Men's Basketball Opens 90th Season Friday with DePaul
11/6/2007 11:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (0-0) opens the 2007-08 regular season with a game on Friday, Nov. 9 vs. DePaul (0-0).
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, call (402) 280-JAYS.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Jimmy Motz will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's game is the first of eight scheduled for broadcast on Omaha CBS affiliate KMTV this season. Travis Justice and Scott Schumacher will announce.
Coordinates are as follows:
Coordinates ? AMC 5 - 5 - Lower KU Analog
Uplink Freq. ? 14137 H
Downlink Freq. ? 11837 V
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 broadcast, begins 30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 86 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, easily tops among Bluejay returnees.
Other seniors with experience include guards Nick Bahe (3.0 ppg., 1.6 rpg.) and Pierce Hibma (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.).
Junior Josh Dotzler looks to regain his starting job at the point guard spot after an injury-plagued 18 months. Dotzler averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists per game last year while playing 19.1 minutes per game.
Other lettermen that return to the fold are reserve guard Dustin Sitzmann and medical redshirt Kenny Lawson Jr. A freshman center, Lawson averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games before knee tendinitis cut his season short.
Three other players redshirted last season but had the opportunity to practice and learn the system, sophomore transfer Chad Millard as well as freshmen Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt.
A highly-regarded recruiting class will be given the opportunity to contribute as well. Junior college transfers Cavel Witter and Booker Woodfox join freshmen Kaleb Korver, P'Allen Stinnett and Kenton Walker on one of Creighton's youngest teams in memory.
Creighton, which went 5-0 on a Labor Day weekend tour of Canada, defeated EA Sports All-Stars 88-75 in its final exhibition tune-up last Thursday.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul welcomes back eight letterwinners and three starters from last season's 20-14 squad that reached the third round of the NIT. The Blue Demons have been picked 11th in the preseason BIG EAST coaches' poll.
The Blue Demons return 44.1-percent of its 2006-07 points and 36.3-percent of last season's rebounds. Gone are a pair of NBA draft picks, first-rounder Wilson Chandler (New York) and second-round pick Sammy Mejia (Detroit).
The leading returning scorer is senior Draelon Burns (11.6 ppg) while the leading returning rebounder is senior Karron Clarke (3.4 rpg). Junior Jabari Currie also returns after leading the team in assists in each of the past two seasons.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) enters his 14th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 260-141 (.648) mark at CU and a career record of 343-208 (.623) in 18 previous years as an 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 22 previous years as a head coach. 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 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
DePaul is coached by Jerry Wainwright (Colorado College, 1968), who enters his third year with the Blue Demons. Wainwright owns a 32-29 record at DePaul and a 218-173 career mark entering his 14th season as a head coach. He is assisted by Gary DeCesare, Ramon Williams and Scott Wainwright.
The Series With DePaul
DePaul owns a 15-5 lead in the series, including a 6-1 record in Omaha. The teams met 12 times between 1977-86, but have met just twice since then, a 1990 NIT game won by DePaul (89-72) and a Nov. 30, 2005 game at Allstate Arena that DePaul won 72-57.
Creighton has won just one of the last 13 encounters, with that coming by a 74-61 score in Omaha on Feb. 17, 1986.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 0-1 against DePaul and also 0-1 against Jerry Wainwright-coached teams.
Altman is 3-7 against the current schools in the Big East, including a 3-5 mark since coming to Creighton.
Last Meeting With DePaul Recap
Creighton lost 72-57 at DePaul on Nov. 30, 2005 in the last meeting. Creighton shot just 30.6 percent while allowing DePaul to shoot 48.8 percent from the floor and 31-of-39 (79.5 percent) at the stripe.
Anthony Tolliver had 17 points while also topping the Jays with eight rebounds. Nate Funk added 13 points for the visitors before suffering what turned into a season-ending shoulder injury in the final minutes. DePaul was paced by 17 points and eight rebounds from Wilson Chandler, while Sammy Mejia added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Last Game Recap
Creighton closed the exhibition season with an 88-75 win over EA Sports last Thursday. The Bluejays built a 43-30 halftime lead and led by more than 20 points most of the second half.
Creighton had five players score in double-figures, led by 11 each off the bench from Chad Millard, P'Allen Stinnett and Casey Harriman. Kenny Lawson Jr. and Nick Bahe both added 10 points for the victors. EA Sports was led by 13 points from former Gonzaga standout Cory Violette.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson Jr.'s start in last Thursday's exhibition win over EA Sports put him in some rare company. To find the last Creighton freshman (true or redshirt) to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Even Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears remains the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener, which he did in 1997's win over UMKC.
Newcomer Report
Eight Creighton players made their debut in a Creighton uniform last Thursday against EA Sports. Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, P'Allen Stinnett, Chad Millard, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker and Aaron Brandt combined for 48 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 93 minutes of an 88-75 win.
Four players made their debut in a Creighton uniform last year against EA Sports. Nick Bahe, Isacc Miles, Ty Morrison and Kenny Lawson Jr. combined for 16 points, 11 boards and three assists in 59 minutes of an 80-76 overtime win.
In the 2005 game against EA Sports, Nick Porter, Dominic Bishop, Josh Dotzler and Brice Nengsu combined for 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 55 minutes of play.
In the Nov. 11, 2004 game against EA Sports, CU newcomers Jeffrey Day, Dennis Howard, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts combined for 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 64 minutes in a 78-48 win.
Season Opener History
Creighton owns a sparkling 75-14 record (.843) on opening day, including 10 straight wins. The Jays are 12-1 (.923) under Dana Altman in season-openers, with the only setback being an 85-77 decision at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Including 2006, Creighton has won seven straight season-openers by 20 or more points. The Jays have outscored opponents by an average of 84.6 to 47.4 in those games.
Playing With The Lead In The First Game
Creighton has trailed for a total of 16 seconds in its last five season-opening games. When it fell behind 2-0 last year against Mississippi Valley State, it was CU's first deficit on opening day since Nov. 18, 2001, covering a span of 186 minutes of play.
Good Defense, A Good Sign
Creighton held Mississippi Valley State to just 42 points in its Nov. 13, 2006 season-opening triumph. Each of the last nine times that Creighton has held its season-opening opponent to 50 points or less, the Bluejays have advanced to the postseason. That list is seen below:
Date Opponent Score NCAA/NIT
11/30/73 Regis W 93-38 NCAA
11/27/76 St. Thomas (MN) W 79-39 NIT
11/30/90 UT San Antonio W 93-47 NCAA
11/14/98 Towson State W 93-48 NCAA
11/20/00 Western Illinois W 96-50 NCAA
11/17/02 Texas-Arlington W 106-50 NCAA
11/22/03 San Diego W 76-44 NIT
11/15/04 Alcorn State W 74-40 NCAA
11/13/06 Mississippi Valley St. W 78-42 NCAA
Home Opener History
Including last year's win over Mississippi Valley State, Creighton is 71-10 (.877) in home openers since 1924-25. Before that time game locations are incomplete. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.
Creighton is 12-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 12 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history, just ahead of coaching legends Red McManus (9) and A.A. Schabinger (9).
Altman is 9-4 in his first game away from home since coming to Creighton.
Hello, World
Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, P'Allen Stinnett, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, Aaron Brandt and Kenton Walker all could appear in their first regular-season contest at the Division I level on Friday vs. DePaul.
The last Creighton player to score in double-figures in his first Division I game was Isacc Miles' 10 points against Mississippi Valley State in 2006.
Miles' 29 minutes played last year were the most by a Bluejay newcomer making his debut since Edward St. Fleur's 36 minutes on Nov. 25, 1995.
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players did in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Hibma 4 0 0 0 18
Watts 4 1 2 1 11
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Dotzler 3 2 2 1 22
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Bahe (@KU) 0 0 0 0 1
Sitzmann 0 0 0 0 2
Big East Foe A Big Deal
DePaul's trip to Omaha makes just them the second active Big East school to ever play a road game at Creighton.
Since the conference was created in 1979, the only other Big East team to come to Omaha was Providence on Dec. 18, 1982. Creighton defeated the Friars, 73-70.
Preseason Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Southern Illinois was a unanimous selection with 39 first-place votes and a point total of 390. Bradley is second with 311 points while Missouri State is third with 283 points. Creighton comes in fourth with 266 points, just ahead of Illinois State's 235. Rounding out the bottom half is Wichita State (210), UNI (197), Indiana State (110), Drake (80) and Evansville (63).
The preseason all-MVC team does not include any Creighton players and is headed by preseason player of the year Randal Falker (Southern Illinois). Joining Falker on the first team are Eric Coleman (UNI), PJ Couisnard (Wichita State), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Daniel Ruffin (Bradley). Honorable-mention picks include Jeremy Crouch (Bradley), Levi Dyer (Illinois State), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Matt Shaw (Southern Illinois) and Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois).
DePaul Opens With MVC, Again
This will mark the third time in as many years that DePaul has opened the season with a Missouri Valley Conference school.
The Blue Demons lost at Bradley 78-58 on Nov. 11, 2006 and lost a home game against Bradley on Nov. 19, 2005 by a 75-60 count.
Combined with last year's trip to Peoria, the Blue Demons are opening up on the road in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1942-43 and 1943-44.
DePaul has lost its true road opener in four straight years and has won its true road opener against Division I teams just once since 1998.
November Reign
Creighton is 30-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 22-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Variety Show
Twelve of the 14 players on the Creighton roster have led (or tied) for the team lead in either points, rebounding, assists, steals or blocked shots in one of the team's six exhibitions (including Canada).
In fact, through those six games Creighton has had six players with at least a share of the scoring lead. By comparison, Creighton only had five players lead the team in scoring during 33 regular-season games last season.
Dane Watts is the only player who has led the team at least once in each category. Only Dustin Sitzmann and Kaleb Korver did not lead at least one category in any game.
Led or Tied Team Lead in...
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk.
Lawson 3 2 0 0 4
Watts 3 4 1 1 2
Brandt 1 0 0 0 1
Stinnett 1 0 1 2 0
Millard 1 0 0 0 2
Harriman 1 0 0 1 0
Witter 0 1 2 0 0
Dotzler 0 0 3 4 0
Woodfox 0 0 1 1 0
Bahe 0 0 1 0 0
Hibma 0 0 0 2 0
Walker 0 0 0 0 1
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 63 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 52-11 (.825) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,525-3,820 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.2 points per game.
10 Conference Wins, Again
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th 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 teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 15 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
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. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. 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 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
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.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 16 of its 63 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 10 of those 16 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton has not lost a game at home by 10 or more points since Jan. 3, 1996 (Bradley), a span of 173 straight home games. That ranks as the nation's oldest streak without a double-digit home setback.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
Jays Move On Without Six
Creighton opens the season without six players who finished the season on last year's squad.
Two-time all-Valley guard Nate Funk graduated last May after averaging 17.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last year. He ranks sixth in school history with 1,754 career points and eighth with 323 career assists. He is currently playing in Germany.
All-MVC center Anthony Tolliver earned his degree last May after averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Tolliver ranks 31st in CU history with 1,004 career points. He made the Opening Day roster for the NBA's reigning Eastern Conference champions as an undrafted free agent but has since been waived.
Nick Porter earned his degree last August after averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Creighton last year. Porter scored 642 points and grabbed 333 rebounds in two seasons with the Jays. Porter is playing for the EA Sports All-Stars.
Manny Gakou earned his degree in May after averaging 1.1 points and 0.8 rebounds per game as a reserve center. Gakou had 43 points and 35 rebounds in 45 career games at Creighton.
Two other players from last year have transferred out of the program to continue their careers elsewhere. Guard Isacc Miles is sitting out the season as a transfer to Murray State in Murray, Ky., while guard Brice Nengsu is now at Division II Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 67-38 in televised games in the previous five seasons, including a 25-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 409 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State when Rick Johnson was the Bluejay coach.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 260 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 148 triumphs in regular-season conference games have allowed him to pass Phog Allen for third in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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. 260 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 148 Dana Altman Creighton
4. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17, 2007 home game versus Drexel. Not only was it the largest home crowd in Creighton history, but for any basketball game in state history as well.
Creighton has played 75 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 44 in a row at home before 10,000 fans or more.
By comparison, Creighton had a total of 39,093 home fans in Dana Altman's first year on the Hilltop, an average of 2,792 per game.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
15,678 Wichita State W 57-55 01/28/06
Long-Distance Streaks Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 433 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Exhibition History
Including last week's 88-75 win over EA Sports All-Stars, Creighton is 32-6 since 1987 in exhibition games, which includes a 23-3 record with Dana Altman as head coach. The only team to beat Altman in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged four years ago and changed their name to EA Sports.
Date Score
11/16/87 Creighton 82, DTV Charlottenburgh 77
11/13/88 Creighton 75, Turkey 66
11/10/89 Creighton 92, Athletes in Action 70
11/16/89 Brazil 93, Creighton 90
11/06/90 Creighton 89, Athletes in Action 82
11/15/90 Creighton 89, Russian Ukraine Nat. Team 71
11/05/91 Creighton 90, Ukraine National Team 89
11/19/91 Creighton 87, Ath. Fighting Substance Abuse 77
11/16/92 Creighton 82, Cuban National Team 73
11/24/92 Creighton 93, Lee Jeans 86
11/19/93 Central Army Sports Club 92, Creighton 91
11/23/93 Team Pella 115, Creighton 99
11/15/94 Creighton 80, Dutch National Team 80 (OT)*
11/21/94 Creighton 88, Fort Hood 78
11/14/95 Creighton 77, Poznan 68
11/20/95 Creighton 76, Athletes in Action 66
11/11/96 Creighton 75, Hungary Select 60
11/17/96 Creighton 90, Dream Builders 70
11/05/97 Creighton 93, Lucenec-Slovenia 56
11/09/97 Creighton 97, Pella Windows 86
11/04/98 Creighton 96, Bulgaria 61
11/08/98 Creighton 80, Team Pella 77
11/09/99 Global Sports 77, Creighton 73
11/17/99 Creighton 75, Pella Windows 68
11/05/00 Global Sports 82, Creighton 74
11/12/00 Creighton 74, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/06/01 Creighton 62, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/13/01 Creighton 95, Global Sports 80
11/05/02 Creighton 75, Nebraska-Omaha 72
11/10/02 Creighton 83, Global Sports 61
11/09/03 Creighton 72, Nebraska-Omaha 66 (OT)
11/16/03 Global Sports 66, Creighton 65
11/11/04 Creighton 78, EA Sports 48
11/06/05 Creighton 74, EA Sports 67
11/13/05 Creighton 116, Nebraska-Kearney 82
11/02/06 Creighton 80, EA Sports 76 (OT)
11/08/06 Creighton 73, Nebraska-Omaha 56
11/01/07 Creighton 88, EA Sports 75
*Creighton wins by forfeit when Dutch refuses to begin second overtime.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets go on sale on Nov. 7th. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,742 season tickets for this season. The previous mark was the 12,126 season-tickets bought for the 2006-07 season.
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center Omaha
Metro Area Transit and Creighton University have partnered again this year to provide shuttle bus service from the CU 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. Round-trip cost is $1.00 for Creighton students with identification; $1.00 for children under the age of 18; $1.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for adults. The shuttle will start one-hour before tip-off and at least two buses will continue to operate the route during the game.
The designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th and Cuming (farside/southbound); 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and 18th & Cass (nearside/eastbound by the Morrison Stadium). The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha Arena 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 Arena entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of four stops at 24th & Cuming Streets.
Creighton (0-0) opens the 2007-08 regular season with a game on Friday, Nov. 9 vs. DePaul (0-0).
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, call (402) 280-JAYS.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Jimmy Motz will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's game is the first of eight scheduled for broadcast on Omaha CBS affiliate KMTV this season. Travis Justice and Scott Schumacher will announce.
Coordinates are as follows:
Coordinates ? AMC 5 - 5 - Lower KU Analog
Uplink Freq. ? 14137 H
Downlink Freq. ? 11837 V
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 broadcast, begins 30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 86 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, easily tops among Bluejay returnees.
Other seniors with experience include guards Nick Bahe (3.0 ppg., 1.6 rpg.) and Pierce Hibma (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.).
Junior Josh Dotzler looks to regain his starting job at the point guard spot after an injury-plagued 18 months. Dotzler averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists per game last year while playing 19.1 minutes per game.
Other lettermen that return to the fold are reserve guard Dustin Sitzmann and medical redshirt Kenny Lawson Jr. A freshman center, Lawson averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games before knee tendinitis cut his season short.
Three other players redshirted last season but had the opportunity to practice and learn the system, sophomore transfer Chad Millard as well as freshmen Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt.
A highly-regarded recruiting class will be given the opportunity to contribute as well. Junior college transfers Cavel Witter and Booker Woodfox join freshmen Kaleb Korver, P'Allen Stinnett and Kenton Walker on one of Creighton's youngest teams in memory.
Creighton, which went 5-0 on a Labor Day weekend tour of Canada, defeated EA Sports All-Stars 88-75 in its final exhibition tune-up last Thursday.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul welcomes back eight letterwinners and three starters from last season's 20-14 squad that reached the third round of the NIT. The Blue Demons have been picked 11th in the preseason BIG EAST coaches' poll.
The Blue Demons return 44.1-percent of its 2006-07 points and 36.3-percent of last season's rebounds. Gone are a pair of NBA draft picks, first-rounder Wilson Chandler (New York) and second-round pick Sammy Mejia (Detroit).
The leading returning scorer is senior Draelon Burns (11.6 ppg) while the leading returning rebounder is senior Karron Clarke (3.4 rpg). Junior Jabari Currie also returns after leading the team in assists in each of the past two seasons.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) enters his 14th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 260-141 (.648) mark at CU and a career record of 343-208 (.623) in 18 previous years as an 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 22 previous years as a head coach. 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 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
DePaul is coached by Jerry Wainwright (Colorado College, 1968), who enters his third year with the Blue Demons. Wainwright owns a 32-29 record at DePaul and a 218-173 career mark entering his 14th season as a head coach. He is assisted by Gary DeCesare, Ramon Williams and Scott Wainwright.
The Series With DePaul
DePaul owns a 15-5 lead in the series, including a 6-1 record in Omaha. The teams met 12 times between 1977-86, but have met just twice since then, a 1990 NIT game won by DePaul (89-72) and a Nov. 30, 2005 game at Allstate Arena that DePaul won 72-57.
Creighton has won just one of the last 13 encounters, with that coming by a 74-61 score in Omaha on Feb. 17, 1986.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 0-1 against DePaul and also 0-1 against Jerry Wainwright-coached teams.
Altman is 3-7 against the current schools in the Big East, including a 3-5 mark since coming to Creighton.
Last Meeting With DePaul Recap
Creighton lost 72-57 at DePaul on Nov. 30, 2005 in the last meeting. Creighton shot just 30.6 percent while allowing DePaul to shoot 48.8 percent from the floor and 31-of-39 (79.5 percent) at the stripe.
Anthony Tolliver had 17 points while also topping the Jays with eight rebounds. Nate Funk added 13 points for the visitors before suffering what turned into a season-ending shoulder injury in the final minutes. DePaul was paced by 17 points and eight rebounds from Wilson Chandler, while Sammy Mejia added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Last Game Recap
Creighton closed the exhibition season with an 88-75 win over EA Sports last Thursday. The Bluejays built a 43-30 halftime lead and led by more than 20 points most of the second half.
Creighton had five players score in double-figures, led by 11 each off the bench from Chad Millard, P'Allen Stinnett and Casey Harriman. Kenny Lawson Jr. and Nick Bahe both added 10 points for the victors. EA Sports was led by 13 points from former Gonzaga standout Cory Violette.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson Jr.'s start in last Thursday's exhibition win over EA Sports put him in some rare company. To find the last Creighton freshman (true or redshirt) to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Even Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears remains the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener, which he did in 1997's win over UMKC.
Newcomer Report
Eight Creighton players made their debut in a Creighton uniform last Thursday against EA Sports. Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, P'Allen Stinnett, Chad Millard, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker and Aaron Brandt combined for 48 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 93 minutes of an 88-75 win.
Four players made their debut in a Creighton uniform last year against EA Sports. Nick Bahe, Isacc Miles, Ty Morrison and Kenny Lawson Jr. combined for 16 points, 11 boards and three assists in 59 minutes of an 80-76 overtime win.
In the 2005 game against EA Sports, Nick Porter, Dominic Bishop, Josh Dotzler and Brice Nengsu combined for 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 55 minutes of play.
In the Nov. 11, 2004 game against EA Sports, CU newcomers Jeffrey Day, Dennis Howard, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts combined for 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 64 minutes in a 78-48 win.
Season Opener History
Creighton owns a sparkling 75-14 record (.843) on opening day, including 10 straight wins. The Jays are 12-1 (.923) under Dana Altman in season-openers, with the only setback being an 85-77 decision at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Including 2006, Creighton has won seven straight season-openers by 20 or more points. The Jays have outscored opponents by an average of 84.6 to 47.4 in those games.
Playing With The Lead In The First Game
Creighton has trailed for a total of 16 seconds in its last five season-opening games. When it fell behind 2-0 last year against Mississippi Valley State, it was CU's first deficit on opening day since Nov. 18, 2001, covering a span of 186 minutes of play.
Good Defense, A Good Sign
Creighton held Mississippi Valley State to just 42 points in its Nov. 13, 2006 season-opening triumph. Each of the last nine times that Creighton has held its season-opening opponent to 50 points or less, the Bluejays have advanced to the postseason. That list is seen below:
Date Opponent Score NCAA/NIT
11/30/73 Regis W 93-38 NCAA
11/27/76 St. Thomas (MN) W 79-39 NIT
11/30/90 UT San Antonio W 93-47 NCAA
11/14/98 Towson State W 93-48 NCAA
11/20/00 Western Illinois W 96-50 NCAA
11/17/02 Texas-Arlington W 106-50 NCAA
11/22/03 San Diego W 76-44 NIT
11/15/04 Alcorn State W 74-40 NCAA
11/13/06 Mississippi Valley St. W 78-42 NCAA
Home Opener History
Including last year's win over Mississippi Valley State, Creighton is 71-10 (.877) in home openers since 1924-25. Before that time game locations are incomplete. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.
Creighton is 12-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 12 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history, just ahead of coaching legends Red McManus (9) and A.A. Schabinger (9).
Altman is 9-4 in his first game away from home since coming to Creighton.
Hello, World
Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, P'Allen Stinnett, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, Aaron Brandt and Kenton Walker all could appear in their first regular-season contest at the Division I level on Friday vs. DePaul.
The last Creighton player to score in double-figures in his first Division I game was Isacc Miles' 10 points against Mississippi Valley State in 2006.
Miles' 29 minutes played last year were the most by a Bluejay newcomer making his debut since Edward St. Fleur's 36 minutes on Nov. 25, 1995.
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players did in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Hibma 4 0 0 0 18
Watts 4 1 2 1 11
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Dotzler 3 2 2 1 22
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Bahe (@KU) 0 0 0 0 1
Sitzmann 0 0 0 0 2
Big East Foe A Big Deal
DePaul's trip to Omaha makes just them the second active Big East school to ever play a road game at Creighton.
Since the conference was created in 1979, the only other Big East team to come to Omaha was Providence on Dec. 18, 1982. Creighton defeated the Friars, 73-70.
Preseason Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Southern Illinois was a unanimous selection with 39 first-place votes and a point total of 390. Bradley is second with 311 points while Missouri State is third with 283 points. Creighton comes in fourth with 266 points, just ahead of Illinois State's 235. Rounding out the bottom half is Wichita State (210), UNI (197), Indiana State (110), Drake (80) and Evansville (63).
The preseason all-MVC team does not include any Creighton players and is headed by preseason player of the year Randal Falker (Southern Illinois). Joining Falker on the first team are Eric Coleman (UNI), PJ Couisnard (Wichita State), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Daniel Ruffin (Bradley). Honorable-mention picks include Jeremy Crouch (Bradley), Levi Dyer (Illinois State), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Matt Shaw (Southern Illinois) and Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois).
DePaul Opens With MVC, Again
This will mark the third time in as many years that DePaul has opened the season with a Missouri Valley Conference school.
The Blue Demons lost at Bradley 78-58 on Nov. 11, 2006 and lost a home game against Bradley on Nov. 19, 2005 by a 75-60 count.
Combined with last year's trip to Peoria, the Blue Demons are opening up on the road in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1942-43 and 1943-44.
DePaul has lost its true road opener in four straight years and has won its true road opener against Division I teams just once since 1998.
November Reign
Creighton is 30-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 22-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Variety Show
Twelve of the 14 players on the Creighton roster have led (or tied) for the team lead in either points, rebounding, assists, steals or blocked shots in one of the team's six exhibitions (including Canada).
In fact, through those six games Creighton has had six players with at least a share of the scoring lead. By comparison, Creighton only had five players lead the team in scoring during 33 regular-season games last season.
Dane Watts is the only player who has led the team at least once in each category. Only Dustin Sitzmann and Kaleb Korver did not lead at least one category in any game.
Led or Tied Team Lead in...
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk.
Lawson 3 2 0 0 4
Watts 3 4 1 1 2
Brandt 1 0 0 0 1
Stinnett 1 0 1 2 0
Millard 1 0 0 0 2
Harriman 1 0 0 1 0
Witter 0 1 2 0 0
Dotzler 0 0 3 4 0
Woodfox 0 0 1 1 0
Bahe 0 0 1 0 0
Hibma 0 0 0 2 0
Walker 0 0 0 0 1
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 63 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 52-11 (.825) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,525-3,820 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.2 points per game.
10 Conference Wins, Again
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th 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 teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 15 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
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. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. 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 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
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.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 16 of its 63 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 10 of those 16 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton has not lost a game at home by 10 or more points since Jan. 3, 1996 (Bradley), a span of 173 straight home games. That ranks as the nation's oldest streak without a double-digit home setback.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
Jays Move On Without Six
Creighton opens the season without six players who finished the season on last year's squad.
Two-time all-Valley guard Nate Funk graduated last May after averaging 17.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last year. He ranks sixth in school history with 1,754 career points and eighth with 323 career assists. He is currently playing in Germany.
All-MVC center Anthony Tolliver earned his degree last May after averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Tolliver ranks 31st in CU history with 1,004 career points. He made the Opening Day roster for the NBA's reigning Eastern Conference champions as an undrafted free agent but has since been waived.
Nick Porter earned his degree last August after averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Creighton last year. Porter scored 642 points and grabbed 333 rebounds in two seasons with the Jays. Porter is playing for the EA Sports All-Stars.
Manny Gakou earned his degree in May after averaging 1.1 points and 0.8 rebounds per game as a reserve center. Gakou had 43 points and 35 rebounds in 45 career games at Creighton.
Two other players from last year have transferred out of the program to continue their careers elsewhere. Guard Isacc Miles is sitting out the season as a transfer to Murray State in Murray, Ky., while guard Brice Nengsu is now at Division II Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 67-38 in televised games in the previous five seasons, including a 25-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 409 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State when Rick Johnson was the Bluejay coach.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 260 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 148 triumphs in regular-season conference games have allowed him to pass Phog Allen for third in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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. 260 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 148 Dana Altman Creighton
4. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17, 2007 home game versus Drexel. Not only was it the largest home crowd in Creighton history, but for any basketball game in state history as well.
Creighton has played 75 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 44 in a row at home before 10,000 fans or more.
By comparison, Creighton had a total of 39,093 home fans in Dana Altman's first year on the Hilltop, an average of 2,792 per game.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
15,678 Wichita State W 57-55 01/28/06
Long-Distance Streaks Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 433 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Exhibition History
Including last week's 88-75 win over EA Sports All-Stars, Creighton is 32-6 since 1987 in exhibition games, which includes a 23-3 record with Dana Altman as head coach. The only team to beat Altman in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged four years ago and changed their name to EA Sports.
Date Score
11/16/87 Creighton 82, DTV Charlottenburgh 77
11/13/88 Creighton 75, Turkey 66
11/10/89 Creighton 92, Athletes in Action 70
11/16/89 Brazil 93, Creighton 90
11/06/90 Creighton 89, Athletes in Action 82
11/15/90 Creighton 89, Russian Ukraine Nat. Team 71
11/05/91 Creighton 90, Ukraine National Team 89
11/19/91 Creighton 87, Ath. Fighting Substance Abuse 77
11/16/92 Creighton 82, Cuban National Team 73
11/24/92 Creighton 93, Lee Jeans 86
11/19/93 Central Army Sports Club 92, Creighton 91
11/23/93 Team Pella 115, Creighton 99
11/15/94 Creighton 80, Dutch National Team 80 (OT)*
11/21/94 Creighton 88, Fort Hood 78
11/14/95 Creighton 77, Poznan 68
11/20/95 Creighton 76, Athletes in Action 66
11/11/96 Creighton 75, Hungary Select 60
11/17/96 Creighton 90, Dream Builders 70
11/05/97 Creighton 93, Lucenec-Slovenia 56
11/09/97 Creighton 97, Pella Windows 86
11/04/98 Creighton 96, Bulgaria 61
11/08/98 Creighton 80, Team Pella 77
11/09/99 Global Sports 77, Creighton 73
11/17/99 Creighton 75, Pella Windows 68
11/05/00 Global Sports 82, Creighton 74
11/12/00 Creighton 74, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/06/01 Creighton 62, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/13/01 Creighton 95, Global Sports 80
11/05/02 Creighton 75, Nebraska-Omaha 72
11/10/02 Creighton 83, Global Sports 61
11/09/03 Creighton 72, Nebraska-Omaha 66 (OT)
11/16/03 Global Sports 66, Creighton 65
11/11/04 Creighton 78, EA Sports 48
11/06/05 Creighton 74, EA Sports 67
11/13/05 Creighton 116, Nebraska-Kearney 82
11/02/06 Creighton 80, EA Sports 76 (OT)
11/08/06 Creighton 73, Nebraska-Omaha 56
11/01/07 Creighton 88, EA Sports 75
*Creighton wins by forfeit when Dutch refuses to begin second overtime.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets go on sale on Nov. 7th. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,742 season tickets for this season. The previous mark was the 12,126 season-tickets bought for the 2006-07 season.
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center Omaha
Metro Area Transit and Creighton University have partnered again this year to provide shuttle bus service from the CU 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. Round-trip cost is $1.00 for Creighton students with identification; $1.00 for children under the age of 18; $1.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for adults. The shuttle will start one-hour before tip-off and at least two buses will continue to operate the route during the game.
The designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th and Cuming (farside/southbound); 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and 18th & Cass (nearside/eastbound by the Morrison Stadium). The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha Arena 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 Arena entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of four stops at 24th & Cuming Streets.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs. Kansas State Press Conference - 12/13/25
Thursday, December 11
Creighton Men's Basketball Press Conference vs. Nebraska, 12/7/25
Monday, December 08
Creighton Men's Basketball Media Availability, 12/5/25
Friday, December 05
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Nicholls Press Conference - 12/2/25
Tuesday, December 02
