Men's Basketball Visits Southern Illinois For ESPN2 Game Saturday

Next Game
Creighton (20-6, 10-4 MVC) returns to national television on Saturday when it plays at league rival Southern Illinois (11-14, 6-8 MVC).
   Tip-off at SIU Arena (9,628) in Carbondale, Ill., is set for 4:02 pm.

Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2008-09 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action.
   For all home games, Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after home games, also on Big Sports 590.

Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally by ESPN2. Eric Collins and Stephen Bardo will announce. Coordinates for the game have not yet been publicized.

Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.

Live Stats Information
Saturday's game will have live stats provided by the Southern Illinois Athletic Media Relations office. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for the exact link.

Scouting Creighton (20-6, 10-4 MVC)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference have won five straight games and 17 of their past 21 games to improve to 20-6 overall, including a 10-4 league mark that places it second in the league standings.
   Senior guard Booker Woodfox leads the team with 16.0 points per game. He ranks second nationally in three-point percentage at 49.0 percent among players with 2.5 makes per game or better. His MVC-leading 88.8 percent accuracy rate from the free throw line also ranks 12th nationally.
   Also scoring in double-figures is sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett (12.8 ppg., 1.5 spg.). Stinnett is a preseason all-Valley pick after sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors last season.
   Senior point guard Josh Dotzler owns an MVC-best 60 steals, while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops The Valley with 40 blocked shots.
   Creighton shoots 44.6 percent from the floor, 39.0 percent from three-point territory and is also making 75.7 percent of its shots from the line.
   The Bluejays return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 22-11 team that made an 11th straight postseason appearance, reaching the second round of the NIT.

Scouting Southern Illinois (11-14, 6-8 MVC)
Southern Illinois has lost three of its past four games and is 11-14 overall, 6-8 in MVC play. The Salukis are in a three-way tie for sixth place, but just a game out of fourth place in the ultra-competitive Valley standings.
   Senior point guard Bryan Mullins has missed the past three games with a stress fracture in his foot and is out indefinitely. A former Valley Defensive Player of the Year, Mullins was averaging 9.3 points, 5.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game before his injury.
   With Mullins out, freshman Kevin Dillard has assumed the burden of being the team's top offensive option at 12.0 points per game. Dillard shoots 45.6 percent from three-point land and has also dished 3.9 assists per contest.
   Also in double-figures is Carlton Fay, who scores 10.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
   Southern Illinois is 7-4 at home this season, including a 3-3 mark in conference play. The Salukis average 5,711 fans per home game, with a high of 7,376 for the season-opener against California (Pa.).

The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 15th year as head coach of the Bluejays.
   He owns a 302-158 (.657) mark at Creighton and a career record of 385-225 (.631) in his 20th year as a NCAA Division I head coach when you add four seasons at Kansas State and one at Marshall. Tack on four years at the junior college level and Altman's overall record as a college head coach is 508-249 (.671).
   Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his first 23 years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
   Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 11 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Nick Bahe is the team's graduate manager.
   Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 1995) owns a 107-55 record in his fifth year as head coach of the Salukis. Lowery, a former Saluki point guard and assistant coach, has been in the postseason in all 11 years he's been a part of the program. He is assisted by Rodney Watson, Lance Irvin and Brad Korn.

Series History Against Southern Illinois
Creighton owns a 44-36 all-time lead in the series against Southern Illinois, but the Salukis are 22-14 in Carbondale against the Jays.
   Creighton has lost seven straight games in Carbondale, last beating the Salukis at SIU Arena on Feb. 10, 2001.
   The Salukis have won nine of the past 13 meetings, though the home team has won the past four regular-season meetings.
   Fifteen of the last 18 meetings have been decided by nine points or less, including CU's 73-72 overtime win in Omaha on Jan. 14, 2009.
   Dana Altman is 16-16 against Southern Illinois and 3-7 against Chris Lowery.
   A complete series history against Southern Illinois can be found on page 10 of this release.

Last Game Recap
Creighton held Bradley to one field goal in the final 10:45 to pick up a 79-65 win at Qwest Center Omaha on Wednesday. Booker Woodfox paced five CU players in double-figures, scoring 18 points. Bradley's Theron Wilson had 15 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause.

Clash of the Titans
Saturday's showdown in Carbondale features the league's two dominant teams since the turn of the millennium. Consider the following information about Creighton and Southern Illinois...
- Six of the last eight MVC regular-season champions.
- Six of the last eight MVC Coaches of the Year.
- Five of the last seven MVC Players of the Year.
- Seven of the last 10 MVC Tourney champs.
- Either Creighton or Southern Illinois (or both) has made the postseason in 18 of the past 20 years.

Search For A Sweep
With wins in Carbondale difficult to come by, Creighton will be looking for a rare regular-season sweep of the Salukis on Saturday. Creighton has not swept SIU since the 2000-01 season, winning 78-63 in Omaha and 77-63 in Carbondale one week later.

Comeback Recap
Down four with 52.3 seconds left in overtime, Creighton would score score eight straight points to stun Southern Illinois, 73-72, in overtime on Jan. 14 the first time these teams met this season.
   After a Josh Dotzler steal, P'Allen Stinnett would hit a trey to get CU within one. Stinnett would take a charge on the defensive end and Booker Woodfox would drain a triple to give the Jays a two-point lead they would never surrender.
   Stinnett had 29 points to pace CU, while Kevin Dillard scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to pace SIU.

Valentine's Day History?
Creighton is 16-8 all-time on Feb. 14th, including a 2-4 mark under Dana Altman. Each of Creighton's last two games on Valentine's Day have been overtime losses, a 2006 overtime loss at Wichita State and a 2004 double-overtime setback at Drake.

ESPN All-Access
Creighton's current basketball team features three men that helped out with ESPN's 2008 coverage of the Men's College World Series, held annually in Omaha at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
   Kaleb Korver, Antoine Young and Chad Millard have all held roles that includes setting up the announcer's booth, serving as grips, working with the camera men that venture into the crowd and other assorted duties.
   The CWS returns to Omaha for a 60th consecutive year from June 13-24 and will once again be seen on ESPN and ESPN2.

Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 24-9 in its last 33 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and will be making its second appearance of the year on the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader on Saturday.
   In these 33 ESPN appearances, Creighton is 23-2 when scoring 62 points or more (both losses were at SIU), but just 1-7 when scoring 61 points or less.
   Last year the Jays went 6-2 on the ESPN family of networks, including thrilling one-point wins over both Rhode Island and Oral Roberts.
   Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date   Opponent   Score   Network
01/20/09   at Evansville   W 79-57   ESPNU
03/21/08   at Florida   L 54-82   ESPN2
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   ESPNU
02/23/08   at Oral Roberts   W 65-64   ESPN2
02/19/08   Missouri State   W 88-67   ESPNU
02/10/08   Southern Illinois   W 72-53   ESPNU
02/05/08   Northern Iowa   W 74-50   ESPNU
01/26/08   at Southern Illinois   L 44-48   ESPN2
01/15/08   at Northern Iowa   W 68-59   ESPN2
02/24/07   Wichita State   W 71-54   ESPN2
02/17/07   Drexel   L 58-64   ESPN2
02/13/07   Northern Iowa   W 66-55   ESPNU
02/10/07   at Southern Illinois   L 68-72   ESPN2
12/30/06   Missouri State   W 77-74   ESPN2
12/06/06   at Dayton   L 54-60   ESPNU
02/18/06   Fresno State   W 67-62   ESPN
02/14/06   at Wichita State   L 61-62 ot   ESPNU
01/31/06   Northern Iowa   W 63-55   ESPNU
03/07/05   vs. Missouri State   W 75-57   ESPN
02/12/05   at Southern Illinois   L 67-71   ESPN2
02/09/05   Northern Iowa   W 83-82   ESPN2
02/21/04   at Kent State   L 55-70   ESPN2
02/07/04   Southern Illinois   L 60-61   ESPN2
03/10/03   vs. Southern Illinois   W 80-56   ESPN
02/22/03   Fresno State   W 67-66   ESPN2
01/18/03   Southern Illinois   W 85-76   ESPN2
03/04/02   vs. Southern Illinois   W 84-76   ESPN2
02/23/02   at Bradley   W 80-64   ESPN2
02/17/01   Wyoming   W 84-72   ESPN
02/10/01   at Southern Illinois   W 77-63   ESPN
03/06/00   vs. Missouri State   W 57-45   ESPN
02/07/00   at Colorado State   W 78-67   ESPN
03/01/99   vs. Evansville   W 70-61   ESPN

Posts With the Most
Creighton centers Kenny Lawson Jr. (10 points) and Kenton Walker (11 points) both scored in double-figures on Wednesday in the victory over Bradley. It was the second time this season and third time in the past two years that both men scored 10 or more, and CU has won those three games by an average of 26.7 points.
   Since Chad Millard's ankle injury, Lawson and Walker have almost exclusively shared the center position. They've combined to average 13.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots in 36.4 minutes in the past six games.

Dominating The Valley
Creighton head coach Dana Altman owns a .500 or better record against every current Valley coach except Southern Illinois mentor Chris Lowery and Illinois State's Tim Jankovich.
   Below is his head-to-head record against the current Valley coaching fraternity:
Altman vs. Current MVC Head Coaches
Cuonzo Martin, MSU   1-0
Ben Jacobson, UNI   5-1
Jim Les, BU   13-3
Kevin McKenna, INS   3-1
Gregg Marshall   3-1
Marty Simmons, UE   2-1
Mark Phelps, DU   1-1
Chris Lowery, SIU   3-7
Tim Jankovich, ILS   0-3
TOTAL   31-18

2nd Half Defense = Wins
Creighton's defense has been stellar in the second half of its current five-game win streak. The Jays have held opponents to 31.9 percent from the floor (45-141) after intermission and just 20 percent from three-point range (10-50) in those five victories.
   Creighton's defense has held the opposition without a field goal for a five-minute second-half stretch on five occasions in those past five games. Some highlights of that stretch is below:
   -Held Missouri State to two field goals in final 14:12 on Feb. 1.
   -Held Drake without a field goal for stretch of 7:07 on Feb. 4.
   -Held UNI without a field goal for a stretch of 8:16 on Feb. 8.
   -Held Bradley to one field goal in final 10:48 on Feb. 11.

The 20-Win Group
Creighton is one of 23 schools with 20 or more wins this season through Feb. 12.
Wins   Schools
24   Oklahoma, Utah State
23   Connecticut
22   Dayton, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
21   Missouri, Davidson, Memphis, Butler
20   Creighton, Xavier, Duke, Clemson, Marquette, Villanova, VMI, LSU, Michigan State, Illinois State, Illinois, Siena, Niagara

Dungeon of Doom
Creighton has lost seven straight games in Carbondale. Since its last win in “Little Egypt”, Creighton has won 41 regular-season MVC road games, defeating every other team three or more times in true road games. CU has also won 14 MVC Tournament games at a neutral site (St. Louis) versus Valley competition in that span.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in true road games against the rest of the MVC since last winning in Carbondale on Feb. 10, 2001.
Creighton, Since 2/10/01 (last win at SIU)
   CU's Road   MVC Tourney   Last CU
Team   W-L   W-L   Road Win
Bradley   6-2   1-1   1/10/09
Drake   7-2   0-1   2/4/09
Evansville   5-3   0-0   1/20/09
Illinois State   4-4   2-1   2/28/05
Indiana State   5-3   2-0   12/31/08
Missouri State   4-3   3-1   1/5/08
Northern Iowa   7-2   1-0   2/8/09
Southern Illinois   0-7   3-0   2/10/01
Wichita State   3-5   2-0   1/12/08
TOTAL   41-31   14-4

Tenure? He's Got 15 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in his 15th season as head coach at Creighton.
   According to a recent article by The Washington Times, Altman's 15 years at CU ranks 16th-longest nationally among active head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs.   Name, School
33   Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
31   Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
29   Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
27   Don Maestri, Troy
26   Tom Green, Fairleigh Dickinson
25   Greg Kampe, Oakland
23   Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
21   Bob Thomason, Pacific
20   Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
19   Dave Loos, Austin Peay
16   Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
15   Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb; Dennis Wolf, Boston University
14   Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette

20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached this season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school owns more than six straight 20-win seasons.
   Creighton is one of seven teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of previous 10 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State and Syracuse.
   Creighton and Duke have already extended their streak to 11 straight years. Below is a list of where the other five schools chasing an 11th straight 20-win season currently stand:
Team   Current W-L   Next Game
Florida   19-5   Feb. 14
Kansas   19-5   Feb. 14
Syracuse   18-7   Feb. 14
Gonzaga   18-5   Feb. 14
Kent State   13-11   Feb. 14

10 Conference Wins x 13
Creighton has also 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 teams with at least 12 straight years of 10 or more league wins entering 2008-09 were Stanford (14), Kansas (14) and Creighton (12).
   Kansas is currently 8-1 in the Big 12 before a Feb. 14 game at Kansas State. Stanford is 4-7 in the Pac-10 before playing at California on Feb. 14th.

Biggest Road Wins
Creighton has won three Valley road games by double-digits this season.
   Creighton's 79-57 win at Evansville on Jan. 20th ranked as the school's fourth-largest victory margin ever out of 365 Valley road games played. In fact, since 1933, the Jays had only posted one Valley road win by 22 points or more, a 28-point win in 2003 at Indiana State.
   The 22-point victory at Evansville matched the largest in the MVC this season by a road team in a conference game, as UNI defeated Drake 81-59 on Jan. 17th.
   Below is a list of CU's all-time Valley road wins by 22 points or more:
Largest MVC Road Win Margins, CU History
Score   Margin   Opponent   Date
46-16   +30   at Morningside   2/16/1925
74-46   +28   at Indiana State   1/29/2003
43-17   +26   at Drake   1/15/1932
79-57   +22   at Evansville   1/20/2009

Road Reversal
Creighton has played seven MVC road contests this year, but five of its results have been the opposite of how in did in those road trips last season.
   In the six Valley venues Creighton lost in last season, it is 5-1, with a Feb. 14 game vs. Southern Illinois looming.
   In the three Valley cities Creighton won in last year, it is 1-1 with a game remaining Feb. 24 at Missouri State.
Opponent   2007-08   2008-09
at Bradley   BU 87-59   CU 73-64
at Drake   DU 75-65   CU 79-68
at Evansville   UE 60-56   CU 79-57
at Illinois State   ILS 68-54   ILS 86-64
at Indiana State   INS 62-54   CU 79-61
at Missouri State   CU 50-49   Feb. 24th
at Northern Iowa   CU 68-59   CU 77-71
at Southern Illinois   SIU 48-44   Feb. 14th
at Wichita State   CU 68-65   WSU 74-61

Road The Key To Success
College basketball is one of the ultimate home-court sports, as roughly two-thirds of all games are traditionally won by the host school. Creighton's postseason destination often seems to revolve around its success, or lack thereof, while playing on the road.
   Consider the following evidence:
   -Currently 5-2 on the MVC road, Creighton has now won three or more Valley road contests in 14 straight seasons.
   -Since 2000-01, Creighton has gone to the NCAA Tournament all five times it has won five or more league road games, but visited the NIT each occasion it has earned four or fewer Valley road victories.
   -Since 1977-78 (when Creighton rejoined the MVC) it has had five or more road wins nine times. Eight of those nine teams reached the NCAA's while the other reached the NIT. Of the 22 teams with four or less Valley road wins, three reached the NCAA's, four reached the NIT and 15 did not make the postseason.
   -Additionally, Creighton currently has eight wins away from home (six road, two neutral). Each of the past eight times it has had seven or more wins away from home (road + neutral), the Jays have made the NCAA Tournament.

All The Small Things
Josh Dotzler scored just 10 points last week, but you'd have a tough time finding a Creighton player that did any better last week.
   Dotzler had 10 assists without a turnover while also adding six steals in 53 minutes of work. He also drained a dagger three-pointer with CU up five and 2:52 to play in the win at Northern Iowa.
   He continued his strong play on Wednesday when he dished nine assists against one turnover in a 14-point win over Bradley.
   In the past five games (all CU wins), Dotzler has 25 assists, two turnovers and 13 steals in 118 minutes.
   Despite being CU's primary ballhandler, Dotzler owns just 14 turnovers in 14 MVC games this season, including 12 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He ranked seventh nationally with a 2.93 assist/turnover ratio through games of Sunday, a figure he improved to 3.14 after Wednesday's win.

Attendance Remains Strong
Creighton has attracted 224,891 fans heading into its Feb. 17th home game vs. Evansville, a figure that ranks third in the 102-year history of the MVC. The only marks that are higher are some recent Bluejay seasons.
   The Jays are also on pace to set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton is averaging 16,064 fans currently (10th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
   Home Att.   School   Year
   276,000   Creighton   2007-08
   236,313   Creighton   2005-06
   224,891   Creighton   2008-09
   222,728   Creighton   2006-07
   192,258   Creighton   2003-04
   191,440   Louisville   1974-75

Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   16,064 so far   Creighton   2008-09
   15,909   Creighton    2006-07
   15,333   Creighton   2007-08
   13,901   Creighton   2005-06
   13,674   Louisville   1974-75

2008-09 Attendance Leaders (Thru 2/13/09)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next
   1.   Kentucky   22,762   2/21
   2.   North Carolina   20,922   2/18
   3.   Tennessee   20,603   2/14
   4.   Syracuse   19,650   2/14
   5.   Louisville   19,337   2/15
   6.   Memphis   17,589   2/18
   7.   Wisconsin   17,230   2/14
   8.   Maryland   16,790   2/14
   9.   Kansas   16,363   2/18
   10.   Creighton   16,064   2/17
   11.   Arkansas   15,593   2/14
   12.   Marquette   15,431   2/14
   13.   Illinois   15,305   2/18
   14.   Ohio State   14,803   2/22
   15.   Indiana   13,933   2/15

More Defense
Creighton held Northern Iowa to season-low 29.0 percent field goal shooting on Feb. 8th. It's the 10th time in the past 15 years that Creighton has held a team under 30 percent from the field.
   Below is a list of all the teams to shoot less than 30 percent in a game since Dana Altman came to CU 15 years ago.
Poorest FG Pct., Opponents, Under Altman
Pct.   Opponent   FG-FGA      Date   CU Result
.233   Indiana State   10-43   03/02/07   W 59-38
.241   Ark.-Pine Bluff   14-58   11/29/06   W 74-39
.266   CS-Sacramento   17-64   12/14/96   W 59-42
.266   Tulsa   17-64   01/17/96   W 72-59
.273   Western Illinois   15-55   11/20/00   W 96-50
.274   Nebraska   17-62   12/11/05   W 70-44
.286   Indiana State   20-70   01/05/95   W 70-63
.289   Missouri State   13-45   01/05/08   W 50-49
.290   Northern Iowa   18-62   02/08/09   W 77-71
.291   George Mason   16-55   11/22/05   W 72-52

Get Carter
Justin Carter and Indiana State's Jay Tunnell are the only players in the MVC to be averaging at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting 50 percent or better from the field in league action this season.
   Carter has averaged 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in the past seven games. In that time, he's made 58.8 percent of his attempts from the field (30-51), including 41.7 percent from downtown (5-12).

Everybody Contributes
Creighton's entire roster contributed in a major way last Sunday in the win at UNI.
   Creighton used 10 players in the game. All 10 men had at least 11 minutes, four points and a made free throw in the contest.

Does 20 Wins = Postseason?
Creighton and Illinois State both have 20 wins. Since the NCAA Tournament field was expanded to 64 teams (1985), 62 Valley teams have posted 20 wins prior to "Selection Sunday." All but one reached post-season play (Creighton in 1985 did not).

Record Chasers
A trio of Bluejay guards are moving up on the school's single-season record lists.
   Josh Dotzler leads Creighton with 60 steals thus far. That places him eighth in school history. At his current pace of 2.31 steals per game, and at least six games left, he would finish with 73.9 steals this year.
Most Steals, Season
   Stl.   Name (Class)   Year
   80   Ryan Sears (Jr.)   1999-00
   73   Ryan Sears (Sr.)   2000-01
   72   Latrell Wrightsell (Sr.)   1991-92
   70   Duan Cole (Sr.)   1991-92
   68   Ryan Sears (So.)   1998-99
   63   James Farr (Jr.)   1987-88
   62   Ryan Sears (Fr.)   1997-98
   60   Josh Dotzler (Sr.)   2008-09
   59   Rodney Buford (Sr.)   1998-99
       Johnny Mathies (Jr.)   2004-05

   Fellow senior Booker Woodfox has made 70 three-point baskets this season, which ranks sixth in single-season Creighton history. At his current pace of 2.80 treys per game, he would finish with 89.6 trifectas this season.
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made, Season
   3FG   Name (Class)   Year
   129   Kyle Korver (Sr.)   2002-03
   100   Kyle Korver (So.)   2000-01
   82   Tad Ackerman (Jr.)   1994-95
   79   Kyle Korver (Jr.)   2001-02
   76   Rod Mason (Sr.)   1987-88
   70   Booker Woodfox (Sr.)   2008-09
   69   Duan Cole (Sr.)   1991-92

   Both Woodfox and Cavel Witter are also making a dent on the school's free-throw percentage list. Woodfox is third at 88.8 percent, while Witter is eighth at 85.5 percent.
Free Throw Percentage, (Minimum 70 Attempts)
   Pct.   Name (Class, Year)   FTM-FTA
   .908   Kyle Korver (Sr., 2002-03)   109-120
   .890   Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02)   97-109
   .888   Booker Woodfox (Sr., 2008-09)   79-89
   .882   Doug Brookins (Sr., 1974-75)   98-111
   .880   Mike Caruso (Sr., 1970-71)   95-108
   .863   Nate Funk (Sr., 2006-07)   126-146
   .867   Kyle Korver (So., 2000-01)   72-83
   .859   Cavel Witter (Jr., 2008-09)   73-85
   .855   Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99)   71-83

Altman Picks Up 300th Win With Jays
With Creighton's 79-68 win last Wednesday at Drake, Dana Altman became just the second coach in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to win 300 games at one school. Altman, who owns a 302-158 mark with the Jays, joins Henry Iba (486 wins at Oklahoma A&M) in that elite group.
   Below is a list of some of Altman's milestone wins at Creighton:
W-L Rec.   Opponent   Date   Result
50-55   at Evansville   02/02/98   W 85-76
100-78   Western Illinois   11/20/00   W 96-50
150-95   vs. Notre Dame%   11/26/02   W 80-75
200-109   vs. Ohio State%   11/24/04   W 65-63 (OT)
250-136   Bradley   01/18/07   W 65-64
300-158   at Drake   02/04/09   W 79-68
%Guardians Classic (Kansas City, Mo.)

Wednesday Winners At Home
Creighton has won 30 straight home games played on Wednesday's, including a 17-0 mark at Qwest Center Omaha.
   The last team to defeat Creighton in Omaha on a Wednesday was #19 Tulsa on Jan. 12, 2000.

Carter A Past Valley Newcomer of the Week
Junior Justin Carter was last week's (Feb. 2nd) State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week.
   Carter helped Creighton to an undefeated week, leading the team with 29 points (14.5 ppg.), 15 rebounds (7.5 rpg.) and six steals (3.0 spg.) in double-digit wins over Indiana State and Missouri State. Carter made 10-of-15 shots from the field (66.7 percent), including 2-of-4 from three-point range (50 percent) while also draining 7-of-9 shots from the line (77.8 percent).
   He opened his week with career-highs of 17 points, four steals and two blocked shots while tying his best with eight rebounds in a 73-62 win over Indiana State on Jan. 27. In the Feb. 1 comeback victory over Missouri State, Carter had 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 24-point win after trailing by 10 points early.

Second Half P'layer?
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett has scored a total of eight first half points in the past five games, but has responded in the second half by scoring in double-figures three of those same five games.
   Stinnett was 0-for-2 in the first half of the wins over Indiana State and Missouri State, but shot 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) while scoring a combined 25 points in those same games after intermission. He scored 13 points in the final nine minutes of the Jan. 27 win over Indiana State, then scored 12 points in as many minutes on Feb. 1 vs. Missouri State.
   Last Wednesday at Drake, Stinnett had two points at half before scoring 15 points after intermission.
   He was scoreless in the first half at UNI on Sunday before scoring all five of his points from the line in the final 90 seconds to seal the road win against the Panthers.
   Most recently, he scored six first-half points vs. Bradley, then added nine after intermission.
   Perhaps as a result of Stinnett's improved scoring output, Creighton outscored those foes by one point in the first half but by 65 points in the second half of the past five games.
   Stinnett is tied with Booker Woodfox for the Bluejay team lead with 13 different halves of 10 points or more this year, but Stinnett owns only two contests with 10 or more points in both halves of the same game.
   Stinnett   Stinnett   Opp., Date   1st half pts.   2nd half pts.
Indiana State, 1/27   0   13
Missouri State, 2/1   0   12
Drake, 2/4   2   15
at Northern Iowa, 2/8   0   5
Bradley   6   9
Check The Book's
Booker Woodfox has scored 20 or more points seven times this season, but his 23 points at Drake on Feb. 4 were the first time over the 20-point barrier in Valley action this season.
   Creighton is 9-1 when Woodfox scores 20 or more points in his Bluejay career.
   Woodfox also made five three-pointers at Drake, the fifth time this year and seventh time in his career he's done that. Creighton is 6-1 all-time when Woodfox makes at least five treys.

BracketBuster Opponent Named
Creighton will play George Mason on Saturday, Feb. 21st as part of the ESPNU BracketBusters event. The contest will start at 8:30 pm Central and air on ESPNU.
   This is the third time in the seven-year history of the BracketBusters event that the Jays will play a late-night game at Qwest Center Omaha. Creighton hosted Fresno State in an 11 pm start in 2006 and Drexel in a 9 pm start in 2007 in previous late-night adventures at Qwest Center Omaha. Both games sold out and set then-records for largest crowds to ever see a basketball game in Nebraska history.
   Creighton is 2-0 all-time against the Patriots, having beaten them in both 2005 and 2006.
   As required by the event, Creighton will play a return game at George Mason next year.

Iowa Road Sweep
Last week Creighton picked up road wins at both Drake and Northern Iowa in the same year for the fourth time in five seasons, and seventh time in the past 12 years. Creighton also accomplished the feat in 1997-98, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
   Sunday's win over UNI marked the first time Creighton has beaten the same opponent on the road in five straight seasons since topping Washington (Mo.) five years in a row from 1936-40.

Paint It Blue
Creighton has outscored its opponents in the paint in each of the past five games, all Bluejay victories.
   It marks an incredible turnaround from the previous 11 games in which it never once had a game where it scored more paint points.
   Creighton post players Kenton Walker, Justin Carter, Casey Harriman and Kenny Lawson Jr. have combined for 165 points, 94 rebounds and 21 blocks the past five games.

Sunday Sunshine
Creighton has won 13 straight games played on Sunday's, including a 4-0 mark this season.
   The streak started with a 70-60 win over Wichita State on March 6, 2005 in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.

Historically After 12 MVC Games
The last time that Creighton was 8-4 after 12 MVC games was the 2000-01 season, when it closed out the year with six straight wins to claim the Valley title at 14-4.
   This is the 14th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 13 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year   W-L After 12   W-L Final 6
2008-09   8-4   2-0 so far
2007-08   7-5   3-3
2006-07   9-3   4-2
2005-06   9-3   3-3
2004-05   6-6   5-1
2003-04   9-3   3-3
2002-03   11-1   4-2
2001-02   10-2   4-2
2000-01   8-4   6-0
1999-00   7-5   4-2
1998-99   7-5   4-2
1997-98   8-4   4-2
1996-97   7-5   3-3
1995-96   6-6   3-3
1994-95   3-9   1-5
Total   115-65 (.639)   53-33 (.616)

Give Me Five (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in each of its 26 games this season, tied for the nation's sixth-longest active streak.
   Lower that threshold to four or more three-pointers and the Bluejay streak would stretch to 59 consecutive games, which ranks ninth nationally.
Consecutive Games, 5+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/13)
Rank   No.   Team   Next Game
1.   49   Portland State   2/14
2.   46   Auburn   2/14
3.   33   VMI   2/14
4.   29   Eastern Kentucky   2/14
5.   28   Hartford   2/14
6.   26   Miami (Fla.)   2/15
   26   Creighton   2/14

Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/12)
Rank   No.   Team   Next Game
1.   90   Lafayette   2/14
2.   88   Belmont   2/14
   88   Davidson   2/14
4.   74   Eastern Kentucky   2/14
5.   67   Liberty   2/14
6.   64   Drake   2/15
   64   Michigan   2/15
8.   63   Portland State   2/14
9.   59   Creighton   2/14
10.   57   Utah Valley   2/14
11.   56   Valparaiso   2/13

Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 22 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR.
   Kyle Korver is the last Creighton player with a streak of 22 or longer, as he had separate streaks of 28 (Feb. 7, 2001 to Feb. 6, 2002) and 27 (Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003) consecutive games with a three-pointer. Korver finished his All-American career tied for sixth in NCAA history with 371 career three-pointers.
   Woodfox's streak is the longest active streak in the MVC and 18th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Individuals
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/12)
Rank   No.   Name, Team   Next Game
1.   54   Roge'r Guignard, UT-Arlington   2/14
2.   40   Austin Kenon, VMI   2/14
3.   36   Josh Akognon, Cal St Fullerton   2/14
4.   34   Craig Moore, Northwestern   2/15
5.   29   Tyrone Lewis, Niagara   2/14
6.   28   Ryan Schneider, Marist   2/16
7.   27   Jimmy Baron, Rhode Island   2/14
8.   26   Jack McClinton, Miami Fla.   2/15
   26   Matthew Dotson, Belmont   2/14
   26   Chase Adams, Centenary   2/14
11.   25   Ryan Wittman, Cornell   2/13
   25   Jamarco Warren, Charleston So.   2/14
   25   Jodie Meeks, Kentucky   2/14
14.   23   Sean Ogirri, Wyoming   2/14
   23   Robert Vaden, UAB   2/14
   23   David Holston, Chicago State   2/14
   23   Jared Stohl, Portland   2/14
18.   22   Booker Woodfox, Creighton   2/14
   22   T.J. Campbell, Portland   2/14
20.   21   Nick Calathes, Florida   2/14
21.   20   Grayson Flittner, Gardner-Webb   2/14

Streak Busters
Northern Iowa had won a school-record 11 straight games before Creighton beat the Panthers last Sunday in Cedar Falls. The last time Creighton had snapped a win streak of 11 games or longer was March 4, 2007, when it ended Southern Illinois 13-game streak in the MVC Tournament finals.

Walk(er) This Way
Sophomore center Kenton Walker put together the best offensive game of his career in the Feb. 1 victory over Missouri State.
    After missing his first two attempts, Walker hit seven of his last eight shots from the field en route to scoring a career-high 15 points.
    Walker added five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 21 minutes of floor time against the Bears.
    Walker is averaging 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game in 14.2 minutes per contest. He shoots 52.4 percent from the floor, second-best on the team.

Room To Board
The rebound differential between Creighton and its opponent has stood at 10 or larger in 15 of the 26 games to date.
    The Jays have won the boards by 10 or more five times (going 4-1), but lost on the glass by double-digits on 10 occasions (going 6-4).
    In the 10 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 10-1.
    Creighton is 12-1 when winning the rebound battle this year, and 14-2 when they are -9 or better on the glass.
    According to research from sports information intern Rob Beuerlein on February 12th, Creighton's -2.9 rebound margin ranked second-worst among teams nationally with 20 or more wins. VMI (-11.2) was the only other school with 20 wins or more and a negative rebound margin.

Jays Reach 10 Home Wins, Again
The Feb. 27 win over Indiana State was Creighton's 10th home win this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 13 straight seasons, setting a school-record.
    Creighton previously won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign.

Carter Carries Jays
Junior Justin Carter had one of his best all-around games on Jan. 27th in Creighton's victory over Indiana State.
    Carter had career-highs with 17 points, four steals and two blocked shots. He also tied his previous best with eight rebounds.
    Carter has taken over the team lead with 132 rebounds and ranks third with 45 assists while playing the power forward position.
    Carter has started each of his first 26 games at Creighton. The last player that could say that was Ryan Sears, who started all 28 games as a freshman in 1997-98. Sears would go on to start all 124 games of his Bluejay career.
Consec. Starts To Open CU Career, Last 15 Years
Starts    Name    Years
124    Ryan Sears    1997-2001
59    Edward St. Fleur    1995-1997
42    Tad Ackerman    1994-1996
26    Justin Carter    2008-Present

Ball Control
Creighton point guards Josh Dotzler and Antoine Young have done an admirable job of taking care of the ball in the past six games, combining for just nine turnovers in that span.
    Young has six turnovers in 100 minutes of action, while Dotzler has just three in 135 minutes of play in those six games.

7-Up
Creighton went 7-for-7 from the field in the final seven minutes of its Jan. 27 win over Indiana State, getting four baskets from P'Allen Stinnett and one each from Booker Woodfox, Antoine Young and Kenton Walker.
    Creighton has shot 87-for-158 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 20 wins this season, good for 55.1 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 22-of-24 from two-point range (91.7 percent), and the team shooting 28-of-67 (41.8 percent) from three-point range in that time range.
    On the other hand in the final seven minutes of its six losses, Creighton is 16-of-54 from the field (29.6 percent) and 5-of-26 from three-point range (19.2 percent). Stinnett is 0-for-9 from the field in the last seven minutes of CU's six losses this season.

Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 302 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 168 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 will be entering the MVC Hall of Fame this March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
    Wins    Coach       School(s)
1.    187    Henry Iba    Oklahoma A&M
2.    168    Dana Altman    Creighton
3.    163    Eddie Hickey    Creighton & St. Louis

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.    302    Dana Altman    Creighton

Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 28 straight trips through the league, including the both halves this year.
    Creighton's 28 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (3), Drake (3), Northern Iowa (2) and Bradley (2).
    Here's how Dana Altman's clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year    1st Half    2nd Half
2008-09    5-4    5-0 so far
2007-08    5-4    5-4
2006-07    6-3    7-2
2005-06    7-2    5-4
2004-05    5-4    6-3
2003-04    7-2    5-4
2002-03    8-1    7-2
2001-02    8-1    6-3
2000-01    5-4    9-0
1999-00    5-4    6-3
1998-99    6-3    5-4
1997-98    5-4    7-2
1996-97    5-4    5-4
1995-96    4-5    5-4
1994-95    3-6    1-8
Total    84-51 (.622)    84-47 (.641)

Second Half Turnaround?
Creighton fans are hoping this season turns around like the 2000-01 campaign did. That season, like this one, saw the preseason favorite Bluejays drop to 5-4 at the midway point after a loss on Jan. 24th.
    The 2000-01 team would post a win on Jan. 27th to start an 11-game win streak that helped carry the team to the MVC regular-season title and eventual at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
    Creighton has currently won five straight games, entering Saturday's contest at Southern Illinois.

Home Cooking
Creighton is 42-10 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.808), compared to a 26-26 (.500) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
    Only five MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU) have ever won a game in the six-year old Qwest Center Omaha. In fact, four Valley schools have not won a game in Omaha since the decade started.
    Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent    CU Streak    Last Opp. Win in Omaha
Bradley    Won 11    1/17/98
Drake    Lost 2    1/24/09
Evansville    Won 9    1/04/99
Illinois State    Lost 1    12/29/07
Indiana State    Won 10    1/04/99
Missouri State    Won 4    2/05/05
Northern Iowa    Lost 1    1/6/09
So. Illinois    Won 2    1/20/07
Wichita State    Won 16    2/22/92

Lawson's Blocks Way Towards The Top
Sophomore center Kenny Lawson Jr. owns a league-high 40 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 23 of CU's 26 contests this season. Lawson owns 68 career blocked shots, moving him into 10th on CU's all-time list.
Most Blocked Shots, CU History, 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
    79    Adam Reid    1994-97
    76    Livan Pyfrom    1999-01
    75    Jeffrey Day    2004-06
    68    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    59    Rodney Buford    1995-99

Blocking Bookends
Sophomore post men Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker are both among the MVC leaders in blocked shots, albeit in two different categories.
    Lawson's 40 blocked shots for the season are four more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
    Walker owns the Valley lead in conference play with 22 blocks, four more than Collins and Lawson.
    Creighton's last player to lead the league in blocked shots for an entire season is Brody Deren, who had 56 swats during the 2002-03 season when he was also a sophomore.

Big Shot Booker Strikes Again
Creighton's Booker Woodfox drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 21.4 seconds left in overtime against Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th. It was the second time in as many seasons that Woodfox hit a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of a one-point win, as he hit a game-winner to beat Oral Roberts with 26.5 seconds left last season.
    Fellow teammate P'Allen Stinnett hit five different shots on Jan. 14th that gave CU the lead against Southern Illinois and now has 14 go-ahead baskets this year, eight behind Kenny Lawson Jr.'s team-best 22.
    Below is a list of Creighton's baskets that gave them a lead this season, as well as baskets that gave the team the lead for good.
    Gave CU    Lead    Got Lead Last
Name    Lead    For Good    2 Minutes
Kenny Lawson Jr.    22    5    0
Booker Woodfox    18    6    1
P'Allen Stinnett    14    5    1
Justin Carter    8    2    0
Antoine Young    6    0    0
Kaleb Korver    5    1    0
Cavel Witter    4    0    0
Chad Millard    3    1    0
Kenton Walker    3    0    0
Casey Harriman    2    0    0
Josh Dotzler    1    0    1

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 203 wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 2/9/09)
        MVC    only          All Games
Team    W    L    Pct.    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    111    47    .703    203    80    .717
Southern Illinois    116    42    .734    200    89    .692
Missouri State    85    73    .538    156    121    .563
Northern Iowa    82    76    .519    151    121    .555
Wichita State    81    77    .513    151    123    .551
Illinois State    73    85    .462    142    126    .530
Bradley    75    83    .475    146    134    .521
Drake    68    90    .430    133    133    .500
Evansville    52    106    .329    99    158    .385
Indiana State    47    111    .297    102    166    .381

Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 60 games, winning 42 of those starts. The streak dates back to the final contest of the 2006-07 campaign and is the longest active string in the Missouri Valley Conference.
    For his career, Dotzler has made 87 starts, with CU winning 60 of them (69.0 percent).

Toe The Line
Creighton has shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to 11th nationally with its 75.7 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 440 free throw makes are also 14th nationally.
    Creighton is the only team in the country to rank in the top-14 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
Most Free Throw Makes, Nationally
Rank    Team    GP    FTM    FTA    Pct.
1.    Vermont    26    484    677    .715
2.    UTEP    23    481    667    .721
3.    Wyoming    23    479    650    .737
4.    North Carolina    24    477    632    .755
5.    North Texas    24    469    656    .715
6.    Niagara    26    464    643    .722
7.    Washington    24    463    669    .692
8.    Oklahoma    25    461    679    .679
9.    Chattanooga    26    460    704    .653
10.    Marquette    24    458    653    .701
11.    Connecticut    24    451    647    .697
    Northern Colorado    27    451    632    .714
13.    Florida Gulf Coast    27    446    636    .701
14.    Creighton    26    440    581    .757

Best Free Throw Percentage, Nationally
Rank    Team    GP    FTM    FTA    Pct.
1.    UC Davis    24    402    500    .804
2.    Southern Utah    24    397    497    .799
3.    Green Bay    26    430    547    .786
4.    Kentucky    24    435    554    .785
5.    Utah    24    390    503    .775
6.    Washington State    24    247    321    .769
7.    Maryland    23    315    410    .768
8.    Utah Valley     22    349    456    .765
9.    Michigan    25    305    401    .761
10.    Drake    26    407    537    .758
11.    Creighton    26    440    581    .757
12.    James Madison    26    403    533    .756
13.    Northern Iowa    25    387    512    .756
14.    Loyola (Md.)    26    425    563    .755

One of Five
Creighton ranks 10th nationally with 217 three-pointers made and is 21st with its 39.0 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
    On a national basis, the only other schools to be in the top-21 of both categories is Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Eastern Kentucky and Green Bay.
Most 3-Point Field Goal Makes, Nationally
Rank    Team    GP    3FG    3FGA    3Pct.
1.    VMI    24    322    876    .368
2.    Eastern Kentucky    25    257    655    .392
3.    Davidson    25    242    652    .371
4.    Portland State    25    239    645    .371
5.    Liberty    26    237    664    .357
6.    Troy    26    230    619    .372
    Belmont    23    230    647    .355
8.    Oklahoma State    23    225    571    .394
    UNC-Wilmington    26    221    655    .337
10.    Creighton    26    217    556    .390
11.    Boston    24    215    587    .366
12.    Illinois State    25    214    564    .379
13.    Chattanooga    26    213    623    .342
14.    Michigan    25    211    661    .319
    Hartford    26    211    645    .327
    St. Francis (NY)    24    211    585    .361
17.    Drake    26    210    591    .355
18.    Iowa    25    208    545    .382
19.    Notre Dame    23    207    514    .403
    Green Bay    26    207    517    .400
21.    Baylor    24    205    549    .373

Best 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, Nationally
Rank    Team    GP    3FG    3FGA    3Pct.
1.    California    24    152    333    .456
2.    North Dakota State    24    176    422    .417
3.    Portland    24    196    473    .414
4.    IPFW    24    157    385    .408
5.    New Mexico State    24    160    397    .403
6.    Notre Dame    23    207    514    .403
7.    Robert Morris    26    175    435    .402
8.    Green Bay    26    207    517    .400
9.    Cornell    22    171    429    .399
10.    Western Illinois    25    137    344    .398
11.    UCLA    24    180    453    .397
12.    Arizona    25    149    376    .396
13.    Rhode Island    25    159    402    .396
14.    Xavier    24    157    398    .394
15.    Oklahoma State    23    225    571    .394
16.    Eastern Kentucky    25    257    655    .392
17.    Northern Colorado    27    189    482    .392
18.    BYU    23    178    454    .392
19.    South Carolina    22    153    391    .391
20.    Austin Peay    24    178    456    .390
21.    Creighton    26    217    556    .390

Cardiac Kids
Creighton's win over Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th marked the seventh time in the past two seasons that Creighton won in which it trailed or had been tied at some point in the final minute, but first time this season.
    Five of those seven wins came at home, and three of the games featured a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds.
Margin    Opponent    Date
-5    Bradley    3/1/08
-4    Saint Joseph's    12/9/07
-4    Southern Illinois    1/14/09
-3    Rhode Island    3/18/08
-2    at Oral Roberts    2/23/08
-1    Wichita State    2/2/08
Tie    at Missouri State    1/5/08

Step Right Up Young Man
Antoine Young scored 27 points in his first 16 games with Creighton, but has since exploded to score 76 points over the past 10 games.
    That includes 13 points at Bradley and 12 points against both Indiana State and Wichita State.
    Young delivered the best game of his fledgling career on Jan. 10th at Bradley. Young had a career-best 13 points while adding two assists and a team-high two steals in 21 minutes.
    Young, who had entered the contest 0-for-11 from three-point range, also went 2-for-2 from downtown in the victory.

Fish Gets Call From Hall
Creighton University assistant coach Brian Fish has been named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. He and 16 other former Indiana high school basketball standouts will be honored at a dinner on March 25 in Indianapolis.
    Fish will be the just the seventh graduate in Seymour High School history to be honored. To qualify for the honor, a player must have graduated high school 25 years ago.
    Fish still holds Seymour career records for charges taken (42), free throws made (390) and free throws attempted, ranks second with 1,400 points and is fourth with 128 steals, 505 field goals made and 1,112 field goals attempted.

Altman Records 500th Win
Creighton head coach Dana Altman picked up his 500th win as a college head coach at all levels on New Year's Eve against Indiana State.
    Altman owns a career record of 508-249 in 24 years as a head coach at the Division I and junior college levels. Altman owns 29 wins at Southeast Junior College (1982-83), 94 wins at Moberly Junior College (1983-86), 15 wins at Marshall (1989-90), 68 wins at Kansas State (1990-94) and 302 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).

Comparison To Past Years After 26 Games
Below is a comparison after 26 games of this year's team to that of last year's team, as well as the memorable 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5, and the 2000-01 team that also started 20-6 but would win the MVC regular-season title, with season-bests in bold:
Statistic    2008-09    2007-08    2002-03    2000-01
W-L Record    20-6    18-8    23-3    20-6
MVC W-L    10-4    9-7    13-2    11-4
FG%    .446    .454    .515    .442
3FG%    .390    .380    .405    .362
3FG/Game    8.3    8.4    8.6    7.7
FT%    .757    .717    .689    .701
Reb. Margin    -2.9    +3.2    +1.9    +1.5
Assists    368    392    460    401
Turnovers    334    381    356    355
Blocks    102    88    113    94
Steals    214    211    233    246
PPG Scored    74.3    71.6    81.9    73.6
PPG Allowed    64.8     62.9    64.9    63.8

Woodfox Automatic At The Line Too
Not only has Booker Woodfox been lights-out from the field, but it's carried over to the free-throw line. Despite one of the nation's most unique pre-shot rituals, Woodfox drained a Creighton-record 36 straight free throws from Dec. 6-Jan. 3rd.
    The 36 straight makes is four more than the previous Creighton record set by Michael Lindeman. The streak was seventh-longest in MVC history, and the longest in five years by a league player not named Blake Ahearn (Ahearn holds six of the 12 best streaks in MVC history).
    For the season, Woodfox leads the MVC with 88.8 percent marksmanship from the line (79-89), which is 12th-best nationally.
Most Consecutive Free Throws Made, MVC History
60    Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/20/03 - 2/14/04)
60    Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/19/04 - 2/28/05)
57    Vince Greene, ILS (1/18/04 - 11/30/04)
51    Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/15/05 - 1/29/06)
48    Marcus Wilson, Evansville (12/1/96 - 2/2/97)
44    James Gillingham, BU (2/8/03 - 2/25/03)
36    Booker Woodfox, CU (12/6/08 - 1/6/09)
35    Aaron Zobrist, Bradley (12/27/96 - 1/27/97)
34    Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/22/06 - 1/24/07)
32    Michael Lindeman, CU (1/23/03 - 12/3/03)
32    Blake Ahearn, MSU (11/17/03 - 12/20/03)
32    Josh Young, DU (11/19/08 - 12/12/08)

P For 3
Sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett drained a three-pointer on the first possession of both halves, as well as a double-clutch banked trey at the first-half buzzer, en route to shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range at Indiana State on Dec. 31. The six three-pointers was a career-high for Stinnett, who opened his career with five three-pointers in the second half of a 2007 win over DePaul.
    Stinnett is one of seven players on the current roster who have made three or more three-pointers in a game during their Bluejay career.

Nine-Game Win Streak Ended
Creighton had its longest win streak in nearly five years end when its nine-game win streak was snapped on Jan. 3rd at Illinois State.
    The Bluejays have had at least one five-game win streak in 12 straight seasons, and 20 such streaks overall in the 15-year tenure of Dana Altman. Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 14 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
    Below is a list of Creighton's longest win streaks under Dana Altman.
Creighton's Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
    W's       Dates    Postseason?
    12    Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004    NIT
    11    Jan. 27-March 3, 2001    NCAA
    10    Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002    NCAA
    9    Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998    NIT
    9    Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999    NCAA
    9    Dec. 2-31, 2008    ? ? ?

A Perfect December
Creighton went 9-0 in December, closing out a perfect month with a Dec. 31 win at Indiana State. This marks Creighton's first-ever unbeaten month when playing nine games or more. Creighton's last previous undefeated December came in 2003-04, when the team went 7-0.

They Hit How Many?
Creighton drained 15-of-24 three-point attempts in its road win at Indiana State on Dec. 31st. The 15 three-pointers were tied for third-most ever, and the most by the Jays since they set a school and MVC record with a 20-of-30 display from downtown in a Feb. 19, 2005 win over Chattanooga.
    Among games that Creighton has made 10 or more three-pointers all-time, Creighton's 62.5 percent shooting behind the arc was fourth-best in history, and its best since the 20-for-30 (66.7 percent) against Chattanooga.
    Creighton is 20-0 all-time under Dana Altman when making 10 or more three-pointers and 54 percent or better of those attempts from downtown.
    Creighton has made 10 three-pointers or more eight times this season, making at least 40 percent of its tries in seven of those contests.

Heating Up December
Booker Woodfox was red-hot from the field in the nine games played in December. Woodfox scored 180 points in 219 minutes in nine December games, all Bluejay wins. Woodfox shot 58-for-99 from the floor in that time (58.6 percent), including 35-of-60 (58.3 percent) from three-point land. Woodfox also hit 29-of-31 free throws (93.5 percent) in December.

Leading Scorer, Again
Booker Woodfox led Creighton in scoring during seven straight games from Dec. 6-28, averaging 21.3 points per game in that time. In Dana Altman's 15-year tenure, Creighton's only longer streak was by Rodney Buford, who twice had eight straight games.
Consec. Games as Leading Scorer, Under Altman
    Games    Name    Dates
    8    Rodney Buford    Jan. 27-Feb. 17, 1997
    8    Rodney Buford    Feb. 23-Dec. 2, 1998
    7    Rodney Buford    Jan. 2-20, 1997
    7    Booker Woodfox    Dec. 6-28, 2008

What A Year!
Booker Woodfox showed his shooting proficiency during the entire calendar year of 2008. His accuracy from the field, three-point line and free-throw line all jumped by 12 percent or more, while his scoring average has jumped 8.7 points per game when compared to his 2007 figures.
    Below is a comparison of his first 11 games from last year (the year 2007), compared to his games since the calendar turned to 2008 and now 2009.
Statistic    2007    2008    2009
Games    11    36    11
FG-FGA    19-56    167-338    50-118
FG%    .339    .494    .424
3FG-3FGA    12-33    88-182    26-60
3FG%    .364    .484    .433
FT-FTA    8-12    83-99    29-34
FT%    .667    .838    .853
Rebounds    17    103    16
Rebounds Per Game    1.5    2.9    1.5
Assists    12    50    10
Turnovers    11    34    11
Points    58    505    155
Points Per Game    5.3    14.0    14.1

Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 70-of-143 (49.0 percent) from three-point range this season, second-best nationally.
    For his career, he is 126-of-275, which computes to 45.8 percent, just ahead of the school-record figure achieved by noted marksman Kyle Korver. The only previous player in CU history to shoot better than 44.2 percent from three-point range in their career was two-time MVC Player of the Year Korver, who made 45.3 percent from downtown while hitting 371-of-819 from long-range.
    Woodfox's 70 three-point baskets this season are tied for 25th-most nationally.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
    Pct.    Name, Years    3FGM-FGA
    .4582    Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present    126-275
    .4530    Kyle Korver, 1999-03    371-819
    .4415    Rod Mason, 1986-88    132-299
    .4404    Nerijus Karlikanovas, 1998-00    48-109
    .4306    Michael Lindeman, 2000-04    62-144
    .4293    Duan Cole, 1987-92    176-410
    .4065    Nate Funk, 2002-07    200-492
    .4053    Matt West, 1996-00    92-227
    .4051    Matt Petty, 1989-93    143-353
    .4017    Darin Plautz, 1989-91    94-234

Heavy Lumber For Woodfox
Booker Woodfox had a career-high in several categories during CU's 69-58 win at Saint Joseph's on Dec. 6. Woodfox had career-highs with 29 points, nine field goals and seven three-pointers while also matching his previous best with seven rebounds.
    The seven three-pointers by Woodfox were the most by a Creighton player since Nate Funk made seven trifectas at Nebraska on Nov. 18, 2006.
    Additionally, he was the first player in Creighton history to make at least seven three-pointers while shooting 75 percent or better from behind the arc in the same game. Below is a list of Creighton players to make seven treys in a game.
    Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Made, Single-Game
    3FG-A    Name, Opponent    Date
    9-14    Kyle Korver vs. Evansville    01/15/03
    8-13    Tad Ackerman at Drake    01/23/95
    8-15    Terrell Taylor vs. Florida    03/15/02
    8-13    Kyle Korver at Xavier    12/31/02
    7-12    Gary Swain vs. Nebraska-Omaha    12/11/86
    7-10    Ryan Sears vs. Wyoming    12/06/97
    7-11    Kyle Korver vs. Notre Dame    11/26/02
    7-15    Kyle Korver vs. Fresno State    02/22/03
    7-11    Nate Funk at Nebraska    11/18/06
    7-9    Booker Woodfox at Saint Joseph's    12/06/08

Postseason x 11
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 11 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is one more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
    The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 11 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
    Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 17 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 11 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.

MVC Preseason Poll
For the second time in three years, Creighton has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
    Creighton was picked first on 36 of the 39 ballots to earn 386 of a possible 390 points. Last year's favorite, Southern Illinois, earned two first-place votes and totaled 322 points for second place, just ahead of Illinois State, which garnered 309 points and the lone remaining first-place vote. Rounding out the rest of the poll was Drake (274), Bradley (219), UNI (186), Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).
    The preseason all-MVC team is headlined by preseason player of the year Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State). Joining Eldridge on the first team are P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton), Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois) and the Drake tandem of Jonathan Cox and Josh Young. Honorable-mention picks include the Bradley pair of Theron Wilson and Andrew Warren, as well as the Evansville duo of Shy Ely and Jason Holsinger.

Steal Leader
KenPom.com, a college basketball website dedicated to statistics, ranks Creighton guard Josh Dotzler among its best defenders. The site calculates that Dotzler earns a steal on 6.3 percent of all defensive possessions that he's in the game for, the nation's second-best rate.
    The same website ranks Booker Woodfox 23rd in offensive rating, a calculation of a player's offensive efficiency from two-point range, three-point range and the free-throw line, as well as scarcity of turnovers per minute played.

Crowds Increase For League Action
Compared to its non-conference crowds, Creighton's attendance has increased in MVC action each of the previous eight years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year    Non-MVC Games    MVC Games    Change
2000-01    7,132    7,268    +2%
2001-02    6,333    6,800    +7%
2002-03    7,401    8,996    +22%
2003-04    11,467    12,443    +9%
2004-05    9,926    12,207    +23%
2005-06    13,404    14,343    +7%
2006-07    15,471    16,153    +4%
2007-08    14,544    16,122    +10%
2008-09    15,844 so far    16,284 so far    +2.8%

Statistical Leaders, Nationally
Through games of Feb. 8th, Booker Woodfox ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (48.2%), 12th in free-throw percentage (88.8%) and 54th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranks seventh with a 2.93 assist/turnover ratio and 26th with 2.3 steals per game. Cavel Witter's 85.5 percent free-throw percentage ranked 38th.
    As a team, Creighton is ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (75.7), 17th in turnover margin (+3.9), 19th in three-point field-goal percentage (38.9) and 24th in three-point field goals per game (8.3).

Dotzler Top 10 in Assists & Steals
After seven previous games with exactly five steals in his career, Josh Dotzler had a career-best six steals on Dec. 13 against Northern Colorado. Creighton turned all six of those steals into points, scoring 13 points on its ensuing possessions.
    Dotzler's 186 career steals ranks tied for third in CU history. Dotzler's 355 career assists places him seventh in Creighton history, just ahead of current Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna from his playing days at CU.
    Dotzler is one of four players in CU history with more than 150 steals and 300 career assists, joining Ryan Sears, Duan Cole and Latrell Wrightsell.
Steals (Since 1979-80)
    Stl.    Name    Years
    283    Ryan Sears    1997-01
    195    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    186    Duan Cole    1987-92
186    Josh Dotzler    2005-Pres.
    172    Kyle Korver    1999-03

Assists (Since 1970-71)
    Ast.    Name    Years
    570    Ryan Sears    1997-01
    549    Ralph Bobik    1971-74
    458    Randy Eccker    1974-78
    430    Tyler McKinney    2001-05
    418    Vernon Moore    1981-85
    382    Duan Cole    1987-92
355    Josh Dotzler    2005-Pres.
    332    Kevin McKenna    1977-81

Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
    Creighton has three players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and sophomores 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 468 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.

Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 11.6 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton, with no player seeing more than 25.8 minutes per game.
    Creighton has had at least 10 players average 10.7 minutes per game or more in each of previous three seasons, as well.
    Creighton has not used anyone for more than 32 minutes in any regulation-length game this year. By comparison, seven individuals throughout the MVC average 32 minutes per game or more.

Trio Reaches 500 Points in Year Two
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett became the 12th player to score 500 or more points in their first two seasons at Creighton under Dana Altman.
    However, the only one to do it in fewer than the 40 games Stinnett needed is CU's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, who needed just 35 games.
    Senior guard Booker Woodfox reached 500 career points in his 44th game on Dec. 22 against Fresno State, tied for third-quickest in the Altman era.
    Junior guard Cavel Witter scored his 500th career point on Jan. 20th at Evansville, which was his 53rd career game.
500+Points In First 2 Years Under Dana Altman
Name    Games to 500 pts.    Date
Rodney Buford    35    12/7/96 vs. UNI
P'Allen Stinnett     40    12/10/08 vs. Dayton
Doug Swenson    44    1/20/99 at Evansville
Booker Woodfox    44    12/22/08 vs. Fresno St.
Kyle Korver    48    1/11/01 vs. Indiana St.
Tad Ackerman    48    2/8/96 at So. Illinois
Edward St. Fleur    49    1/30/97 at Missouri St.
Ryan Sears    51    2/14/99 at Illinois St.
Cavel Witter    53    1/20/09 at Evansville
Nick Porter    54    2/7/07 vs. Evansville
Johnny Mathies    55    2/16/05 at Wichita St.
Brody Deren    56    2/12/03 vs. Missouri St.
Terrell Taylor    59    2/17/01 vs. Wyoming
Larry House    59    2/22/03 vs. Fresno St.

Korver Adds Spark Off The Bench
Sophomore Kaleb Korver has made 28-of-53 three-point shots in his past 20 games off the bench, an impressive 52.9 percent.
    Korver has made just one two-point basket since Jan. 2, 2008, and 38 of his last 39 field goals have been worth three points.

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 492 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.

The Charge Chart
Creighton took 62 charges last season, with Casey Harriman and Dane Watts sharing the team lead with 17 charges taken. Over the previous six seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 48.7 per year.
    So far this season, Creighton has taken 39 charges in 26 games.
    Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name    2002-07    ?07-08    ?08-09    Total
Casey Harriman    n/a    17    7    24
Justin Carter    n/a    n/a    7    7
Josh Dotzler    4    5    6    15
Chad Millard    n/a    7    4    11
P'Allen Stinnett    n/a    5    3    8
Kenton Walker    n/a    3    3    6
Kenny Lawson Jr.    0    2    3    5
Kaleb Korver    n/a    0    3    3
Antoine Young    n/a    n/a    2    2
Booker Woodfox    n/a    2    1    3
Cavel Witter    n/a    3    0    3
Dustin Sitzmann    0    1    0    1
Former Players    226    17    n/a    243
Total    230    62    39    331

What's Your Twenty?
This was the 12th straight year that Creighton has won at least 13 of its first 20 games. Each of the previous 11 seasons it has done that, it reached the postseason. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 15 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton -- First 20 Games Under Dana Altman
Year    First 20 W-L    Final W-L    Postseason
2008-09    15-5    ? ? ?    ? ? ?
2007-08    14-6    22-11    NIT
2006-07    13-7    22-11    NCAA
2005-06    15-5     20-10    NIT
2004-05    13-7    23-11    NCAA
2003-04    17-3    20-9    NIT
2002-03    18-2    29-5    NCAA
2001-02    14-6    23-9    NCAA
2000-01    14-6    24-8    NCAA
1999-00    14-6    23-10    NCAA
1998-99    14-6    22-9    NCAA
1997-98    14-6    18-10    NIT
1996-97    10-10    15-15    ---
1995-96    11-9    14-15    ---
1994-95    6-14    7-19    ---

Walker Nabs Double-Double
Sophomore center Kenton Walker became the only current member of the Creighton team to record a double-double, when he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against Mississippi Valley State on December 2nd.
    Walker's 10 points tied for the second-highest scoring output of his young career, while his 10 rebounds were one more of his previous career-best.

Woodfox Was MVC Player of the Week #2
Senior guard Booker Woodfox was named State Farm MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 29 after averaging 22 points in three wins. He was 21-34 from the floor (61.8 percent), 11-19 from three-point range (57.9 percent) and perfect in 13 free throw attempts.
    Woodfox opened the week by averaging 25 points to earn MVP honors in two wins at the Las Vegas Classic, including 26 points against DePaul. The Lewisville, Texas, native closed out his week with a team-best 16 points in a 12-point win over Wichita State.
    It was the second time in December that Woodfox was honored (also Dec. 8th).

Woodfox Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton University guard Booker Woodfox was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 8th. Woodfox, a senior guard from Lewisville, Texas, was the third different Bluejay to win the award in the first four weeks of the season (joining P'Allen Stinnett & Cavel Witter).
    Woodfox scored 43 points in 44 minutes while averaging 21.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as Creighton posted a pair of double-digit victories against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. He made 14-of-20 shots from the field (70 percent), including 10-of-14 from three-point range (71.4 percent) while also making 71.4 percent (5-7) of his shots at the line.
     Woodfox had a career-high with 29 points in CU's win against Saint Joseph's while also tying his personal-best with seven rebounds. He drained 9-of-13 shots overall, including 7-of-9 tries from three-point territory. Woodfox became the only player in CU history to make at least seven three-pointers while converting 75 percent or more of his attempts from long-range in the same game.
    Woodfox began his week with 14 points in 17 minutes of a 24-point win over Mississippi Valley State, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from downtown.
    This was the first time Woodfox has been named MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn three MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades last season.

Witter Named MVC Player of the Week
Cavel Witter was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for his work in wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and four-time defending Summit League champ Oral Roberts.
    Witter averaged 20.0 points, 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench while leading Creighton in scoring.
    He shot 68.8 percent from the floor (11-16), including 66.7 percent from three-point range (6-9) while also hitting 80 percent (12-15) at the line.
    It was Witter's first career honor as MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors twice last season.

Sitzmann Was Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Dustin Sitzmann was named Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26.
    A senior from LeMars, Iowa, Sitzmann scored in consecutive games for the first time in his Bluejay career, as CU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) on Nov. 20 and Oral Roberts (87-65) on Nov. 22.
    Sitzmann, who has a 3.871 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, made 2-of-3 shots from the field (66.7 percent). He played a combined seven minutes in the victories.

Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Creighton's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave it a 3-0 start for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
    Each of Creighton's previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
    Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 371st game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.

3 Players, 20 Points, First 3 Games
Creighton had three different players score 20 or more points during its first three contests this winter. P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) did it against New Mexico, while Cavel Witter (25) did it against Oral Roberts.
    This is the first time it's happened in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure at Creighton, as well as the first time its happened at Creighton in at least 30 years.

Double-Double Eludes Lawson
Sophomore Kenny Lawson Jr. hasn't notched a double-double in his young career, but he's been steadily getting closer.
    Lawson, who had 10 points and eight rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 10, owns eight career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won seven of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 77.9-63.2.
    Creighton is 22-4 in Lawson's career when he has five rebounds or more, but 22-13 in games he's appeared in and snared less than five caroms.

25 Points Off The Bench, Again
Cavel Witter scored 25 points off the bench in CU's Nov. 22 win over Oral Roberts.
    It marked the second time in his career he's done that, as the junior guard torched Bradley for a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points on March 1, 2008, in a double-overtime win over Bradley.
    Before Witter, Creighton had not had a player score 25 points or more off the bench since March of 2002.

Television Records
Creighton is a combined 95-54 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 35-22 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06, 6-2 in 2006-07 and 5-4 last year in KMTV-produced games. So far this year CU is 5-3 on KMTV.
    The Jays are also 42-28 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 23-16 mark on MVC TV.
    Creighton had 27-of-33 games on television last season.Twenty-two games are slated for television this season, including all but one MVC game.

What A Start!
The 2007-08 MVC Sixth Man of the Year, Booker Woodfox scored 26 points in his first career start against New Mexico on Nov. 16.
    Woodfox's 26 points are the most by a Bluejay in their first career start since at least 1980.

Dynamic Duo, Part II?
From 1987-91, Creighton big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher were known as the “Dynamic Duo”. Both men were named MVC Player of the Year (Harstad in 1990, Gallagher in 1991) and finished their careers first and second in school history for points scored.
    It's still quite early, but the Jays had quite the dynamic duo in the season-opening win over New Mexico when P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) both lit up the Lobos.
    The current duo became the first Bluejay pair to score 25 points or more in the same game in the Dana Altman era.
    CU hadn't had that happen since, you guessed it, Gallagher (29) and Harstad (26) did it against Bradley on Jan. 21, 1991.

Thirty-Point Bluejays
With 30 points on Nov. 16 against New Mexico, P'Allen Stinnett became one of six Creighton players in the Dana Altman era to score 30 points or more in a game. The other five players that did it were Cavel Witter, Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies, Kyle Korver and Rodney Buford.
    Below is the list of Creighton's 30-point games since Altman became head coach:
Pts.    Name    Opp.    Date    Result
42    Cavel Witter    Bradley    03/01/08    W 111-110
40    Rodney Buford    Bradley    12/30/98    W 65-44
38    Nate Funk    Dayton    11/26/05    W 91-90
36    Rodney Buford    Illinois St.    02/05/96    L 72-74
35    Nate Funk    @Wichita State    02/16/05    W 82-68
33    Nate Funk    vs. Missouri St.    03/03/07    W 75-58
32    Kyle Korver    @Xavier    12/31/02    L 73-75
32    Johnny Mathies    Drake    01/08/06    W 82-69
31    Kyle Korver    Evansville    01/15/03    W 93-56
30    Rodney Buford    Southern Illinois    02/05/98    W 91-73
30    Rodney Buford    @Northern Iowa    12/30/97    W 83-75
30    Rodney Buford    Missouri State    02/15/97    L 82-88
30    P'Allen Stinnett    New Mexico    11/16/08    W 82-75

Stinnett Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton sophomore P'Allen Stinnett claimed MVC Player of the Week honors Nov. 17. Stinnett scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half of a 82-75 come-from-behind victory over New Mexico while also adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
    This was his second career MVC Player of the Week accolade, as he also won the award last season on Feb. 11, 2008. Stinnett also picked up three MVC Newcomer of the Week honors last year en route to sweeping Valley Newcomer and Freshman of the Year laurels.

P'henomenal Debut x 2
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points last year against DePaul were the most by a Bluejay in their first game since Cyril Baptiste scored 24 points on Dec. 1, 1969 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
    Stinnett's 30 points in this year's opener were the most by a Creighton player in the season lid-lifter since Bob Harstad scored 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 49 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
    Creighton has won 59 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
    The Bluejays have won 65 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
    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.

Who Are Those Guys?
Creighton also has two walk-ons practicing with the team that might suit up on but are not listed in the media guide.
    No. 24 is Matt Dorwart, a 6-7 freshman forward from Sidney, Neb. Dorwart played at Sidney High School and averaged 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.
    No. 40 Derek Sebastian is a 6-5 freshman guard/forward from Loveland, Colo. Sebastian played at Thompson Valley High School, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last year.

Turning Point?
One common theme when Creighton is successful is that they have had an advantage in “points off turnovers” in many of those contests.
    Creighton was 17-4 when scoring more points off turnovers than its opponent last year. In the last five years, Creighton is 80-13 when winning this category, including an 19-3 mark this winter.

Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 61-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.

Largest...Crowd...Ever...
Creighton drew its largest crowd, a record crowd for the state of Nebraska, and a record for a league game in its win against Wichita State on Dec. 28, 2008 as 17,954 attended the game at Qwest Center Omaha. That bettered the previous Creighton single-game mark (17,607 vs. Drexel - 2/17/07).
    Louisville formerly held the league's single-game attendance record for a regular-season conference game (17,661 vs. Cincinnati, Feb. 22, 1969).

NBA Presence
Two former Creighton players have spent time on NBA rosters this season. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) plays for Utah, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) has spent time this season with both San Antonio and New Orleans.
    Tolliver averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes during 19 games with San Antonio. He was cut by the Spurs on January 7th but resurfaced in the NBA on Jan. 21st when he signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets. He did not appear with the Hornets and has returned to playing for the Des Moines Energy in the NBA D-League.
    Korver is averaging 8.4 points in 23.2 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 36.1 percent from three-point range for the Jazz.

Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 11 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the three that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
    The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 11 Years
1st Place    2000-01
Tied for First    2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place    1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd    1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place    2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place    1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08

Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 95 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 80-15 (.842) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 17-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.     The 15 losses have been by a combined 85 points.
    Creighton has outscored its opponents 7,031-5,888 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.0 points per game.
    The Jays have led wire-to-wire 19 different times.

?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 211-46 in the last nine seasons. In fact, the men and women have both lost a home game in the same month just four times since March, 2000.
Creighton's Home Records, Last Nine Years
Year    Men    Women    Combined
2008-09    12-2    7-3    19-5
2007-08    16-2    11-1    27-3
2006-07    12-2    7-7    19-9
2005-06    15-2    5-7    20-9
2004-05    11-5    12-3    23-8
2003-04    14-2    12-1    26-3
2002-03    17-0    13-1    30-1
2001-02    12-3    11-1    23-4
2000-01    14-0    10-4    24-4
TOTALS    123-18    88-28    211-46

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

Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 24 of its 95 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 16 of those 24 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
    Creighton's incredible streak of 181 straight games without a double-digit home loss (dating to Jan. 3, 1996) was snapped on Dec. 29, 2007 by Illinois State. That had ranked as the nation's oldest streak in that obscure category.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date    Opponent    Deficit    Final Score
12/30/03    Missouri State    10    W 59-54
12/04/04    High Point    13    W 79-60
12/07/04    Kent State    16    L 58-67
12/18/04    Wyoming    13    L 64-68
02/01/05    Wichita State    10    W 73-69
02/05/05    Missouri State    15    L 71-79
11/26/05    Dayton    11    W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05    Xavier    10    W 61-59
01/18/06    Bradley    12    W 80-76
01/28/06    Wichita State    19    W 57-55
02/11/06    Southern Illinois    14    L 67-74
02/22/06    Indiana State    14    W 67-62
03/20/06    Miami (Fla.)    12    L 52-53
12/30/06    Missouri State    11    W 77-74
01/20/07    Southern Illinois    12    L 57-58
02/07/07    Evansville    14    W 79-74
11/09/07    DePaul    17    W 74-62
12/29/07    Illinois State    19    L 67-80
02/02/08    Wichita State    15    W 65-63
03/01/08    Bradley    12    W 111-110 2ot
03/18/08    Rhode Island    17    W 74-73
11/16/08    New Mexico    16    W 82-75
01/24/09    Drake    14    L 62-74
02/01/09    Missouri State    10    W 75-51

Double-Digit Comebacks
Including twice this season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 28 times in the last nine seasons.
    Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 9 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
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
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

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 fourth time in the six-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2007-08 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average over the 2007-08 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05 and 2006-07.
    Creighton had seven men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year, which helped the team to a 3.01 GPA overall.

Bench Points Add Up
Creighton owned 41 different double-figure scoring games last season off the bench, compared to a total of 30 during the previous three years combined. In fact, there were only four (of 33) contests in which it didn't have a double-figure scorer off the bench.
    Last year's team scored 18 or more bench points in every game but one, with a low of 13.
    This year, the Bluejay bench has scored 699 of the team's 1,931 points (36.2 percent).
    Creighton's bench has scored 51 points in two different games this season and 41 or more three times.
    This year's Creighton team has produced 23 double-digit scoring games off the bench, including 10 such efforts from Cavel Witter.

Recruits Inked
A pair of prep standouts signed letters-of-intent in November to join the Creighton men's basketball team next year.
    Andrew Bock is a 6'1” guard from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Calif. Bock averaged 18 points and eight assists per game while helping the Eagles to a 27-4 record. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Citrus Belt League last season.
    Ethan Wragge (RAH-gy) is a 6'8” forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., where he attends Eden Prairie High School. He averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game and owns the school record for three-point baskets made. He made 91 percent of his free-throw attempts last year. His team finished 19-9 last winter.
    Both men will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility.

Last Season Recap
Creighton put together a second consecutive 22-11 season last fall, reaching the second round of the NIT with a team featuring nine newcomers.
    P'Allen Stinnett (12.6 ppg.) swept MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors after leading Creighton in scoring, while senior Dane Watts (11.3 ppg.) led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
    Booker Woodfox (9.6 ppg.) was named MVC Sixth Man of the Year as the leader for a bench that outscored CU's starters by 76 points for the season.

Ticket Information
Single game tickets for regular-season home games went on sale on Nov. 11 at 10 am.
    Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212.
    Morrison Stadium also sells tickets (in-person only) from 9:00 am-4:30 pm weekdays.
    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). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
    Creighton sold an MVC-record 13,615 season tickets for this year. The previous MVC record had been the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.

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Players Mentioned

Nick Bahe

Justin Carter

Josh Dotzler

Casey Harriman

Pierce Hibma

Kaleb Korver

Kenny Lawson Jr.

Chad Millard

Derek Sebastian

Dustin Sitzmann

P'Allen Stinnett

Kenton Walker

Dane Watts

Cavel Witter

Booker Woodfox

Antoine Young

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