Men's Basketball Prepares For New Year's Day Game in Terre Haute
12/30/2009 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #13 at Indiana State • Friday, Jan. 1, 2010 • 2:05 p.m. EST (1:05 pm CST)
Creighton Bluejays at Indiana State Sycamores
Hulman Center (10,200) • Terre Haute, Ind.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads, 48-22
Last Meeting: Creighton won 73-62 on Jan. 27, 2009 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
Creighton (5-7, 0-1 MVC) opens 2010 with a New Year's Day game at Indiana State (8-4, 0-1 MVC).
Friday's game in Terre Haute, Ind., will take place at Hulman Center (10,200) and start at 2:05 pm Eastern (1:05 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.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Information
Indiana State, Creighton University and Jump TV have partnered and will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of Friday's game. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $11.95 and an annual pass is $69.95.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games will have live stats this season, including Friday's game at Indiana State.
Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State is off to an 8-4 start on the season despite opening MVC play with a 70-52 loss at Southern Illinois on Tuesday.
Four returning starters join talented transfers Dwayne Lathan (14.0 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Jake Kelly (9.0 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) at ISU. Kelly, however, tore his ACL on Tuesday and expected to miss the rest of the season.
Among those returning starters are senior guards Harry Marshall (10.9 ppg.) and Rashad Reed (7.3 ppg.)
The Sycamores average 64.9 points per game and allow 62.8 per contest. ISU shoots 43.8 percent from the floor, 34.2 percent from downtown and 76.8 percent at the line.
The Sycamores are 4-1 at Hulman Center this season, where they average 4,661 fans per game.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-7 on the young season but winless in six games away from Qwest Center Omaha.
The Bluejays lost their MVC lid-lifter on Tuesday with a 60-52 setback against preseason favorite Northern Iowa.
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 (11.3 ppg.), rebounding (6.3 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.2 bpg).
Five other men average between 7.3 and 9.5 points per game, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (9.5), Darryl Ashford (9.5), Ethan Wragge (7.6), Cavel Witter (7.6) and Justin Carter (7.3).
Creighton averages 70.8 points per game and shoots 44.7 percent from the floor. It holds opponents to 67.8 points per game and 40.7 percent shooting. The Jays have been outrebounded by 1.0 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 314-167 (.653) mark at CU and a career record of 397-234 (.629) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Indiana State is led by Kevin McKenna (Creighton, 1993), who is 34-41 in his third year with the Sycamores. That moves his career mark to 123-74 in seven years overall when you factor in four seasons at Division II Nebraska-Omaha. McKenna played at Creighton, and after a six-year NBA career later returned as an assistant coach with the Jays. He is assisted by Greg Lansing, Lou Gudino and Deryl Cunningham.
Series History vs. Indiana State
Creighton owns a 48-22 record all-time against Indiana State and has won 19 of the last 23 games in the series, including a 79-61 victory in Terre Haute last Dec. 31st.
The Bluejays lead the series 17-14 in 31 previous Terre Haute meetings, and are 6-3 since a 2001 meeting that snapped ISU's 22-game home winning streak.
Fifteen of the last 32 meetings have been decided by six points or less, and the teams have played at least one game decided by eight points or less in 15 of the previous 16 seasons.
Dana Altman is 24-10 in his career against Indiana State, including a 9-6 mark in Terre Haute.
Altman is 3-1 against Kevin McKenna in regular-season contests, but did win all three exhibition games against his protégé's Nebraska-Omaha team.
A complete series history against Indiana State can be found on page nine of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton overcame an early 1-for-16 shooting slump to take a 41-37 lead, only to see UNI answer with a 14-3 run that helped beat the Jays, 60-52, on Tuesday night at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton got within three points in the final minute before UNI scored the last five points. Cavel Witter led CU with 17 points, while UNI was led by 15 from Ali Farokhmanesh.
Close Games With The Sycamores
Fifteen of the last 32 games between Creighton and Indiana State have been decided by six points or less. The teams have played a game decided by eight points or less in 15 of the previous 16 seasons.
Since 2003, all four of Creighton's wins in Terre Haute have been by 16 or more points (16, 17, 18, 28), but Indiana State's three victories over the Jays have been by a combined 13 points (2, 3, 8).
This year's Creighton team is 1-5 in games decided by eight or less points this season, but 4-0 in games decided by 15 or more points.
I Can Drive, 55
Creighton has beaten Indiana State in 15 of the past 16 meetings when the Bluejays have scored 55 points or more.
McKenna A CU Grad & Hall of Famer
Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna spent 13 seasons on the Creighton sidelines as either a player (1977-81) or assistant coach (1994-2001, 2005-07).
As a player, McKenna currently ranks 12th in Creighton history with exactly 1,500 career points. He remains ranked in CU's career top-10 lists in field goal attempts, free-throw percentage and assists. Two of his teams (1977-78 and 1980-81) reached the NCAA Tournament. McKenna was enshrined into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 for his exploits.
As an assistant coach, McKenna was part of four NCAA Tournament teams (1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2006-07) as well as two NIT clubs (1997-98 and 2005-06). He was a member of Dana Altman's first staff at Creighton.
MVC Road Openers
Friday's game at Indiana State will be Creighton's first MVC road game of the season. Creighton is 6-9 under Dana Altman in league road openers, including a 1-4 mark in recent seasons. In three of the last five years they've fallen in a game decided at the buzzer.
In 2006-07, Creighton lost a 55-52 game in Terre Haute when Nate Funk's last-second three-point try was deflected by Indiana State's Gabe Moore.
In 2005-06, Illinois State's Dana Ford drained a 40-foot heave at the final horn for a 53-50 Redbird win.
During the 2004-05 season, Evansville's Kyle Anslinger grabbed an offensive rebound and beat the buzzer with an 18-footer in UE's 63-61 win.
All three teams mentioned above that Creighton lost to would wind up with a losing record in Valley action and played in MVC Tournament play-in game.
Too Good A Shot Doctor?
Some referred to Kevin McKenna as the “Shot Doctor” when he was on the Creighton staff, and it appears as though some of those lessons are now coming back to haunt him from the other bench.
Creighton's current roster has shot 61.0 percent (25-41) from three-point range in their collective history against Indiana State. In fact, six of the seven players with at least one attempt from downtown against ISU are shooting 50 percent or better from deep.
Last season Creighton shot 15-of-24 from three-point range at Hulman Center, including a career-best six treys from P'Allen Stinnett.
Board Battle A Must Win
Creighton has posted better rebounding numbers against Indiana State than anyone else in The Valley in recent seasons.
The Sycamores have outrebounded Creighton just once in the last 20 meetings, that coming on Feb. 22, 2006, when the Sycamores won the boards 35-30.
Creighton is 189-57 under Dana Altman when outrebounding opponents.
Terradise Found
Dick Clark counting down the seconds in a jam-packed Times Square. The playing of Auld Lang Syne. Kissing a loved one at midnight. Making some resolutions that rarely last the week. The Jays in Terre Haute..
In what's become a seemingly annual tradition, Creighton will once again celebrate the New Year's Eve in Terre Haute.
Last year Creighton played the Sycamores on Dec. 31st. The season before, Creighton arrived in town on Dec. 31 before playing ISU on Jan. 2nd. The year before that they met Jan. 4th.
This will be the eighth straight season that the first meeting between Creighton and Indiana State has taken place in Terre Haute.
Even the Creighton women's team seems to be part of this, as they've been scheduled to play in Terre Haute on Dec. 31 (2006 and 2009) and Jan. 3rd (2009) the past four seasons.
Streaking From 3-Point Land
On Tuesday against Northern Iowa, Creighton missed its first eight three-pointers, made its next seven treys, and missed its final four tries from 3-point land.
Bluejay guard Cavel Witter missed his initial try from downtown, only to rally and make his next five shots from long-range.
Decade Leaders
Tuesday was Creighton's 326th and final game of the decade, during which it went 229-97.
Below is the stat leaders for the decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), with more detailed info available page 11 of these notes:
Category Stat Name
Games Played 135 Nate Funk
Games Started 119 Dane Watts
Minutes Played 3,686 Nate Funk
Points 1,754 Nate Funk
Points Per Game 14.9 Kyle Korver
Field Goals Made 621 Nate Funk
Field Goals Attempted 1,307 Nate Funk
Field Goal Percentage .635 Livan Pyfrom
3-Pt. Field Goals Made 360 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Attempts 779 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .468 Matt West
Free Throws Made 312 Nate Funk
Free Throws Attempted 410 Anthony Tolliver
Free Throw Pct. .894 Kyle Korver
Rebounds 686 Dane Watts
Rebounds Per Game 6.1 Ben Walker
Fouls 326 Dane Watts
Assists 430 Tyler McKinney
Blocked Shots 138 Brody Deren
Steals 196 Josh Dotzler
Offensive Lows & Woes
Creighton's 52 points against Northern Iowa on Tuesday tied a Qwest Center Omaha low by a Bluejay team that was originally set in a 53-52 loss to March 20, 2006 against Miami (Fla.).
Creighton's 18 first-half points against Northern Iowa on Tuesday set a Qwest Center Omaha low by a Bluejay team for a half. The previous mark of 19 was also originally set in the same aforementioned loss to Miami (Fla.).
Finally, Creighton's 52 points were its fewest in an MVC home game since a 54-45 loss to Illinois State on Dec. 29, 1996.
Jays Pass 1.5 Million Fans at Qwest Center
Tuesday saw Creighton move over the 1.5 million fan mark at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton has attracted 1,506,685 fans in 106 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,214 per contest.
How impressive is that average? No other league school has ever drawn more than 13,675 fans per game for a season and none of the league's other nine current venues has a capacity of 11,600 or greater.
Stealing The Game
Need a quick indicator on who will win? Check out how many steals the Creighton team is able to gather.
This season Creighton is 5-0 when it gets seven steals or more, but 0-7 when it owns six or fewer steals.
Not Over Yet
Just because Creighton is in unfamiliar territory with a 5-7 record after 12 games doesn't mean the NCAA Tournament still isn't within reach.
Of the 65 teams in last year's NCAA Tournament, 11 of those schools started the year 6-6 or worse through 12 games. That list is below:
Team Start After 12 Final W-L
American 6-6 24-8
Cornell 6-6 21-10
Northern Iowa 6-6 23-11
Robert Morris 6-6 24-11
Temple 6-6 22-12
Alabama State 5-7 22-10
Morgan State 5-7 23-12
Cal State Northridge 4-8 17-14
Chattanooga 4-8 18-17
Morehead State 4-8 20-16
Radford 4-8 21-12
It's About Time
Creighton is 5-1 in the Central Time Zone this season, 0-5 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone and 0-1 in the Mountain Time Zone. The Jays lost three times in Orlando, Fla., and single games at George Mason (in Fairfax, Va.), at Dayton (in Dayton, Ohio) and at New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Creighton, which plays at Indiana State on Friday, 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.
No TV, No Problem
Creighton has won 88 percent of its games the last past eight years (since 2002-03) that have not been televised, winning its last 15 games to improve to 66-9 in non-televised games. Neither game in Creighton's weekend trip to Indiana will be televised.
The Jays have been pretty successful on television as well, going 102-63 in that same span (.618). However, CU is just 1-7 on television this season.
Rare New Year's Game
Friday's game at Indiana State will be just Creighton's second game on New Year's Day since 1947. The other occurance was a 79-71 win over Illinois State in 2007.
Alternating Wins & Losses
Creighton has alternated wins and losses in each of its last seven games. If this trend continues, Creighton will beat Indiana State on Friday.
The Bluejays had not traded wins and losses in eight consecutive games since a stretch of doing it in nine straight games from Jan. 19-Feb. 16, 2005. The Bluejays concluded that 2004-05 season with a 23-11 mark, an MVC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament that year.
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.
Preseason No. 1 vs. Preseason No. 2
Before Tuesday it had been 20 years since the two teams atop the MVC preseason poll have faced each other to open league play.
You had to go all the way back to 1989-90, when preseason favorite Creighton lost on the road at preseason No. 2 Tulsa, 82-77, on Jan. 6, 1990.
The 1989-90 season also marked the last previous time that the MVC's defending regular-season champ played a team that finished first or second place to open conference play the following year. In the same game mentioned in the paragraph above, defending champ Creighton beat a Tulsa team that tied for second place in 1988-89.
Conference Openers Have Gone Well
Tuesday's loss to UNI dropped Creighton coach Dana Altman to 11-5 in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including a 9-3 record in the last 12 years.
Altman is now 12-4 in Creighton's first home game of the MVC slate and his clubs have won 10 of its last 12 games that opened conference play at home.
Since 1993-94, only one team (Northern Iowa, a 2008-09 co-champion) has won at least a share of the regular-season title without winning its regular-season opener. In fact, 14 of the last 15 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI last year once again serving as the exception.
Witter Wonderland
Senior guard Cavel Witter has had his two best shooting nights of the season in the last two games.
On Dec. 22nd against Houston Baptist, he made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and finishing with a season-best 18 points. Witter tied a personal best with four three-pointers (done twice previously) and did not have a turnover in 20 minutes of action.
Witter then had 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, to lead all scorers in the Northern Iowa game.
In his career, Creighton is 14-1 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 13.3 points per contest. Creighton is also 7-2 in games that Witter plays and does not commit a turnover.
Better To Give Than Receive
Creighton had 28 assists on its 32 baskets last Tuesday against Houston Baptist. Not only were the 28 helpers a season-high and Qwest Center Omaha record, but they were also the most by any Creighton team under the direction of Dana Altman. Creighton's 28 assists were its most since 29 assists against Southwest Missouri State on Feb. 10, 1991.
One week later on the same floor against UNI, Creighton did not record an assist until 5:21 remained in the first half and finished with eight.
Playing With The Lead At Home
Creighton has led from wire-to-wire in four of its six home games this season, never trailing in wins over Florida A&M, Arkansas-Little Rock, Savannah State and Houston Baptist.
First Half Defense
Creighton has shut down the opposition in the first half of games this season, holding opponents to just 37.6 percent shooting from the field and 29.3 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
In the second half of games, opponents are shooting 43.3 percent from the floor against CU and 33.6 percent from downtown.
Creighton's defense has been especially stingy in the first half of the past four games, holding each opponent under 31.1 percent and to a collective 25.4 percent (31-of-122) overall, including 8-of-42 accuracy (19.0 percent) from three-point territory.
Game Could Turn Over This Stat
Creighton has been outscored in points off turnovers in six of its seven losses this year, but owned the edge in the same category in all five wins.
Indiana State is currently last in the MVC with a 0.7 assist/turnover ratio.
Among The Nation's Best This Decade
Creighton ranks among the nation's best schools this decade (2000-01 season to Dec. 29, 2009), ranking 23rd nationally in wins and 20th in win percentage. Below are those lists, as tabulated by STATS Inc.
Most Wins (2000-01 thru Dec. 29, 2009)
Rank School W-L Next
1. Duke 272-56 12/31
2. Kansas 270-59 1/2
3. Memphis 262-71 12/31
4. Pittsburgh 250-72 1/2
5. Gonzaga 247-60 12/31
6. Florida 241-80 12/30
7. North Carolina 239-83 12/30
Texas 239-83 1/2
9. Illinois 238-85 12/30
10. Connecticut 237-77 12/30
Syracuse 237-89 1/2
12. Utah State 234-76 1/2
13. Kentucky 231-87 1/2
14. Xavier 227-82 1/3
15. Oklahoma 226-84 12/31
16. Michigan State 225-92 12/30
17. Wisconsin 221-86 12/31
18. Louisville 220-95 12/30
19. Butler 219-83 12/31
Kent State 219-93 12/30
21. Western Kentucky 218-81 12/31
22. Arizona 216-98 12/31
23. Creighton 215-89 01/01
24. Ohio State 212-98 12/31
Oklahoma State 212-98 1/2
Best Win Percentage (2000-01 thru Dec. 29, 2009)
Rank School W-L Win % Next
1. Duke 272-56 .829 12/31
2. Kansas 270-59 .821 1/2
3. Gonzaga 247-60 .805 12/31
4. Memphis 262-71 .787 12/31
5. Pittsburgh 250-72 .776 1/2
6. Connecticut 237-77 .755 12/30
7. Utah State 234-76 .755 1/2
8. Florida 241-80 .751 12/30
9. North Carolina 239-83 .742 12/30
Texas 239-83 .742 1/2
11. Illinois 238-85 .737 12/30
12. Xavier 227-82 .735 1/3
13. Oklahoma 226-84 .729 12/31
Western Kentucky 218-81 .729 12/31
15. Syracuse 237-89 .727 1/2
16. Kentucky 231-87 .726 1/2
17. Butler 219-83 .725 12/31
18. Wisconsin 221-86 .720 12/31
19. Michigan State 225-92 .710 12/30
20. Creighton 215-89 .707 1/1
21. Kent State 219-93 .702 12/30
22. Louisville 220-95 .698 12/30
23. Stanford 211-92 .696 1/2
24. Southern Illinois 210-95 .689 1/1
25. Arizona 216-98 .688 12/31
26. Ohio State 212-98 .684 12/31
Oklahoma State 212-98 .684 1/2
Stinnett Nearing 100 Treys, 1000 Points
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett owns 97 career three-pointers and is three trifectas away from becoming the 13th player in the Dana Altman era to sink 100 or more treys. Booker Woodfox was the last Bluejay to do so, accomplishing the feat last season. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) owns the Creighton and MVC record, hitting 371 shots from three-point land in his All-American career.
Stinnett also enters the week approaching another milestone, as he owns 955 career points.
Ranked Opponents, A Tale of Two Halves
Creighton has had chances to win all three games it has played against ranked opponents this year, frequently going ahead early in the game.
In the first half of three games against ranked foes, CU's post men; Kenny Lawson Jr. (8-10), Justin Carter (8-9), Wayne Runnels (6-6) and Ethan Wragge (2-2) have combined to shoot 24-of-27 from the floor, good for a blistering 88.9 percent. As a team, Creighton has shot 60.6 percent in the opening half of those games.
By contrast, in the second half CU's post players are a combined 14-for-28 (still a respectable 50 percent) and the entire CU team has shot 32-of-86 (37.2 percent).
Call It A Comeback
Dana Altman frequently urges his team to play hard all 40 minutes regardless of the score, whether they are up 10 points or down 10 points. In recent seasons Bluejay fans have seen plenty of comebacks, many of which have favored CU.
Each of the last seven times Creighton has lost a game it led by 10 points or more, it has come away from home. In that same span, Creighton has won seven home games and one road game (at Missouri State, last season) after trailing by 10 points or more.
The Jays are 74-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 31 straight wins.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 17-9 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 7-0 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 23-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.
Below is a chart showing how many times Creighton (or its opponent) overcame a 10-point deficit to win a game in the past six years:
Comebacks From 10 Points Down, Last 6 Years
CU Comebacks Opp. Comebacks
2009-10 0 2
2008-09 4 2
2007-08 4 2
2006-07 2 2
2005-06 6 1
2004-05 5 3
Total 21 12
Andy Katz Hasn't Given Up Hope
ESPN.com analyst Andy Katz had several notes about MVC schools in his Dec. 21st Weekly Watch, and he had several positive things to say about Creighton, as seen below:
“The Bluejays are 4-6 and overall have been a disappointment, but I refuse to say this squad is toast. Creighton had New Mexico beat on Saturday before a major Lobo comeback at the Pit. The Bluejays did beat Nebraska and lost a tough opener at Dayton. I wouldn't be shocked one bit if the Jays made serious noise during the Valley season.”
Law & Order
Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks seventh in Creighton history in blocked shots, and is two away from 100. After leading the MVC in blocks per game last year, he's currently second among 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
98 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
75 Jeffrey Day 2004-06
Seven Losses In First 12 Games?
Creighton has lost seven of its first 12 games, matching its poorest start since 1996-97.
The 1996-97 club started 5-8 before turning around a season that saw CU finish 10-8 in Valley action.
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.
A-Train Signed By NBA's Portland
Former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver (2004-07) signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 17, 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.
Tolliver was cut on Dec. 29th after sparse playing time in two appearances with the Blazers.
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 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 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 (11.3 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) through 12 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 82 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 11.3
Junior RPG 6.7 6.3
Junior BPG 1.6 1.2
Points Thru 82 Games Played 431 642
Rebounds Thru 82 Games Played 315 392
Blocks Thru 82 Games Played 68 98
Wins Thru 82 Games Played 57 56
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 18-14 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 18 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)
Wragge Shooting The Lights Out
Ethan Wragge has made 23-of-49 shots from three-point range this season, good for 46.9 percent, which ranks sixth in the MVC among players with a minimum of one trey per game.
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 513 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.
True Freshman Knocking 'Em Down
True freshman Andrew Bock is 18-of-21 at the free-throw line in his young career. His 85.7 percent marksmanship from the line would rank tied for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference with one more attempt.
Bock has a streak of 16 straight free throw makes snapped when he missed his first attempt versus Savannah State last Wednesday.
Fellow true freshman Ethan Wragge has made all 10 free throw attempts thus far as well.
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 955 points through the first 79 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. 955 P'Allen Stinnett (79 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).
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 114 points are seventh-best 12-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure, while Wragge's 91 points are 11th-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 13 games is 148 by P'Allen Stinnett in 2007-08.
Most Points, First 12 Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
142 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
134 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
130 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
128 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
120 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
115 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
114 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
109 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
106 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
102 Larry House, Jr. 2001-02
100 Terrell Taylor, Fr. 1999-00
99 Johnny Mathies, So. 2003-04
91 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
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 33 assists and 20 turnovers, good for a 1.65 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.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 314. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 4,991 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Dec. 29th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 812-288 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 1/2
2. 770-216 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 12/31
3. 566-207 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 12/30
4. 426-232 Gary Williams, Maryland 12/30
5. 376-326 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 12/30
6. 371-241 Bob McKillop, Davidson 12/30
371-268 Bob Thomason, Pacific 1/2
8. 345-140 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 12/30
9. 322-267 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 1/2
10. 318-129 Billy Donovan, Florida 12/30
11. 314-167 Dana Altman, Creighton 1/1
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
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.
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 16,229 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
16,229 so far 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 314 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. 314 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 215 wins in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 31, 2009:
MVC Standings (2000-01 to Dec. 31, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 115 48 .706 215 89 .707
Southern Illinois 119 44 .730 210 95 .689
Missouri State 86 77 .528 169 127 .571
Wichita State 83 80 .509 167 129 .564
Northern Iowa 85 78 .521 166 126 .568
Bradley 79 84 .485 161 142 .531
Illinois State 76 87 .466 156 133 .540
Drake 69 94 .423 140 147 .488
Indiana State 50 113 .307 115 172 .401
Evansville 53 110 .325 107 168 .389
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
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.
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 489 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 513 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 57 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 106 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 89-17 (.840) 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 7,845-6,598 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. The 17 losses have been by a combined 95 points (5.6 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 23 different times, including four times this year.
Creighton has attracted 1,506,685 fans in 106 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,214 per contest.
Dance Regulars
Creighton is one of 20 schools to have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments during each of the past five decades.
Multiple NCAA Appearances, Last 5 Decades
Team 60's 70's 80's 90's 00's
Arizona State 4 2 2 2 2
BYU 2 3 5 5 7
Creighton 2 3 2 2 6
DePaul 2 3 9 2 2
Duke 4 2 7 9 10
Kansas 3 4 6 10 10
Kentucky 6 7 9 8 9
Louisville 4 6 8 7 7
Marquette 3 9 3 4 6
North Carolina 3 6 10 10 8
Princeton 7 2 4 6 2
Providence 3 5 2 3 2
Temple 2 3 5 10 4
Texas Tech 2 2 2 2 4
UCLA 7 10 5 10 8
Utah 3 3 3 7 6
UTEP 4 2 6 2 2
Villanova 3 4 8 6 5
Weber State 2 6 2 2 2
Western Kentucky 4 4 4 3 5
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Avg. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 15 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 6 31
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 3 3
Justin Carter n/a 9 2 11
Antoine Young n/a 4 2 5
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
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 12 351
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.
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.
