wins in 2008-09, and were one of 24 schools with 27 or more wins last season.
Last season Creighton became the only school from a top-10 league to ever win 26 or more games by Selection Sunday and not receive an NCAA Tournament bid.
Wins Schools
34 North Carolina
33 Memphis
31 Missouri, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut,
Michigan State
30 Duke, Villanova, Oklahoma, Utah State
28 Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Syracuse
27 Creighton, Davidson, LSU, Charleston, Siena Dayton, Purdue, Penn State, Kansas, Xavier
Looking To Fill Dotzler’s Shoes
Just like he did four years ago at Bellevue (Neb.) West High School, Antoine Young is looking to fill the shoes of four-year starting point guard Josh Dotzler.
In two exhibition games this fall, Young tied for the team lead with three steals, and had 13 assists without a turnover. In regular-season action, Young has 87 assists and 40 turnovers, good for a 2.18 assist/turnover ratio. He had more turnovers than assists in just one of CU’s 18 MVC games.
Last year Dotzler led the MVC in steals (70) and steals per game (2.0 spg.) while ranking fourth in the nation with a 3.46/1 assist/turnover ratio.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season and once this year, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 31 times in the last 10 seasons.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit 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
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
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
02/24/09 at Missouri State 13 W 65-59
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
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
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman’s 325 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 182 triumphs in regular-season conference games are second-most in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hickey entered the MVC Hall of Fame last March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
Coaches--Most Wins As MVC Member--All Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 486 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 337 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 325 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 182 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
Runnels Rebounds Into History
Junior transfer Wayne Runnels became the first Creighton player in 40 seasons to grab nine or more rebounds in each of his first two games as a Bluejay.
Believe it or not, that 1969-70 season saw three different men open their careers with consecutive games of nine or more rebounds.
Cyril Baptiste had five straight such games, Denny Bresnahan had three such games and Nate Stephens had at least two such games to begin their Creighton career.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 531 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That’s the longest active streak in the MVC.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 63 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more (at all venues), dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Decade Leaders
Creighton went an impressive 229-97 in the recently completed decade from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009.
Below is the stat leaders for the decade, with more detailed info available page 13 of these notes:
Category Stat Name
Games Played 135 Nate Funk
Games Started 119 Dane Watts
Minutes Played 3,686 Nate Funk
Points 1,754 Nate Funk
Points Per Game 14.9 Kyle Korver
Field Goals Made 621 Nate Funk
Field Goals Attempted 1,307 Nate Funk
Field Goal Percentage .635 Livan Pyfrom
3-Pt. Field Goals Made 360 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Attempts 779 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .468 Matt West
Free Throws Made 312 Nate Funk
Free Throws Attempted 410 Anthony Tolliver
Free Throw Pct. .894 Kyle Korver
Rebounds 686 Dane Watts
Rebounds Per Game 6.1 Ben Walker
Fouls 326 Dane Watts
Assists 430 Tyler McKinney
Blocked Shots 138 Brody Deren
Steals 196 Josh Dotzler
Among The Decade’s Best, Nationally
Creighton ranked among the nation’s best schools during the recently-ended decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranking 22nd nationally with 229 wins and 21st with a .702 win percentage. Below are those lists, as tabulated by STATS Inc., and Creighton Sports Information.
Most Wins (Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L
1. Duke 294-59
2. Kansas 284-67
3. Memphis 271-81
4. Gonzaga 266-64
5. Florida 260-87
6. Texas 256-89
7. Pittsburgh 255-84
8. Utah State 254-78
North Carolina 254-93
Syracuse 254-95
11. Illinois 253-92
Connecticut 253-87
13. Michigan State 249-95
14. Kentucky 246-93
15. Oklahoma 242-91
16. Xavier 239-92
17. Butler 236-87
Wisconsin 236-96
19. Kent State 234-101
20. Louisville 233-104
21. Arizona 232-104
22. Creighton 229-97
Oklahoma State 229-104
24. Western Kentucky 227-91
Ohio State 227-104
Best Win Percentage
(Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L Win %
1. Duke 294-59 .833
2. Kansas 284-67 .809
3. Gonzaga 266-64 .806
4. Memphis 271-81 .770
5. Utah State 254-78 .765
6. Pittsburgh 255-84 .752
7. Florida 260-87 .749
8. Connecticut 253-87 .744
9. Texas 256-89 .742
10. Illinois 253-92 .733
11. North Carolina 254-93 .732
12. Butler 236-87 .731
13. Syracuse 254-95 .728
14. Oklahoma 242-91 .727
15. Kentucky 246-93 .726
16. Michigan State 249-95 .724
17. Xavier 239-92 .722
18. Western Kentucky 227-91 .714
19. Wisconsin 236-96 .711
20. Stanford 227-96 .703
21. Creighton 229-97 .702
22. Kent State 234-101 .699
23. Louisville 233-104 .691
24. Arizona 232-104 .690
25. Oklahoma State 229-104 .688
MVC Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school for the recently completed decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton led the MVC overall with 229 wins and a .702 win percentage in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 31, 2009:
MVC Standings (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 125 54 .698 229 97 .702
Southern Illinois 130 50 .722 224 103 .685
Missouri State 97 82 .542 185 134 .580
Northern Iowa 92 89 .508 173 138 .556
Wichita State 88 92 .489 175 142 .552
Bradley 89 91 .494 171 150 .533
Illinois State 81 99 .450 161 146 .524
Drake 72 108 .400 145 162 .472
Indiana State 63 117 .350 129 178 .420
Evansville 62 118 .344 116 177 .396
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 1999-2000)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 6 4 0 0 10
Southern Illinois 6 2 0 0 8
Wichita State 1 3 1 0 5
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Northern Iowa 4 0 0 0 4
Missouri State 0 4 0 0 4
Illinois State 0 3 0 0 3
Indiana State 2 0 0 0 2
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Dance Regulars
Creighton is one of 20 schools to have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments during each of the past five decades.
Multiple NCAA Appearances, Last 5 Decades
Team 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s 00’s
Arizona State 4 2 2 2 2
BYU 2 3 5 5 7
Creighton 2 3 2 2 6
DePaul 2 3 9 2 2
Duke 4 2 7 9 10
Kansas 3 4 6 10 10
Kentucky 6 7 9 8 9
Louisville 4 6 8 7 7
Marquette 3 9 3 4 6
North Carolina 3 6 10 10 8
Princeton 7 2 4 6 2
Providence 3 5 2 3 2
Temple 2 3 5 10 4
Texas Tech 2 2 2 2 4
UCLA 7 10 5 10 8
Utah 3 3 3 7 6
UTEP 4 2 6 2 2
Villanova 3 4 8 6 5
Weber State 2 6 2 2 2
Western Kentucky 4 4 4 3 5
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report’s academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Avg. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
Coat, Food Drives A Success
The generosity of some Creighton Basketball fans has paid big dividends for the Siena Francis House in the preseason. More than 675 pounds of food and around 250 coats were collected in separate events connected with Bluejay basketball.
The food drives took place on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 as part of the open practices hosted at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Fans were invited to bring canned goods or other perishable items prior to both events. More than 675 pounds of food were collected.
On Nov. 8th as part of the team's exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha, fans could exchange new or slightly used coats for two tickets to Creighton's regular-season home opener on Nov. 17 against Florida A&M. Around 250 coats were gathered. Nu-Trend Cleaners then donated to the cause by cleaning of all coats before they were delivered to the Siena Francis House on Nov. 9th.
The Siena Francis House is Nebraska's largest shelter, serving homeless men, women and children for over 30 years.
Creighton also raised more than $11,000 in funds for those affected by the Haiti earthquake on Jan. 16th.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2009-10 season went on sale on October 26th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest 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). Tickets for the Dec. 6 Nebraska game were $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, for the fifth time in the seven-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2008-09 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.32 cumulative grade-point average over the 2008-09 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Creighton had three men’s basketball players earn Dean’s List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest 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 Qwest 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 Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
