Men's Basketball Visits No. 19 New Mexico on Saturday
12/17/2009 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #10 at #19 New Mexico • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 • 7:05 p.m. MST (8:05 p.m. Central)
Creighton Bluejays at #19 New Mexico
The Pit/Bob King Court (15,102) • Albuquerque, N.M.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: The Mtn.
Series History: New Mexico leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: Creighton won 82-75 on Nov. 16, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
Creighton (4-5) continues its difficult non-conference road slate when it takes on No. 19 New Mexico (11-0) on Saturday night in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tip-off at The Pit/Bob King Court (15,102) is scheduled for 7:05 pm Mountain (8:05 pm Central).
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 Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
Prior to Saturday's game, Bluejay Banter hosts Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host a live call-in show from The Union starting at 6:30 pm that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised by The Mtn., the new television venture of the Mountain West Conference.
The Mtn., can be viewed on Comcast (Digital Channel 276 in New Mexico) or on DirecTV (channel 616).
James Bates and Blaine Fowler will call the action.
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton 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 No. 19 New Mexico
The nation's only 11-0 team, New Mexico has blitzed through the non-conference schedule, beating teams by an average of 17.0 points per game. Among the wins have been rival New Mexico State (twice), nationally-ranked Texas A&M and California, and road games at Hawaii and San Diego.
The Lobos score 83.5 points per game, shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from downtown, while turning the ball over just 10.2 times per game.
Forward Roman Martinez tops the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Martinez leads the Mountain West Conference with both 40 three-pointers and 54.8 percent marksmanship from long-range.
College of Eastern Utah transfer Darington Hobson averages 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The left-handed, 6-7 guard was coached by former Bluejay Al Huss in high school.
Also in double-figures is Phillip McDonald, who scores 12.0 points per game.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 4-5 on the young season, going 4-0 at home but winless in five games away from Qwest Center Omaha.
The Bluejays have home wins over Florida A&M, UALR, Nebraska and Savannah State, but lost on the road at No. 21 Dayton and George Mason, and in Orlando to No. 15 Michigan, Xavier and Iona.
The Bluejays returned eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg.), rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
Four other men average between 9.0 and 10.2 points per game, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (10.2), Ethan Wragge (9.0), Darryl Ashford (9.2) and Justin Carter (9.5).
Creighton averages 72.4 points per game and shoots 45.1 percent from the floor. It holds opponents to 70.2 points per game and 43.9 percent shooting. The Jays outrebound foes by 0.2 boards per game.
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 313-165 (.655) mark at CU and a career record of 396-232 (.631) 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.
New Mexico coach Steve Alford (Indiana, 1987) is in his third season as head coach with the Lobos, where he owns a 57-21 record. He's previously been the head coach at Manchester, Missouri State and Iowa, owning a career record of 365-204 in 19 seasons. Alford had a standout career at Indiana, where he captained the Hoosiers to the national title in 1987. Alford is assisted by Craig Neal, Ryan Miller and Wyking Jones.
The Series With New Mexico
New Mexico owns a 2-1 record all-time against Creighton, though the Bluejays won last year's meeting in Omaha by an 82-75 margin. The Lobos won 79-68 in Omaha on Dec. 21, 1966, then claimed an 82-67 victory in Albuquerque on Dec. 22, 1967.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 1-0 against New Mexico, and owns an 11-5 record all-time (8-5 at CU only) against the current teams in the Mountain West Conference.
Altman is also 7-7 in his career against UNM coach Steve Alford, while Alford is 7-7 against Creighton.
Last Game Recap
Creighton opened the game on a 16-2 run and never trailed in a 77-62 win over Savannah State on Wednesday in Omaha. Four men scored in double-figures, led by 18 points from Ethan Wragge.
An Amazing Finish...Last Year
Creighton rallied to post an 82-75 victory over New Mexico in the Bluejay season-opener last year before 16,107 fans at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton trailed by as much as 16 (59-43 with 10:10 to play) and were still down 72-63 with 3:39 to play before it began raining three's. The Jays went on a stunning 17-0 run, led by 10 points from P'Allen Stinnett and seven points from Booker Woodfox, to go ahead 80-72 with 18 seconds left. Creighton would score 23 points on its final 10 possessions of the game.
Stinnett had a career-high 30 points, while Woodfox had a then-best 26 points in the win. UNM was keyed by 23 points from Tony Danridge.
The MWC/MVC Challenge Series
Saturday's game is one of nine to be played this year that is part of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. The series will feature nine games between the two leagues in each of the next four seasons.
So far the home teams have won each of the games.
2009 Challenge Series (MVC leads, 3-2)
Nov. 13 Bradley at BYU (BYU, 70-60)
Nov. 20 Colorado St. at Indiana St. (INS, 65-60)
Nov. 21 Southern Illinois at UNLV (UNLV, 78-69)
Dec. 5 Air Force at Missouri St. (MSU, 58-48)
Dec. 12 TCU at Wichita State (WSU, 80-68)
Dec. 19 Creighton at New Mexico
Dec. 19 Illinois State at Utah
Dec. 22 San Diego State at Drake
Dec. 23 Wyoming at UNI
Projected Dates for Future Challenge Series
2010 -- Nov. 27 - Dec. 4
2011 -- Nov. 26 - Dec. 3
2012 -- Nov. 24 - Dec. 1
An Unbeaten After 11 Games Plays CU
New Mexico comes into Saturday's game with the nation's best record at 11-0. Dana Altman has coached in 478 games at Creighton, but in that time he's never faced an undefeated team with nine or more wins.
In Altman's tenure, Creighton has faced just two teams that were undefeated after seven or more games. Creighton won both games.
The Jays beat a 7-0 Georgia State team (81-74) on the road on Dec. 9, 2000.
Last season, Creighton beat an 8-0 Dayton team (77-59) at home on Dec. 10.
All About The Pit
New Mexico's home venue, The Pit, is one of the legendary arenas in the history of college basketball. Sports Illustrated named it the 13th best sporting venue of the 20th century, one of just two basketball sites listed.
In 1999 the St. Petersburg Times charted the decibel level at The Pit at 118 decibels, louder than even Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke), Allen Field House (Kansas) and Assembly Hall (Indiana).
Creighton head coach Dana Altman told the media on Wednesday that he hadn't set foot in the facility since watching the 1983 NCAA Final Four, memorably won by North Carolina State.
Several members of Altman's staff have played or coached in The Pit, but none have ever won there. Graduate manager Mike Jones was a player and Brian Fish an assistant with the TCU teams that lost at The Pit in both 1997 and 1998. Fish was also an assistant on a San Diego team that lost at The Pit in 2004.
Additionally, former Creighton assistant and current Diversity & Inclusion Officer Len Gordy went 0-4 as a player and 0-3 as an assistant coach at Arizona in The Pit.
The Lobos are 621-144 (.812) all-time at The Pit.
Creighton is 1-2 all-time at The Pit. It lost to New Mexico (82-67) in 1967, lost to No. 10 St. John's (94-73) in 1971, and beat Texas A&M (100-77) in 1971.
Jays Against Ranked Foes
Creighton is 18-115 all-time against teams that are ranked in the AP poll, including a 7-17 mark under Dana Altman. Saturday's opponent, New Mexico, is No. 19 in this week's AP poll.
Creighton is 2-63 all-time in true road games against ranked teams.
Creighton's last win over a ranked team came March 4, 2007, when it beat No. 11 Southern Illinois, also in St. Louis.
Creighton is 0-5 all-time against teams ranked No. 19 nationally.
This is the third ranked team Creighton has faced this season, already losing at No. 21 Dayton (90-80) on Nov. 14 and to No. 15 Michigan (83-76 in overtime) in Orlando, Fla.
Creighton hadn't played three ranked non-MVC teams in the same season since 2001-02 (No. 17 Western Kentucky, No. 15 Florida, No. 13 Illinois).
Creighton hasn't played three ranked teams in November/December of the same season since 1965.
Much more information on Creighton's history vs. ranked teams can be found later in this packet, as well as page 164 of the Creighton media guide.
Altman vs. Ranked Teams
Dana Altman is 7-17 against ranked teams since coming to Creighton. CU beat #18 Oklahoma State (Dec. 20, 1998), #23 Iowa (Nov. 27, 1999), #17 Western Kentucky (Nov. 27, 2001), #25 Northern Iowa (Jan. 31, 2006) and #24 Xavier (Dec. 9, 2006) at home and #15 Florida (March 15, 2002) and #11 Southern Illinois (March 4, 2007) at neutral sites.
Altman's seven wins against ranked teams are a school record for a CU coach, two more than Eddie Sutton's win total (5-18).
When he was at Kansas State, Altman went 6-18 against ranked teams. Notably, on Jan. 17, 1994, Altman's unranked K-State team beat then-No. 1 Kansas, 68-64 in Lawrence.
Altman is 1-1 all-time against ranked teams coached by Steve Alford. His 1999-00 team beat No. 23 Iowa 85-76, while his 2000-01 team lost to No. 24 Iowa 69-56.
Rank Performance on the Road
Creighton is 2-63 all-time on the road against ranked teams, including 25 straight losses. CU's last road win over a ranked team came on Jan. 28, 1978, when it beat Larry Bird's #13 Indiana State club.
Creighton also beat a sixth-ranked Marquette team starring Maurice Lucas on the road on Feb. 9, 1974.
A-Train Signed By NBA's Portland
Former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver (2004-07) signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, a reward for his strong start in the NBA's Developmental League.
The “A-Train” had started seven games for the Idaho Stampede. At the time of his call-up, he ranked fifth in the league in rebounding (9.9 rpg.) and 11th in scoring (20.7 ppg.). He was leading the league with 22 three-pointers made and was sixth in the league with three double-doubles.
He shot 46.9 percent from the field (46-98) and had two games with six three-point baskets. Tolliver had single-game highs of 30 points and 17 rebounds in a game this year.
For his play in the first week of the season, Tolliver was named the NBA Developmental League Co-Performer of the Week on Dec. 9th.
Game Could Turn Over This Stat
Creighton has been outscored in points off turnovers in all five losses this year, but owned the edge in the same category in all four wins.
New Mexico ranks 12th in the country with a 1.48 assist/turnover ratio, and has outscored its foes 215-132 in the points off turnovers category.
Last year Creighton owned a 26-14 advantage in points off turnovers, including 18-3 in the second half when it outscored the Lobos 55-38.
Law & Order
Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks seventh in Creighton history in blocked shots, and is four away from 100. After leading the MVC in blocks per game last year, he's once again atop The Valley's blocked shots leaders this winter.
Below is the list of the top shot blockers in Bluejay history:
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
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
96 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
75 Jeffrey Day 2004-06
Lawson After 79 Games
Junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. owns 377 rebounds in the first 79 games of his Bluejay career. That ranks fifth-best (after 79 games) in the Dana Altman era that began in 1994-95.
Randall Crutcher had 468 rebounds in his 77 career games at Creighton from 1994-97. Behind Crutcher on the list (after 79 career games at CU) is Rodney Buford (441), Brody Deren (431) and Ben Walker (418).
Four Losses In First 10 Games?
Creighton has lost five of its first nine games, and will play its 10th game on Saturday at New Mexico.
In the past dozen years, only two of Creighton's previous teams had lost four or more of its first 10 games, but each of those squads would make the NCAA Tournament. The 2006-07 team started 6-4 en route to finishing 22-11, while the 2001-02 team started 6-4 before finishing 23-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA's.
Below is a comparison of Creighton after 10 games in the previous three seasons, as well as this winter.
Creighton After 10 Games, Previous 3 Seasons
2009-10
Stat 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 (thru 9)
W-L Record 6-4 9-1 8-2 4-5
FG% .408 .478 .439 .451
3FG/Game 5.9 8.4 8.9 7.4
3FG% .304 .372 .394 .347
FT% .724 .722 .741 .718
Reb. Margin +0.3 +6.8 -2.3 +0.2
APG 13.0 16.7 14.8 14.3
A/T Ratio 1.13 1.11 1.05 1.02
BPG 2.6 2.9 4.0 3.3
SPG 6.3 10.6 10.5 5.7
PPG 66.0 80.8 75.6 72.4
PPG All. 59.7 62.1 61.6 70.2
Technically Speaking
Creighton's bench was issued a rare technical foul with 18.0 seconds left in its three-point loss at George Mason last Saturday.
The technical foul was just the ninth charged to Creighton's bench in the past 16 years, and first since the 2006-07 season.
Only 33 technical fouls have been charged to a CU player of coach in the 477 games Dana Altman has been on the sideline. Here's the list: Bench (9), P'Allen Stinnett (7), Jeffrey Day (4), Terrell Taylor (3), Jason Bey (2), Dane Watts (1), Chad Millard (1), Joe Dabbert (1), DeAnthony Bowden (1), Larry House (1), Joel Templeman (1), Kevin Mungin (1) and Donald Davenport (1).
That list of “Bench” technical fouls is below, though its worth noting that the technical foul assessed to the Bluejay bench in the Jan. 27, 1998 game at Wichita State came when it called a timeout it didn't have:
Date Opponent CU Result
1/27/96 Missouri State W 81-75
11/25/96 UMKC W 70-68
1/27/98 at Wichita State W 75-72
1/12/00 Tulsa L 67-75
11/24/00 vs. Cleveland State W 66-59
12/6/00 Colorado State W 74-51
1/21/04 at Wichita State L 62-77
2/17/07 Drexel L 58-64
12/12/09 at George Mason L 72-75
Last Time At The Line
The 31 free throws made by George Mason were the most by a Creighton opponent since DePaul was 31-for-39 on Nov. 30, 2005. The 29 free throws attempted in the second half were the most in a half by a Bluejay opponent since DePaul attempted 29 in the second half of that same game.
The last time Creighton watched an opponent attempt 26 more free throws than itself was at Wichita State on Jan. 21, 2004, when CU was 8-for-10 and WSU was 24-for-37. Coincidentally, that game was also the last time that Creighton's bench was issued a technical foul on the road.
The 44 free throw attempts by George Mason were the most by an opponent in Dana Altman's 478 games at Creighton. Three opposing teams had previously shot 42 free throws, most recently Iowa on Nov. 25, 1998. The last team to shoot 44 or more free throws against Creighton was Tulsa on Feb. 26, 1994, when it was 27-for-49 at the stripe.
Long and Winding Road
You won't find any schools with a tougher non-conference road slate than Creighton this fall.
The Jays have three non-conference road games, at Dayton (a 90-80 loss on Nov. 14), at George Mason (a 75-72 loss on Dec. 12) and at New Mexico (Dec. 19). All three teams are near-unbeatable at home.
Dayton currently owns a 23-game home winning streak at UD Arena (tied for third-longest nationally), George Mason owned an 18-game home win streak at Patriot Center (seventh-longest nationally) before it was snapped on Dec. 8th and New Mexico has won 16 straight games at The Pit (eighth-longest nationally).
Creighton is the only school in the country to play three non-conference road games against teams that were on the top-nine of that list before Dec. 8th.
Following is the streak of the nation's longest active home win streaks, through games of Dec. 18th.
Rk. Streak Team Next Home Game
1. 47 Kansas 12/19
2. 26 Pittsburgh 12/19
3. 24 Siena 12/23
24 Dayton 12/19
24 Missouri 12/19
6. 21 Memphis 12/22
7. 17 Western Kentucky 12/22
8. 16 New Mexico 12/19
9. 15 North Carolina 12/22
A Distant Memory
After making just 1-of-10 three-point attempts on Dec. 6 against Nebraska, Creighton have found the shots from long-distance to their liking the last two games.
Despite being held without a three-point basket in the final 10 minutes, Creighton still went 12-for-29 from distance. The 12 treys and 41.4 percent accuracy were both season-bests.
Creighton then drained 10-of-25 shots from downtown against Savannah State.
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 11.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 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 (11.9 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) through nine 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 79 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 11.9
Junior RPG 6.7 6.7
Junior BPG 1.6 1.3
Points Thru 79 Games Played 385 613
Rebounds Thru 79 Games Played 290 377
Blocks Thru 79 Games Played 65 96
Wins Thru 79 Games Played 54 55
East Coast Bias?
Creighton is 4-0 in the Central Time Zone this season, but 0-5 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone. The Jays lost three times in Orlando, Fla., and also single games at George Mason (in Fairfax, Va.) and at Dayton (in Dayton, Ohio).
Creighton, which still plays at Indiana State on January 1st, 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.
The trip to Albuquerque will be Creighton's first in the Mountain Time Zone since Dec. 22, 2003 at Wyoming (a 66-61 Bluejay win).
Wragge Shooting The Lights Out
Ethan Wragge has made 21-of-43 shots from three-point range this season, good for 48.8 percent, which ranks fifth in the MVC among players with a minimum of one trey per game.
He scored 18 points in 18 minutes in Wednesday's win over Savannah State, including 16 points in nine minutes after halftime.
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 14-9 record in true road contests this year. The 14 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 510 straight games with at least one trifecta is the MVC's longest active streak.
20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had four individuals score more than 20 points this season, 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.
Welcome Back, Carter
Senior Justin Carter missed Creighton's first three regular-season games with a partially torn MCL in his left knee, but didn't waste any time making a difference in his return.
Carter played 24 minutes off the bench against No. 15 Michigan on Nov. 26th. He led CU with a career-high 21 points, making 10-of-15 shots from the floor, and also grabbed eight rebounds.
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.
Bock Knocks 'Em Down
True freshman Andrew Bock is 17-of-19 at the free-throw line in his young career His 89.5 percent marksmanship from the line ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Bock has a streak of 16 straight free throw makes snapped when he missed his first attempt versus Savannah State on Wednesday.
No Creighton freshman on record has ever made 20 consecutive free throws or more.
Stinnett Surpasses 900 Points
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett has surpassed the 900 point milestone, having scored 933 points through the first 76 games of his career.
Below is the list for most points in all games played under Altman.
Most Points, Dana Altman Era (1994-Pres.)
No. Pts. Name, Games Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford (118 games) 1995-99
2. 1,801 Kyle Korver (128 games) 1999-03
3. 1,754 Nate Funk (135 games) 2002-07
4. 1,311 Ryan Sears (124 games) 1997-01
5. 1,238 Ben Walker (124 games) 1997-01
6. 1,152 Dane Watts (130 games) 2004-08
7. 1,031 Johnny Mathies (93 games) 2003-06
8. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
9. 979 Terrell Taylor (97 games) 1999-02
10. 933 P'Allen Stinnett (76 games) 2007-10
11. 883 Brody Deren (95 games) 2001-04
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 103-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.
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.
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.
10 Conference Wins x 13
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 13th 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 13 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (15).
Newcomers Shine
Creighton had three newcomers score in double-figures during its season-opener against Dayton. Wayne Runnels had 16 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, Darryl Ashford had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Ethan Wragge had 11 points on 3-of-4 marksmanship.
Combined, those three men accounted for half of Creighton's 80 points at Dayton and made 14-of-19 shots from the floor (73.7 percent).
Newcomers Ashford (17), Wragge (16), Josh Jones (8) and Andrew Bock (6) combined for 47 of CU's 78 points in the win over Florida A&M on Nov. 17th.
Doubling Up From The Start
Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge both scored 11 or more points in each of their first two games at Creighton.
Prior to this season, Creighton hadn't had a player open their career with two or more games of 11 points or more since junior college transfer Edward St. Fleur had 16 points, then 17 points, to start the 1995-96 campaign.
Ashford's 83 points rank as the ninth-best nine-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure, while Wragge's 81 points are the 10th-most. Wragge's total is fifth-most by a freshman under Altman.
In case you are wondering, the most points under Altman in a newcomer's first 10 games is 111 by Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
Most Points, First Nine Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
102 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
97 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
93 Terrell Taylor, Fr. 1999-00
93 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
92 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
91 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
90 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
88 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
83 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
81 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
75 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
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.
The Four-Point Play
Few plays in basketball are as rare as the four-point play, which happen only when a player is fouled while making a three-point shot and then hits the ensuing free throw.
On Nov. 4th against Missouri Western State, P'Allen Stinnett pulled off that rare feat with 13:17 left in the second half.
Stinnett then did it again at Dayton in the season-opener on Nov. 14.
Before Stinnett's magic, Creighton had not had a player convert a four-point play in a regular-season game since Johnny Mathies vs. Evansville on Jan. 22, 2006.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 30 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
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 25 assists and 14 turnovers, good for a 1.79 assist/turnover ratio.
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.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked second in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Northern Iowa was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 38-of-39 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Creighton was second with 336 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Illinois State (299), Southern Illinois (272) and Wichita State (216) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Bradley (208), where it was followed by Indiana State (173), Drake (105), Missouri State (92) and Evansville (55).
Creighton junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is one of six men on the preseason all-MVC team. It's Stinnett's second straight year earning such an accolade. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Adam Koch, SIU's Tony Freeman, Drake's Josh Young and preseason MVC Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge from Illinois State.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 313. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 4,975 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Dec. 16th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 809-288 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 12/19
2. 768-216 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 12/19
3. 563-207 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 12/20
4. 424-232 Gary Williams, Maryland 12/22
5. 376-325 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 12/22
6. 371-265 Bob Thomason, Pacific 12/18
7. 369-240 Bob McKillop, Davidson 12/17
8. 344-139 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 12/19
9. 321-265 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 12/19
10. 317-127 Billy Donovan, Florida 12/19
11. 313-165 Dana Altman, Creighton 12/19
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
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 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
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 103-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 15,968 fans per game so far.
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
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,968 Creighton 2009-10
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
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 12 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four 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 12 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
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 313 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 172 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. 313 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 172 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 214 wins in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 16, 2009:
MVC Standings (2000-01 to Dec. 16, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 115 47 .710 214 87 .711
Southern Illinois 118 44 .728 207 95 .685
Missouri State 85 77 .525 167 126 .570
Wichita State 83 79 .512 165 128 .563
Northern Iowa 84 78 .519 163 126 .564
Bradley 78 84 .481 160 141 .532
Illinois State 75 87 .463 153 133 .535
Drake 69 93 .426 140 144 .493
Indiana State 50 112 .309 113 171 .398
Evansville 53 109 .327 105 166 .387
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 0 0 9
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Wichita State 1 3 1 0 5
Northern Iowa 4 0 0 0 4
Missouri State 0 3 0 0 3
Illinois State 0 3 0 0 3
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Indiana State 1 0 0 0 1
Army of Iowans
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).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 486 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 510 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
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
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 56 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, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 104 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 88-16 (.846) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 19-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 7,708-6,482 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. The 16 losses have been by a combined 87 points (5.4 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 22 different times, including three times this year.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 10 charges so far this year after taking 47 in 2008-09. Over the previous seven seasons, the Bluejays have averaged taking 48.4 per year.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-08 '08-09 '09-10 Total
Casey Harriman 17 8 4 29
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 2 2
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Justin Carter n/a 9 1 10
Antoine Young n/a 4 1 4
Chad Millard 7 4 0 11
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 0 6
Kaleb Korver 0 3 0 3
Cavel Witter 3 0 0 3
Former Players 258 11 n/a 243
Total 292 47 10 349
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.
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
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 will be $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and won a share of the MVC regular-season title for the first time since 2001-02. The Jays were then selected to the NIT, where it defeated Bowling Green before falling to Kentucky.
Senior Booker Woodfox was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and ranking second nationally with 47.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
Fellow senior Josh Dotzler led CU in assists and led the MVC in steals while earning a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive Team.
Justin Carter returns after leading Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per contest, while P'Allen Stinnett is the team's top returning scorer after scoring at a 12.5 points per game clip.
Creighton averaged an MVC-record 15,930 fans per game last season, 12th-best nationally.
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.
