Men's Basketball Hosts Aces on Tuesday
2/16/2009 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (21-6, 11-4 MVC) looks to extend its six-game winning streak when it hosts Evansville (15-10, 7-8 MVC) on Tuesday night.
The game will tip at 7:05 pm from Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) in Omaha, Neb.
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 Brody Deren will call the action.
Tuesday's game will also air on Sirius satellite radio channel 130.
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
Tuesday's game against Evansville will air statewide on NET and NET-HD (Cox Channel 12 and 712 in Omaha). Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will announce. This is the fifth consecutive season that NET has televised the Evansville at Creighton contest.
Broadcast outlets still needing coordinates will need to contact NET for authorization. Out-of-town sports bars and homes will not be granted permission and won't have the necessary hardware to receive the equipment.
Video Webcast Available
A free video webcast of Tuesday's game will be available. Fans can go to http://netnebraska.org/television/stream/flash.html to view the NET-HD broadcast on-line.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton (21-6, 11-4 MVC)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference have won six straight games and 18 of their past 22 games to improve to 21-6 overall, including a 11-4 league mark that places it second in the league standings.
The Bluejays are currently one game behind league-leading Northern Iowa with three league tilts to play.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox leads the team with 16.0 points per game and ought to be included in the discussion of the nation's best shooters. He's second in the nation in three-point percentage (49.0 percent) and ranks ninth nationally in free-throw percentage (89 percent).
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 62 steals and is fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.14), while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops The Valley with 41 blocked shots.
Creighton shoots 45.0 percent from the floor, 39.4 percent from three-point territory and is also making 76.1 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 Evansville (15-10, 7-8 MVC)
Evansville is 15-10 this season and tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 7-8 league mark. The Aces have lost three of their past four games and are 2-7 on the road this season.
Senior forward Shy Ely tops the MVC in scoring, producing at a 17.7 points per game clip. Ely is also tied for the team lead with 6.1 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-figures is fellow seniors Jason Holsinger (11.8 ppg.) and Nate Garner (10.2 ppg., 6.1 rpg.). Holsinger has made 49 of the team's 80 three-pointers this season. Among the newcomers to watch, freshman point guard Kaylon Williams averages 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Evansville averages 66.4 points per game while allowing 64.0 points per contest. The Aces shoot 44 percent from the floor, 31.3 percent from three-point range and 68.9 percent at the line.
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 303-158 (.657) mark at Creighton and a career record of 386-225 (.632) 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 509-249 (.672).
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.
One of the greatest players in Evansville history, Marty Simmons is in his second year at his alma mater after spending five previous years at SIU-Edwardsville. Simmons averaged 25.9 points per game as a senior in 1987-88, when he placed ninth in the voting for AP Player of the Year. He owns a record of 24-31 at Evansville, which moves his career record to 122-104 in eight seasons overall. He is assisted by Marcus Belcher, Jimmy Elgas and Ben Wierzba.
Series History Against Evansville
Creighton leads the all-time series with Evansville by a 20-9 count, including an 11-2 lead in Omaha, where the Jays have won nine straight meetings.
Creighton has won seven of the previous eight overall match-ups and 12 of the past 15 in the series.
Each of Creighton's last seven losses in the series has been by single-digits, but only one of the 29 all-time meetings has been decided by fewer than four points.
Dana Altman is 20-9 all-time against Evansville and 2-1 against Marty Simmons.
A complete series history against Evansville can be found on page 10 of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton used an early 12-0 run to bury Southern Illinois and never looked back in a 82-60 win in Carbondale on Saturday. Creighton led 42-19 at the half and shot a season-high 56.9 percent in the victory.
Booker Woodfox led five CU player in double-figures, scoring 15 points. SIU was paced by 15 points from Ryan Hare.
Taming The Salukis in Carbondale
Creighton's 82-60 win in Carbondale was its first since Feb. 10, 2001 snapping a seven-game losing streak at SIU Arena.
The Salukis had not lost by 22 points or more at home since Jan. 29, 1983 to Wichita St.
Nation's Best Shooter?
Creighton guard Booker Woodfox continues to sink shots from all distances and angles, making his case as one of the nation's top shooters.
Woodfox, in fact, is the only player in the country to rank in the top-10 nationally in both three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Woodfox ranks second in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (49.0 percent) and is ninth in free-throw percentage at 89.0 percent.
Second Half Surges
Creighton has scored 40 or more second half points in each of the past six games, all wins.
Creighton's bench, which no doubt contributes to that success, has outscored the opponents 104-32 in those second halves and has out-assisted its opponents 20-1.
Five In Double-Figures x 2
Creighton has placed five men in double-figures in each of its past two games, wins over Bradley and Southern Illinois.
Prior to that, CU hadn't placed five players in double-figures during the same game since Jan. 31, 2007 when it did so against Bradley.
Creighton had not placed five men in double-figures in consecutive games since doing that on Feb. 9 & 13, 2002, when it did so against UNI and Drake.
Possession by Possession
When Creighton met Evansville in Omaha last season (Jan. 9), the Jays wasted little time expanding its 35-29 halftime lead.
The Jays would use dominant defense to put together a 14-0 run to blitz UE out of the second half gates. Kenny Lawson Jr. blocked each of UE's first three shots while Josh Dotzler had three steals in a 72 second span.
The Jays also forced a five-second call on an inbounds pass as well as a Jason Holsinger turnover on an over-and-back violation.
Here's a look at UE's first eight possessions after halftime of that game.
Time - Evansville Offensive Play
19:43 - van Tongeren missed FG (blocked by Lawson)
18:53 - Holsinger missed FG (blocked by Lawson)
18:50 - Lacey turnover (steal by Dotzler)
18:24 - Gomez turnover (steal by Dotzler)
18:05 - Team turnover (5 second call)
17:38 - Lacey turnover (steal by Dotzler)
17:05 - Garner missed FG (blocked by Lawson)
16:56 - Holsinger turnover (over-and-back violation)
Varying Philosophies
Creighton and Evansville have varying methods to their offensive madness.
Evansville has taken a three-point shot on just 19.2 percent of its field goal attempts this season, the lowest mark in the country according to stats website kenpom.com. In addition, UE's defense earns a blocked shot on just 3.5 percent of its opponent's possessions, a figure that ranks 340th of 344 teams nationwide.
Creighton, on the other hand, takes a three-point shot on 38.8 percent of its offensive possessions (51st-most nationally) and blocks a shot on 10.9 percent of its defensive possessions (69th nationally).
Purple Aces People Eater
Josh Dotzler has had some of the best performances of his career against Evansville.
As a freshman, Dotzler matched his career-high with 15 points to go with six assists and no turnovers in a win in Omaha. His six field goals and three treys that day remain career-highs.
In the rematch a few weeks later, Dotzler scored 11 points and had three steals at Roberts Stadium in a CU win.
Last year, Dotzler tied a season-high with five steals while adding four assists and no turnovers in a Bluejay win in Omaha over UE. In the game at Roberts Stadium, Dotzler had a career-high two blocked shots.
Posts With the Most
Creighton centers Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker both scored in double-figures in last week's wins over both Bradley and Southern Illinois.
Saturday's win at SIU was the third time this season and fourth time in the past two years that both men scored 10 or more in the same game, and CU has won those four games by an average of 25.5 points.
Since Chad Millard's ankle injury, Lawson and Walker have almost exclusively shared the center position. They've combined to average 15.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots in 37.6 minutes in the past seven games.
The Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks
Creighton's six-game win streak is tied for 12th-longest nationally. Below is that list, through Feb. 15th:
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 16 Memphis 2/18
2. 13 Connecticut 2/16
13 Oklahoma 2/21
4. 10 Tennessee-Martin 2/18
10 Troy 2/19
6. 9 Citadel 2/18
9 North Carolina 2/18
8. 8 Weber State 2/19
9. 7 Arizona 2/22
7 Montana 2/19
7 Niagara 2/18
12. 6 Creighton 2/17
6 American 2/18
6 Cal State Northridge 2/18
6 Cleveland State 2/18
6 Jackson State 2/16
6 Kent State 2/17
6 LSU 2/18
6 Radford 2/16
6 Utah 2/18
2nd Half Defense = Wins
Creighton's defense has been stellar in the second half of its current six-game win streak. The Jays have held opponents to 36.8 percent from the floor (61-169) after intermission and just 27.6 percent from three-point range (16-58) in those six 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 six 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.
Top Three Finish Assured
Creighton has assured itself of no worse than the third seed for next month's State Farm MVC Tournament. Below is a list of the possible start times for the top three seeds for Friday's quarterfinals:
#1 seed plays #8/9 winner 12:05 pm
#2 seed plays #7/10 winner 6:05 pm
#3 seed plays #6 seed 8:35 pm
The 21-Win Group
Creighton is one of 17 schools with 21 or more wins this season through Feb. 15.
Wins Schools
25 Oklahoma
24 Connecticut, Utah State
23 Dayton, North Carolina, Pittsburgh
22 Missouri, Memphis, Butler, Davidson
21 Creighton, Illinois State, Xavier, Marquette, Illinois, Niagara, LSU
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, Kansas and Duke have already extended their streak to 11 straight years. Below is a list of where the other four schools chasing an 11th straight 20-win season currently stand:
Team Current W-L Next Game
Florida 19-6 Feb. 18
Gonzaga 19-5 Feb. 19
Syracuse 19-7 Feb. 22
Kent State 14-11 Feb. 17
The Race To 20 Wins
Creighton picked up its 20th win this season on Feb. 11th with a win over Bradley. This is the 21st time that Creighton has won 20 or more games, but only once before has it gotten there quicker on the calendar.
In the 2002-03 season, Creighton became the nation's first team to 20 wins when it beat Northern Iowa on Feb. 4th. That Creighton team won a school-record 29 games.
The only times that Creighton has won more than 22 regular-season games (which doesn't count MVC Tournaments or any other postseason tournament games) was 2002-03 (26 wins), 2000-01 (23) and 1921-22 (23).
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
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 9-1 in the Big 12 before a Feb. 18 game vs. Iowa State. Stanford is 4-8 in the Pac-10 before playing at Oregon State on Feb. 19th.
Biggest Road Wins
Creighton has won four 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 366 Valley road games played. The Jays posted another 22-point Valley road win on Feb. 14th at Southern Illinois, topping the Salukis 82-60.
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 victories at Evansville and Southern Illinois match the largest in the MVC this season by a road team in a conference game, as UNI also defeated Drake 81-59 on Jan. 17th and Illinois State beat Drake 67-45 on Feb. 15th.
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
82-60 +22 at Southern Illinois 2/14/2009
Road Reversal
Creighton has played eight MVC road contests this year, but six 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 went 5-1. 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 CU 82-60
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 6-2 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 nine wins away from home (seven 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.
-Creighton has seven true road wins this season. Each of the previous six times it has won seven or more true road games, it has made the NCAA's.
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 4-7
Tim Jankovich, ILS 0-3
TOTAL 32-18
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 2/16/09)
Rk. School Average Next
1. Kentucky 22,762 2/21
2. North Carolina 20,922 2/18
3. Tennessee 20,585 2/25
4. Syracuse 20,412 2/22
5. Louisville 19,336 2/18
6. Memphis 17,589 2/18
7. Wisconsin 17,230 3/01
8. Maryland 16,867 2/21
9. Kansas 16,363 2/18
10. Creighton 16,064 2/17
11. Arkansas 15,823 2/18
12. Marquette 15,643 2/17
13. Illinois 15,305 2/18
14. Ohio State 14,803 2/22
15. Indiana 14,217 2/19
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
Record Chasers
A trio of Bluejay guards are moving up on the school's single-season record lists.
Josh Dotzler leads Creighton with 62 steals thus far. That places him tied for seventh in school history. At his current pace of 2.29 steals per game, and at least five games left, he would finish with 73.48 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
62 Josh Dotzler (Sr.) 2008-09
59 Rodney Buford (Sr.) 1998-99
59 Johnny Mathies (Jr.) 2004-05
Fellow senior Booker Woodfox has made 73 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 87.03 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
73 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 second at 89.0 percent, while Witter is eighth at 86.2 percent.
Free Throw Percentage, (Minimum 70 Attempts)
Pct. Name (Class, Year) FTM-FTA
.908 Kyle Korver (Sr., 2002-03) 109-120
.8902 Booker Woodfox (Sr., 2008-09) 81-91
.8899 Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02) 97-109
.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
.862 Cavel Witter (Jr., 2008-09) 75-87
.855 Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99) 71-83
All The Small Things
Josh Dotzler has scored just 19 points in the past six games, but you'd have a tough time finding a Creighton player doing any better.
In the past six games (all CU wins), Dotzler has 28 assists, three turnovers and 15 steals in 139 minutes.
Despite being CU's primary ballhandler, Dotzler owns just 15 turnovers in 15 MVC games this season, including 13 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He ranked fourth nationally with a 3.14 assist/turnover ratio through games of last Thursday.
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 303-158 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.)
Does 20 Wins = Postseason?
Creighton and Illinois State both have 20 or more 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).
A Ton of Points
Creighton has scored 2,013 points so far, moving over the 2,000-point barrier for the 11th time in 15 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton has had eight teams score more than 2,100 points under Altman. Seven of those teams reached the NCAA Tournament, while last year's team reached the second round of the NIT.
Most Points, Season, Under Altman
Rank Points Year Postseason
1. 2,688 2002-03 NCAA
2. 2,421 2004-05 NCAA
2,421 2001-02 NCAA
4. 2,410 1999-00 NCAA
5. 2,360 2007-08 NIT
6. 2,357 1998-99 NCAA
7. 2,325 2000-01 NCAA
8. 2,220 2006-07 NCAA
9. 2,100 1997-98 NIT
10. 2,024 1996-97 --
11. 2,013 2008-09 ? ? ?
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
Creighton picked up road wins at both Drake and Northern Iowa this 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.
CU's Feb. 8th 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 six 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 200 points, 119 rebounds and 23 blocks the past six games.
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 3-0 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) 54-33 (.621)
Give Me Five (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in each of its 27 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 60 consecutive games, which ranks ninth nationally.
Consecutive Games, 5+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/15)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 50 Portland State 2/19
2. 47 Auburn 2/18
3. 34 VMI 2/16
4. 30 Eastern Kentucky 2/18
5. 29 Hartford 2/18
6. 27 Creighton 2/17
27 Miami (Fla.) 2/18
Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/15)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 91 Lafayette 2/18
2. 89 Belmont 2/16
89 Davidson 2/18
4. 75 Eastern Kentucky 2/18
5. 68 Liberty 2/16
6. 65 Michigan 2/19
65 Drake 2/18
8. 64 Portland State 2/19
9. 60 Creighton 2/17
10. 58 Utah Valley 2/17
58 Valparaiso 2/18
Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 23 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR.
Kyle Korver is the last Creighton player with a streak of 23 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 16th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Individuals
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/15)
Rank No. Name, Team Next Game
1. 41 Austin Kenon, VMI 2/16
2. 37 Josh Akognon, Cal St Fullerton 2/18
3. 35 Craig Moore, Northwestern 2/18
4. 30 Tyrone Lewis, Niagara 2/18
5. 28 Ryan Schneider, Marist 2/16
28 Jimmy Baron, Rhode Island 2/18
7. 27 Matthew Dotson, Belmont 2/16
27 Chase Adams, Centenary 2/19
27 Jack McClinton, Miami Fla. 2/18
10. 26 Ryan Wittman, Cornell 2/20
26 Jamarco Warren, Charleston So. 2/16
26 Jodie Meeks, Kentucky 2/17
13. 24 Sean Ogirri, Wyoming 2/18
24 Robert Vaden, UAB 2/18
24 David Holston, Chicago State 2/16
16. 23 Booker Woodfox, Creighton 2/17
23 T.J. Campbell, Portland 2/19
18. 22 Nick Calathes, Florida 2/18
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 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game in 14.4 minutes per contest. He shoots 55.1 percent from the floor, 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 27 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 12 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 11-1.
Creighton is 13-1 when winning the rebound battle this year, and 15-2 when they are -9 or better on the glass.
According to research from sports information intern Rob Beuerlein on February 16th, Creighton's -2.9 rebound margin ranked worst among teams nationally with 21 or more wins.
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 27 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
27 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 seven games, combining for just 11 turnovers in that span.
Young has seven turnovers in 119 minutes of action, while Dotzler has just four in 156 minutes of play in those seven 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 91-for-164 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 21 wins this season, good for 55.5 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 23-of-25 from two-point range (92.0 percent), and the team shooting 30-of-70 (42.9 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 303 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 169 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. 169 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. 303 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 6-0 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) 85-47 (.644)
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 six straight games, entering Tuesday's contest with Evansville.
Home Cooking
Creighton is 42-10 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.808), compared to a 27-26 (.509) 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 41 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 24 of CU's 27 contests this season. Lawson owns 69 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
69 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 41 blocked shots for the season are two more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
Walker owns the Valley lead in conference play with 23 blocks, two more than Collins and four more than 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 9 3 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 204 wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 2/16/09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 112 47 .704 204 80 .718
Southern Illinois 116 43 .730 200 90 .690
Missouri State 85 74 .535 156 122 .561
Northern Iowa 82 77 .516 151 122 .553
Wichita State 82 77 .516 152 123 .553
Illinois State 74 85 .465 143 126 .532
Bradley 76 83 .478 147 134 .523
Drake 68 91 .428 133 134 .498
Evansville 52 107 .327 99 159 .384
Indiana State 48 111 .302 103 166 .383
Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 61 games, winning 43 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 88 starts, with CU winning 61 of them (69.3 percent).
Toe The Line
Creighton has shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to 10th nationally with its 76.1 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 455 free throw makes are also 15th nationally.
Creighton and North Carolina are the only team in the country to rank in the top-15 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
Most Free Throw Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. UTEP 24 509 700 .727
2. Vermont 27 499 702 .711
Washington 25 499 715 .698
4. Chattanooga 27 492 753 .653
5. Wyoming 24 491 663 .741
6. North Texas 25 490 683 .717
7. North Carolina 25 484 640 .756
8. Niagara 27 482 671 .718
9. Oklahoma 26 478 702 .681
10. Marquette 25 472 672 .702
11. Florida Gulf Coast 28 468 666 .703
12. Connecticut 25 466 674 .691
13. Villanova 25 460 625 .736
14. Morehead State 27 457 634 .721
15. Creighton 27 455 598 .761
Best Free Throw Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. Southern Utah 25 409 509 .804
2. UC Davis 25 418 524 .798
3. Green Bay 27 452 575 .786
4. Kentucky 25 447 574 .779
5. Utah 25 404 519 .778
6. Maryland 23 315 410 .768
7. Utah Valley 22 349 456 .765
8. Washington State 25 251 327 .768
9. Michigan 26 326 428 .762
10. Creighton 27 455 598 .761
11. James Madison 27 431 567 .760
12. Loyola (Md.) 27 441 583 .756
13. North Carolina 25 484 640 .756
14. Drake 27 412 545 .756
15. Lafayette 25 352 467 .754
One of Two
Creighton ranks 10th nationally with 226 three-pointers made and is 17th with its 39.4 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
On a national basis, the only other school to be in the top-17 of both categories was Eastern Kentucky.
Most 3-Point Field Goal Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. VMI 25 341 927 .368
2. Eastern Kentucky 26 273 684 .399
3. Liberty 27 252 692 .364
4. Portland State 26 250 670 .373
5. Davidson 26 249 676 .368
6. Troy 27 240 640 .375
7. Belmont 24 238 673 .354
8. Oklahoma State 24 236 601 .393
9. UNC-Wilmington 27 232 689 .337
10. Creighton 27 226 574 .394
11. Butler 25 223 606 .368
Illinois State 26 223 589 .379
13. Boston 25 221 608 .363
Chattanooga 27 221 646 .342
15. St. Francis (NY) 25 220 607 .362
16. Michigan 26 218 687 .317
17. Hartford 27 217 668 .325
Best 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. California 25 157 342 .459
2. North Dakota State 25 183 442 .414
3. Portland 25 202 491 .411
4. IPFW 25 164 401 .409
5. Cornell 24 190 470 .404
6. Notre Dame 24 216 536 .403
7. Xavier 25 171 425 .402
8. Western Illinois 26 143 358 .399
9. Green Bay 27 214 536 .399
10. Eastern Kentucky 26 273 684 .399
11. Robert Morris 27 179 449 .399
12. New Mexico State 25 166 417 .398
13. Arizona 26 156 392 .398
14. BYU 24 185 466 .397
15. Utah Valley 23 165 417 .396
16. UCLA 25 189 478 .395
17. Creighton 27 226 574 .394
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 79 points over the past 11 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 509-249 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 303 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).
Comparison To Past Years After 27 Games
Below is a comparison after 27 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 21-6 19-8 24-3 21-6
MVC W-L 11-4 9-7 13-2 12-4
FG% .450 .452 .511 .444
3FG% .394 .381 .400 .362
3FG/Game 8.4 8.3 8.5 7.7
FT% .761 .720 .687 .703
Reb. Margin -2.5 +2.9 +1.7 +1.8
Assists 385 400 476 414
Turnovers 344 390 364 368
Blocks 105 91 114 100
Steals 221 213 237 253
PPG Scored 74.6 71.3 81.4 73.4
PPG Allowed 64.7 62.9 65.0 63.3
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 89.0 percent marksmanship from the line (81-91), which is ninth-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 ? ? ?
8 Feb. 16-March 7, 2005 NCAA
7 Four Times
6 Five Times, including current streak
5 Four Times
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 12
FG-FGA 19-56 167-338 55-128
FG% .339 .494 .430
3FG-3FGA 12-33 88-182 29-66
3FG% .364 .484 .439
FT-FTA 8-12 83-99 31-36
FT% .667 .838 .861
Rebounds 17 103 17
Rebounds Per Game 1.5 2.9 1.4
Assists 12 50 10
Turnovers 11 34 12
Points 58 505 170
Points Per Game 5.3 14.0 14.2
Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 73-of-149 (49.0 percent) from three-point range this season, second-best nationally.
For his career, he is 129-of-281, which computes to 45.9 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. Kaleb Korver ranks third on the list with 45.2 percent accuracy.
Woodfox's 73 three-point baskets this season are tied for 30th-most nationally.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
Pct. Name, Years 3FGM-FGA
.4591 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 129-281
.4530 Kyle Korver, 1999-03 371-819
.4519 Kaleb Korver, 2007-Present 47-104
.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.
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. 15th, Booker Woodfox ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (49.0%), ninth in free-throw percentage (89.0%) and 47th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranks fourth with a 3.14 assist/turnover ratio and 25th with 2.3 steals per game. Cavel Witter's 86.2 percent free-throw percentage ranked 28th.
As a team, Creighton is ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (76.1), 19th in turnover margin (+3.8), 16th in three-point field-goal percentage (39.4) and 21st in three-point field goals per game (8.4).
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 188 career steals ranks third in CU history. Dotzler's 358 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
188 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
186 Duan Cole 1987-92
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
358 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
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.
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 469 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 25.7 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, eight individuals throughout the MVC average 32 minutes per game or more, including a pair of Evansville guards.
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 32-of-59 three-point shots in his past 21 games off the bench, an impressive 54.2 percent.
Korver has made just two two-point basket since Jan. 2, 2008, and 42 of his last 44 field goals have been worth three points.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 493 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 27 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.
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. Tuesday will be the 372nd 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 13 points and nine rebounds at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, owns nine career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won eight of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 78.4-62.8.
Creighton is 23-4 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 96-54 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 43-28 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.
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 60 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 66 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 62-9 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 213-46 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 9-3 21-5
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 90-28 213-46
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 732 of the team's 2,013 points (36.4 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 25 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.
