Updated Creighton Bluejays Basketball Notes
2010-11 Season -- Game #33Saturday, March 5,
2011 --
1:30 pm
State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Semifinals
#5 Creighton Bluejays (19-13) vs. #1 Missouri
State Bears (24-7)
St. Louis, Mo. – Scottrade Center
(21,472)
Fox Sports Net Midwest – KXSP (Omaha’s
ESPN Radio – 590 AM)
Creighton Probable Starters
No. Name Ht. Pos. Yr. PPG RPG Hometown
00 Gregory Echenique 6-9 C So. 9.8 5.8 Guatire, Venezuela
3 Doug McDermott 6-7 F Fr. 14.3 7.6 Ames, Iowa
12 Jahenns Manigat 6-1 G Fr. 5.1 2.0 Ottawa, Ontario
15 Kaleb Korver 6-5 G Sr. 4.6 3.1 Pella, Iowa
30 Antoine Young 6-0 G Jr. 13.5 4.6 apg. Bellevue, Neb.
-This will be the 11th MVC Tournament meeting between Creighton and Missouri State, most of any match-up in event history. All 11 meetings have taken place since the tournament was moved to St. Louis in 1991. It would also be the fourth straight trip to Arch Madness for Greg McDermott in which he has faced the Bears (also 2004, 2005 and 2006 when McDermott coached UNI).
-After yesterday’s win, Creighton is now 37-19 all-time in the MVC Tournament. That’s the most wins (37) and best winning percentage (.661) in event history. Creighton’s 10 titles are also tops all-time. Creighton is 10-6 all-time in the semifinals.
-Creighton improved to 2-3 all-time as the fifth seed at the State Farm MVC Tournament after yesterday’s win. The only No. 5 seed in history to win the MVC Tournament was the 2001 Indiana State team, which upset top-seeded Creighton in the semifinals.
-Creighton is making its 10th semifinals appearance in the last 13 years. Missouri State has made nine semifinal appearances. No other league school has made more than seven in that time.
-Four of the last five No. 5 seeds to win in the quarterfinals would go on to upset the No. 1 seed in the semifinal round.
-After yesterday’s win, Creighton is now 8-1 in its last nine MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
-Creighton enters Saturday’s game with a 7-2 record all-time against No. 1 seeded teams at the MVC Tournament.
- Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 12 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (9), Winthrop (9), Duke (9) and Creighton (6). Creighton’s 10 Valley Tournament titles all-time are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
-Creighton has won its last nine games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less, including yesterday’s 60-57 nail-biter. Creighton had been 0-5 in games decided by three points or less this season before Friday.
-Missouri State has scored exactly 67 points in its last three meetings with Creighton, all Bears victories. Creighton has won seven straight meetings when scoring 68 points or more against MSU.
- Creighton’s current coaching staff and players have combined for nine MVC Tournament championship titles. That includes two current student-athletes (Kenny Lawson Jr. and Casey Harriman) from CU’s last title run in 2007, though both redshirted that campaign. 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.
-Today’s match-up guarantees that either Missouri State or Creighton will appear in the final for the 10th time in the last 15 tournaments. In the previous 14 years, Creighton is 6-0 in MVC Tournament championship games, while Missouri State is 0-5. The teams played each other in the final in both 2000 and 2005.
-In Creighton’s 19 wins this season, the bench has scored 410 points (21.6 ppg.), but in the 13 losses it’s scored just 144 points total (11.1 ppg.), with a high of 17. Creighton is 16-0 this season when its bench scores 18 points or more, but just 3-13 when it scores 17 or fewer. Creighton has won 21 straight games when it gets 18 points or more off the bench.
-Each of the previous three times Creighton lost in the quarterfinals, it would rebound to win the MVC Tournament the following season. Creighton lost in the 2010 MVC Tournament quarterfinals to Bradley.
With a semifinal win, Creighton would improve to 20-13 on the season, and move to 1-2 this season against Missouri State.
-Creighton would clinch its 12th 20-win season in the past 13 years.
-Creighton would improve to 38-19 all-time in MVC Tournament action. Both the 38 wins and the .667 win percentage would be tops in event history.
-Creighton would improve to 11-6 all-time in the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament.
-Creighton would improve to 7-4 against Missouri State in the MVC Tournament. The only other team with more than seven wins over any other opponent at Arch Madness is Illinois State’s eight triumphs over Drake.
-Creighton head coach Greg McDermott would improve to 7-4 in the MVC Tournament, including a 2-0 mark at Creighton and a 3-1 mark against Missouri State.
-For the season, Creighton is 9-0 when making more than 15 free throws, and has won 12 straight dating to last year when doing so.
-Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 567 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That’s the longest active streak in the MVC.
-Creighton has made the postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
-Creighton (currently 19-13) has won 20 or more games in 11 of the previous 12 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally. Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the previous 12 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 11 of the previous 12 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
-This year Creighton is averaging 15,026 fans per home game, which ranks 13th-best nationally. Creighton has finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous four seasons.
-Creighton has already placed three teams into the NCAA Tournament during the 2010-11 school year, as Bluejay teams in women’s soccer, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball have all made the “Big Dance” within the past month.
On a national basis, only 10 schools nationally can say this, an elite list that consists of Creighton, California, Duke, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State and UCLA.
Creighton men’s basketball has seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, most in the MVC in that time.
-The last time the teams met on January 22nd, Missouri State eked out a 67-66 victory in Springfield. Missouri State led for a total of 44 seconds in that contest, and never by more than one point, in a game that featured no ties. Creighton led by 15 points early in the second half of that game.
The first meeting this season, on January 4 in Omaha, saw the Bears rally from an 11-point second half deficit.
-The only time Missouri State has ever beaten Creighton three times in one season came in 1996-97.
-Creighton head coach Greg McDermott enters Saturday’s semifinal with 299 career wins as a head coach (299-208), one shy of 300. His next win will also mark the eighth time in 17 years as a head coach that he’s won 20 games in a season.
-Greg McDermott defeated Missouri State in double-overtime in the 2004 MVC Tournament championship game by a 79-74 count for UNI’s first Arch Madness title in program history. Erik Crawford, currently Creighton’s Director of Basketball Operations, had eight points in the title tilt for the Panthers.
- Creighton head coach Greg McDermott became the first coach in MVC history to coach multiple programs in the MVC Tournament. He is seeking to become the first 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.
-Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 19-13 mark so far this year, the second-most wins by any first-year coach in school history. Tom Apke went 20-7 in 1974-75. McDermott’s 19 wins are more than the combined number of first-year wins by his two predecessors, Dana Altman (7 in 1994-95) and Rick Johnson (9 in 1991-92).
-The McDermott’s are one of five father-son duos in college basketball this season. Other pairs include Ray McCallum Sr. and Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit), Ernie Zeigler and Trey Zeigler (Central Michigan), Dave Boots and Jordan Boots (South Dakota), and Bruce Pearl and Steven Pearl (Tennessee).
-Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn wrote a feature for the Jan. 20 edition of the magazine’s college men’s basketball pages that talks about Greg and Doug McDermott. Winn calls them “the most surprising father-son combination in Division I”. The story can be found on-line at http://tinyurl.com/si-mcd-story.
-Doug McDermott's eight double-doubles are the most in one season by a Creighton player since Nate King had nine double-doubles in 1993-94. McDermott's 243 rebounds are also the most by a Bluejay since Chad Gallagher had 280 in 1990-91. Currently second in the MVC with 7.6 rebounds per game, McDermott is seeking to join Valley Hall of Famer Bob Harstad (in 1988-89) as the only Creighton players to pace the MVC in rebounding over the course of an entire season. SIU’s Mamadou Seck finished the year averaging 8.1 rebounds per game.
-Doug McDermott’s 459 points are second-most in Creighton history by a newcomer. The only man ahead of him (Paul Silas had 551 in 1961-62) was a sophomore in his first year with the varsity since freshmen were ineligible to compete at the time.
-Cleo Littleton of Wichita State holds the league's freshman scoring record, notching 555 points in his first year with WSU in 1951-52. According to research by associate MVC commissioner Mike Kern, Doug McDermott joined Littleton and Cliff Levingston as the only freshmen in MVC history to have more than 400 points and 200 rebounds.
With 459 points this season, McDermott has already claimed Creighton’s freshman scoring record, passing Rodney Buford’s mark of 421 in 1995-96. Buford finished his career as Creighton’s all-time leading scorer.
MVC -- Top Scoring Freshmen, 400+ Points
Name, School (Year) Pts. Reb.
Cleo Littleton, Wichita State (1951-52) 555 231
Mitchell Anderson, Bradley (1978-79) 545 144
John S. Williams, Indiana St. (1982-83) 520 158
Shea Seals, Tulsa (1993-94) 470 182
Tarise Bryson, Illinois State (1998-99) 465 126
Doug McDermott, Creighton (2010-11) 459 243
Cliff Levingston, Wichita State (1979-80) 457 294
-Doug McDermott has averaged 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game so far this season. He ranks fourth in the MVC in scoring and is second in rebounding in all games. Since 1998-99, the only MVC player to have season averages at least 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game was Wichita State’s Jason Perez in 1999-2000, when the senior averaged 20.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.
-According to STATS Inc., Creighton freshman Doug McDermott was the nation’s only freshman to open the 2010-11 season by scoring in double-figures in each of his team’s first eight games. Additionally, McDermott is among the national freshmen leaders in double-figure scoring games and double-doubles, as seen below:
Double-Figure Scoring Games, Freshmen
Source: STATS Inc. • Through March 4, 2011
Streak Name, School Next Game
28 Brandon Knight, Kentucky 3/6
27 Doug McDermott, Creighton 3/5
27 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State 3/6
27 Tobias Harris, Tennessee 3/6
Most Double-Doubles, Freshmen (Nationally)
Source - STATS, Inc. - Through Feb. 27, 2011
D-D Name, School Next Game
14 Augustine Rubit, South Alabama 3/5
13 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 3/6
10 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 3/6
8 Doug McDermott, Creighton 3/5
8 Tobias Harris, Tennessee 3/6
8 Alex Francis, Bryant Done
-Freshman forward Doug McDermott owns eight double-doubles this season, the most in the MVC this season.
Most Double-Doubles, MVC Players, 2010-11
8 Doug McDermott, Creighton
7 Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois
5 Will Creekmore, Missouri State
-Jahenns Manigat took two charges on Friday, giving him a team-high 13 on the season. The rest of the team has taken 20 charges combined.
-Antoine Young ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring with 13.5 points per game. His team, however, sometimes succeeds when he takes on a secondary scoring role. Creighton is 14-2 this season when Young takes 11 field goal attempts or less. Young, who also leads the MVC with 4.6 assists per game, is seeking to become the first Valley player to lead the MVC in assists per game and finish in the top-10 in scoring since MVC Player of the Year Curt Smith from Drake in 1992-93.
-Creighton senior Kaleb Korver is attempting to become the third member of his family to win a Valley Tournament title as a senior. Oldest brother Kyle won titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003 at Creighton, while older brother Klayton won a title at Drake in 2008.
-Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver give Creighton a pair of alums in the NBA for the third straight year. Korver plays for the Chicago Bulls and is in his eighth year in the NBA, including previous stops in Philadelphia and Utah. Tolliver plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is in his third year in the NBA, including previous stops with Cleveland, San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland and Golden State. Creighton has now had an NBA player in 27 of the last 28 years, and 44 of 47 seasons since 1964-65. In addition, Creighton alum Paul Silas is the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
-Fifth-year senior Kenny Lawson Jr. has played in 136 games as a Bluejay, breaking a tie with Nate Funk for most in Bluejay history. Kaleb Korver, who has played in 128 games to date, will surpass oldest brother Kyle Korver (and MVC Hall of Famer Bob Harstad) for fourth in Bluejay history with 129 games on Friday.
Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
136 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
135 Nate Funk 2002-07
130 Dane Watts 2004-08
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
128 Kaleb Korver 2007-Pres.
-Kenny Lawson Jr.’s 18 points yesterday afternoon were the most he’s scored against an MVC opponent all season, and most against any foe since scoring 30 points and hauling down 18 rebounds on Dec. 11, 2010 against Saint Joseph’s. His four three-pointers tied a career-high, and his 4-for-5 showing from downtown was a Creighton record for an MVC Tournament contest with three or more attempts.
-Kenny Lawson Jr.’s 18 points were the most by a Bluejay reserve at the MVC Tournament since Joe Dabbert had 17 points vs. Missouri State on March 6, 2004.
-Kenny Lawson Jr.. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 724 rebounds, 149 blocked shots and 107 games started. He also ranks 21st in Creighton history on the all-time scoring list:
Most Points, Creighton History
Rk. 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. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
17. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
18. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
19. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
20. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
21. 1,246 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pr.
22. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
-Creighton had quite the haul of postseason awards earlier this week. Doug McDermott was named MVC Freshman of the Year, MVC Newcomer of the Year, first-team all-MVC and also had spots on the all-Newcomer and all-Freshman teams. He was the first freshman to be named first-team all-Valley since Wichita State’s Cleo Littleton in 1951-52.
In addition, Antoine Young was named second-team all-MVC and to the Most Improved Team, Jahenns Manigat was named all-Freshman and all-Bench, and Gregory Echenique was named to the All-Newcomer and All-Defensive squads.
