Men's Basketball Hosts Drake on Wednesday
1/5/2010 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #15 vs. Drake • Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010 • 7:05 p.m.
Drake Bulldogs at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: KMTV
Series History: Creighton leads, 87-56
Last Meeting: Creighton won 79-68 on Feb. 4, 2009 in Des Moines, Iowa
Next Game
Creighton (6-8, 1-2 MVC) hosts Drake (5-10, 0-3 MVC) on Wednesday evening in a battle of I-80 rivals.
The game will be played in Omaha, Neb. at Qwest Center Omaha (17,260), starting at 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action.
Big Sports 590 will also have a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP. The show takes calls after the game as well, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game is the fourth of eight telecasts for KMTV this season. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will announce. Coordinates follow:
Galaxy 16 K6 6A Digital
U/L - 14.104.13H
D/L - 11.804.13V
Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 15 games this season, including Wednesday's game. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $11.95 and a season pass is $69.95.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 (or KMTV) broadcast, typically begins approximately 15-30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton 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 Drake
Drake is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, dropping to 5-10 on the season and is winless in three Valley games to date. The Bulldogs are 1-2 on the road and 2-4 away from Drake Knapp Center this season.
Preseason all-Valley pick Josh Young tops the team with 12.1 points per game, and is one of four players with 23 or more three-point baskets on the season.
Second on the team in scoring is Arkansas State transfer Ryan Wedel. Wedel averages 11.4 points per game, leads the team with 23 steals, and is leading the club with 30 three-point baskets.
The Bulldogs average 66.0 points per game and allow teams to score 69.7 per contest against them. Drake shoots 42.2 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from downtown and 74.3 percent at the line.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 6-8 on the young season, including a 5-1 mark at Qwest Center Omaha.
The Bluejays are 1-2 in the league, with losses to Northern Iowa and Indiana State and a road win at Evansville.
The Bluejays returned eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads the team in scoring (11.9 ppg.), rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg).
Four other men average between 7.6 and 9.7 points per game, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (9.7), Darryl Ashford (9.1), Cavel Witter (7.9) and Justin Carter (7.6).
Creighton averages 70.4 points per game and shoots 44.2 percent from the floor. It holds opponents to 67.7 points per game and 40.2 percent shooting. The Jays have been outrebounded by 0.5 boards per game.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 315-168 (.652) mark at CU and a career record of 398-235 (.629) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Mark Phelps (Old Dominion, 1996) is 22-26 in his second year with Drake. Phelps, a longtime assistant to Herb Sendek at North Carolina State and Arizona State, replaced National Coach of the Year Keno Davis when Davis left for Providence two years ago. Phelps is assisted by Justin Ohl, Kareem Richardson and Mike Gibson.
Series History vs. Drake
Creighton leads the all-time series with Drake by an 87-56 margin, including a 52-19 lead in Omaha. CU's 87 wins and 143 meetings with Drake are easily its most against any opponent.
Creighton has won 10 of the last 15, 13 of the last 19 and 20 of the past 28 meetings between the schools.
Current Creighton junior Kaleb Korver is the brother of former Drake standout Klayton Korver.
Dana Altman is 20-11 against Drake and 1-1 against Mark Phelps.
A complete series history against Drake can be found on page nine of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton won away from home for the first time in eight tries this season, beating Evansville 72-64 at Roberts Stadium on Sunday. Creighton led 54-41 before UE unleashed a 17-2 run to take a two-point lead. Creighton would answer with a game-ending 14-4 run in the final five minutes.
Kenny Lawson Jr. led Creighton with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots. The Purple Aces were led by a career-high 26 points from Colt Ryan.
18-11-7 In The Same Game?
Kenny Lawson Jr.rsquo;s monster game of 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots hasn't been seen too often in the history of Creighton basketball.
To find the last player with to reach each of those categories in the same game, you'd have to go all the back way to Benoit Benjamin, who posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots at Bradley on Feb. 12, 1985.
Most impressively, Lawson stepped up when Creighton needed it most at Evansville. The junior center had six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in Creighton's game-ending 12-4 run, which spanned the final five minutes.
Block Party
Kenny Lawson Jr.'s seven blocked shots against Evansville on Sunday were two more than his previous high and the most by any player in The Valley this season.
The last Creighton player with seven or more blocked shots in a game was Doug Swenson, who had eight rejections against UMKC on Nov. 18, 1998.
The last MVC player with seven or more blocks in a game was Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, who had nine vs. Tennessee Tech on Feb. 18, 2006.
The Creighton record for blocks in a game by one player is 12, set by Benoit Benjamin at Bradley on Feb. 2, 1985.
As a team, Creighton's nine blocked shots were its most since it blocked nine shots against Evansville on Jan. 9, 2008 in a game played in Omaha. Lawson had three blocks in that game.
Creighton's Most Blocked Shots (Since 1979-80)
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
106 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
Lawson Passes Board Test
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 14 rebounds in last Friday's game at Indiana State. Not only was that a season-high, but it was also three more than his previous career-high of 11 boards. His 14 caroms are tied for second-most in the MVC this season.
Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, eight different Bluejays have had at least one game of 14 or more rebounds but no player has multiple games of 14 or more boards.
Most Rebounds, Game, Under Dana Altman
Reb. Name, Opponent Date
16 Donald Davenport vs. Missouri St. 1/21/95
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12/4/99
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 3/23/09
14 Rodney Buford vs. Northern Iowa 2/16/98
14 Doug Swenson vs. Towson 11/14/98
14 Brody Deren at Bradley 1/5/04
14 Anthony Tolliver at Bradley 1/31/07
14 Kenny Lawson Jr. at Indiana St. 1/1/10
Lawson Chasing Rebound Leaders Too
Thanks in part to consecutive double-doubles, Kenny Lawson Jr. now averages 7.1 rebounds per game. Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, the only player to average at least 7.0 rebounds for a season is Rodney Buford, who did it twice.
Buford averaged 7.3 boards per game in 1997-98, then followed that up by averaging 7.2 caroms per contest the following season.
Lawson is the first player with two straight double-doubles since Anthony Tolliver in 2006, and Wednesday he'll seek to become the first CU player with three straight double-doubles since Nate King in 1994.
Stinnett Eyes 1,000 Points
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is quickly approaching 1,000 career points, having scored 977 points through the first 81 games of his career.
The last Bluejay to surpass 1,000 career points was Dane Watts, who did so in 2008 in an overtime loss to Drake. Watts was the third straight Bluejay to reach the 1,000 point barrier in a game that CU later lost.
Below is the number of games it took to reach 1,000 points for CU's last eight scorers to reach 1,000 points, as well as the top scorers of the Dana Altman era.
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Most Points, Dana Altman Era (1994-Pres.)
No. Pts. Name, Games Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford (118 games) 1995-99
2. 1,801 Kyle Korver (128 games) 1999-03
3. 1,754 Nate Funk (135 games) 2002-07
4. 1,311 Ryan Sears (124 games) 1997-01
5. 1,238 Ben Walker (124 games) 1997-01
6. 1,152 Dane Watts (130 games) 2004-08
7. 1,031 Johnny Mathies (93 games) 2003-06
8. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
9. 979 Terrell Taylor (97 games) 1999-02
10. 977 P'Allen Stinnett (81 games) 2007-10
11. 883 Brody Deren (95 games) 2001-04
P For 3
P'Allen Stinnett picked an opportune time for the 100th three-pointer of his career, draining a shot from the corner to give CU a 68-62 lead with 2:59 left at Evansville. The trifecta was CU's only trey of the second half, as the Jays went 1-for-12 from distance after the intermission.
Oh, Brother
Drake senior forward Adam Templeton is the older brother of Creighton Volleyball outside hitter Caitlin Templeton, who recently completed her freshman year with the Bluejays.
Drake/Creighton Features Korver, Again
When Creighton meets Drake on Wednesday in Omaha, it'll mark the 22nd straight meeting between the schools that a member of the Korver family has been on the roster.
Two-time Valley Player of the Year Kyle Korver went 6-2 in eight games with Creighton against Drake from 1999-2003.
Brother Klayton Korver was at Drake from 2003-08, going 4-7 against the Bluejays.
Keeping the family tradition in The Valley currently is Creighton junior Kaleb Korver. Kaleb is currently 1-4 against Drake.
40 Percent Barometer
Creighton is holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting from the floor this season, its best mark since the 1962-63 team held opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor (706-1795).
Creighton has held each of its last five opponents below 40 percent, the first time its done that under Dana Altman.
Over the last 16 years, Creighton has been extremely successful when holding opponents to 40 percent or lower shooting from the field, sporting a 141-21 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 3-4
2008-09 11-1
2007-08 10-2
2006-07 13-1
2005-06 10-3
2004-05 8-0
2003-04 8-1
2002-03 12-0
2001-02 9-1
2000-01 10-1
1999-00 11-0
1998-99 11-0
1997-98 8-1
1996-97 5-1
1995-96 8-4
1994-95 4-1
TOTAL 141-21
TGIW
Creighton looks to extend a long winning streak in Wednesday home games when it hosts Drake.
Creighton has won 32 straight home games played on Wednesday's, which dates all the way back to a Jan. 12, 2000 loss vs. No. 19 Tulsa.
Creighton is 19-0 on Wednesday's at Qwest Center Omaha.
Birds of Prey
Creighton has lost a total of 20 home games in the last 10 seasons, including last Tuesday's setback to Northern Iowa. Following almost every setback, Creighton has taken out its frustration in its next regular-season home game.
Creighton has followed all but one of its previous 19 home losses with a win in its next home game by an average of 16.63 points, including 11 double-digit triumphs.
Since February of 2000, Creighton has suffered consecutive home losses just once, as it fell Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2004 to Kent State and Wyoming, respectively.
The last time CU dropped consecutive MVC contests at home was Jan. 4 and Jan. 17, 1999, when it lost to Evansville and Indiana State.
Creighton's Home Losses, Last Nine Years
Home Loss Next Home Game
L 52-60, N. Iowa Wednesday vs. Drake
L 63-65, Kentucky W 78-53, Florida A&M
L 62-74, Drake W 73-62, Indiana State
L 66-69, N. Iowa W 73-72 (OT) vs. So. Illinois
L 60-68 ot, #22 Drake W 65-63, Wichita State
L 67-80, Illinois St. W 77-59, Evansville
L 58-64, Drexel W 71-54, Wichita State
L 57-58, S. Illinois W 71-55, Indiana State
L 52-53, Miami (Fla.) W 78-42, Miss. Valley State
L 67-74, S. Illinois W 67-62, Fresno State
L 71-79, Missouri St. W 83-82, Northern Iowa
L 77-82, Illinois St. W 73-69, Wichita State
L 63-69, S. Illinois W 82-67, Drake
L 64-68, Wyoming W 71-62, Bradley
L 58-67, Kent State L 64-68, Wyoming
L 70-71, Nebraska W 74-40, Alcorn State
L 60-61, S. Illinois W 74-56, Bradley
L 73-75, Drake W 106-50, Texas-Arlington
L 77-79, S. Illinois W 83-56, Northern Iowa
L 65-72, Xavier W 90-65, Miss. Valley State
Decade Leaders
Last Tuesday was Creighton's 326th and final game of the decade, during which it went 229-97.
Below is the stat leaders for the decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), with more detailed info available page 11 of these notes:
Category Stat Name
Games Played 135 Nate Funk
Games Started 119 Dane Watts
Minutes Played 3,686 Nate Funk
Points 1,754 Nate Funk
Points Per Game 14.9 Kyle Korver
Field Goals Made 621 Nate Funk
Field Goals Attempted 1,307 Nate Funk
Field Goal Percentage .635 Livan Pyfrom
3-Pt. Field Goals Made 360 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Attempts 779 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .468 Matt West
Free Throws Made 312 Nate Funk
Free Throws Attempted 410 Anthony Tolliver
Free Throw Pct. .894 Kyle Korver
Rebounds 686 Dane Watts
Rebounds Per Game 6.1 Ben Walker
Fouls 326 Dane Watts
Assists 430 Tyler McKinney
Blocked Shots 138 Brody Deren
Steals 196 Josh Dotzler
Among The Decade's Best, Nationally
Creighton ranked among the nation's best schools during the recently-ended decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranking 22nd nationally with 229 wins and 21st with a .702 win percentage. Below are those lists, as tabulated by STATS Inc., and Creighton SID Rob Anderson.
Most Wins (Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L
1. Duke 294-59
2. Kansas 284-67
3. Memphis 271-81
4. Gonzaga 266-64
5. Florida 260-87
6. Texas 256-89
7. Pittsburgh 255-84
8. Utah State 254-78
North Carolina 254-93
Syracuse 254-95
11. Illinois 253-92
Connecticut 253-87
13. Michigan State 249-95
14. Kentucky 246-93
15. Oklahoma 242-91
16. Xavier 239-92
17. Butler 236-87
Wisconsin 236-96
19. Kent State 234-101
20. Louisville 233-104
21. Arizona 232-104
22. Creighton 229-97
Oklahoma State 229-104
24. Western Kentucky 227-91
Ohio State 227-104
Best Win Percentage
(Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L Win %
1. Duke 294-59 .833
2. Kansas 284-67 .809
3. Gonzaga 266-64 .806
4. Memphis 271-81 .770
5. Utah State 254-78 .765
6. Pittsburgh 255-84 .752
7. Florida 260-87 .749
8. Connecticut 253-87 .744
9. Texas 256-89 .742
10. Illinois 253-92 .733
11. North Carolina 254-93 .732
12. Butler 236-87 .731
13. Syracuse 254-95 .728
14. Oklahoma 242-91 .727
15. Kentucky 246-93 .726
16. Michigan State 249-95 .724
17. Xavier 239-92 .722
18. Western Kentucky 227-91 .714
19. Wisconsin 236-96 .711
20. Stanford 227-96 .703
21. Creighton 229-97 .702
22. Kent State 234-101 .699
23. Louisville 233-104 .691
24. Arizona 232-104 .690
25. Oklahoma State 229-104 .688
Bulldogs Go For 3-Peat in Omaha
Last year Drake became just the second visiting team to post consecutive victories over Creighton at Qwest Center Omaha, having beaten the Jays at home in 2008 and 2009.
A win on Wednesday would mark DU's third straight victory in Omaha, something it hasn't accomplished since 1993-95.
Offensive Lows & Woes
Creighton's 52 points against Northern Iowa in its last home game last Tuesday tied a Qwest Center Omaha low by a Bluejay team that was originally set in a 53-52 loss to March 20, 2006 against Miami (Fla.).
Creighton's 18 first-half points against Northern Iowa set a Qwest Center Omaha low by a Bluejay team for a half. The previous mark of 19 was also originally set in the same aforementioned loss to Miami (Fla.).
Finally, Creighton's 52 points were its fewest in an MVC home game since a 54-45 loss to Illinois State on Dec. 29, 1996.
Jays Pass 1.5 Million Fans at Qwest Center
Last Tuesday saw Creighton move over the 1.5 million fan mark at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton has attracted 1,506,685 fans in 106 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,214 per contest.
How impressive is that average? No other league school has ever drawn more than 13,675 fans per game for a season and none of the league's other nine current venues has a capacity of 11,600 or greater.
It's About Time
Creighton is 6-1 in the Central Time Zone this season, 0-6 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone and 0-1 in the Mountain Time Zone. The Jays lost three times in Orlando, Fla., and single games at George Mason (in Fairfax, Va.), at Dayton (in Dayton, Ohio), at Indiana State (Terre Haute, Ind.) and at New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Before this season, Creighton had not played five or more games in the Eastern Time Zone of the same season since 1970-71 under the direction of Eddie Sutton. That 1970-71 season saw them play one game each in Charlotte, N.C., South Bend, Ind., Olean, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and two games in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked second in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Northern Iowa was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 38-of-39 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Creighton was second with 336 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Illinois State (299), Southern Illinois (272) and Wichita State (216) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Bradley (208), where it was followed by Indiana State (173), Drake (105), Missouri State (92) and Evansville (55).
Creighton junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is one of six men on the preseason all-MVC team. It's Stinnett's second straight year earning such an accolade. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Adam Koch, SIU's Tony Freeman, Drake's Josh Young and preseason MVC Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge from Illinois State.
Witter Wonderland
Senior guard Cavel Witter has had his two best shooting nights of the season in the last two home games.
On Dec. 22nd against Houston Baptist, he made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and finishing with a season-best 18 points. Witter tied a personal best with four three-pointers (done twice previously) and did not have a turnover in 20 minutes of action.
Witter then had 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, to lead all scorers in the Northern Iowa game.
In his career, Creighton is 14-1 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 13.3 points per contest. Creighton is also 8-2 in games that Witter plays and does not commit a turnover.
Better To Give Than Receive
Creighton had 28 assists on its 32 baskets on Dec. 22 against Houston Baptist. Not only were the 28 helpers a season-high and Qwest Center Omaha record, but they were also the most by any Creighton team under the direction of Dana Altman. Creighton's 28 assists were its most since 29 assists against Southwest Missouri State on Feb. 10, 1991.
One week later on the same floor against UNI, Creighton did not record an assist until 5:21 remained in the first half and finished with eight.
Playing With The Lead At Home
Creighton has led from wire-to-wire in four of its six home games this season, never trailing in wins over Florida A&M, Arkansas-Little Rock, Savannah State and Houston Baptist.
First Half Defense
Creighton has shut down the opposition in the first half of games this season, holding opponents to just 38.1 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
In the second half of games, opponents are shooting 41.8 percent from the floor against CU and 33.1 percent from downtown.
Creighton's defense has been especially stingy in the first half of the past six games, holding each opponent under 42.3 percent and to a collective 30.3 percent (53-of-175) overall, including 16-of-64 accuracy (25.0 percent) from three-point territory.
Ranked Opponents, A Tale of Two Halves
Creighton has had chances to win all three games it has played against ranked opponents this year, frequently going ahead early in the game.
In the first half of three games against ranked foes, CU's post men; Kenny Lawson Jr. (8-10), Justin Carter (8-9), Wayne Runnels (6-6) and Ethan Wragge (2-2) have combined to shoot 24-of-27 from the floor, good for a blistering 88.9 percent. As a team, Creighton has shot 60.6 percent in the opening half of those games.
By contrast, in the second half CU's post players are a combined 14-for-28 (still a respectable 50 percent) and the entire CU team has shot 32-of-86 (37.2 percent).
Call It A Comeback
Dana Altman frequently urges his team to play hard all 40 minutes regardless of the score, whether they are up 10 points or down 10 points. In recent seasons Bluejay fans have seen plenty of comebacks, many of which have favored CU.
Each of the last seven times Creighton has lost a game it led by 10 points or more, it has come away from home. In that same span, Creighton has won seven home games and one road game (at Missouri State, last season) after trailing by 10 points or more.
The Jays are 74-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 31 straight wins.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 17-9 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 7-0 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 23-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.
Below is a chart showing how many times Creighton (or its opponent) overcame a 10-point deficit to win a game in the past six years:
Comebacks From 10 Points Down, Last 6 Years
CU Comebacks Opp. Comebacks
2009-10 0 2
2008-09 4 2
2007-08 4 2
2006-07 2 2
2005-06 6 1
2004-05 5 3
Total 21 12
Andy Katz Hasn't Given Up Hope
ESPN.com analyst Andy Katz had several notes about MVC schools in his Dec. 21st Weekly Watch, and he had several positive things to say about Creighton, as seen below:
“The Bluejays are 4-6 and overall have been a disappointment, but I refuse to say this squad is toast. Creighton had New Mexico beat on Saturday before a major Lobo comeback at the Pit. The Bluejays did beat Nebraska and lost a tough opener at Dayton. I wouldn't be shocked one bit if the Jays made serious noise during the Valley season.”
Lawson Produces 25 & 10
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first player in The Valley to have 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game this year when he produced those numbers in Creighton's seventh straight regular-season home win over Nebraska on Dec. 6th.
The 25 points were seven more than Lawson's previous best, and his 10 rebounds were a season-high.
He'd owned 11 previous games of at least eight points and eight rebounds in the same contest before finally notching his first double-double in his 77th career contest.
He currently is leading Creighton with 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Lawson One Of Four
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first Creighton player since 1992 to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game against a school from one of the six major BCS football conferences. That dates back to when Mike Amos had 28 points and 17 rebounds against Nebraska.
Lawson was also just the fourth player in the Dana Altman era (1994-Present) with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game, joining Anthony Tolliver, Rodney Buford and Randall Crutcher. That list is below:
25 Points & 10 Rebounds, Under Altman
Name (Points, Rebounds) vs. Opp. Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. (25/10) vs. Nebraska 12/06/09
Anthony Tolliver (26/10) vs. Xavier 12/18/05
Rodney Buford (30/10) at Northern Iowa 12/30/97
Rodney Buford (28/11) at Drake 01/24/98
Randall Crutcher (25/12) at Illinois State 02/24/97
Junior Year, Game No. 7 A Big One
Creighton's last center, Anthony Tolliver, took a big step forward in his junior season, something that Kenny Lawson Jr. seems to be doing as well.
Tolliver's year-end stats in 30 games as a junior (13.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) are similar to those Lawson Jr. has put up (11.9 ppg., 7.1 rpg.) through 14 games.
Tolliver had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign, a home win over Xavier. Lawson had 25 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign on Dec. 6th, a home win over Nebraska.
Tolliver was named second-team all-MVC as a junior and first-team all-Valley as a senior. He finished his career with 1,004 points, 603 rebounds and 136 blocked shots.
Below are the numbers comparing Tolliver and Lawson by year, as well as through 84 career games.
Stat Tolliver Lawson Jr.
Freshman PPG 0.8 5.9
Freshman RPG 1.3 4.2
Freshman BPG 0.3 0.8
Sophomore PPG 4.2 8.5
Sophomore RPG 4.4 4.8
Sophomore BPG 0.7 1.6
Junior PPG 13.2 11.9
Junior RPG 6.7 7.1
Junior BPG 1.6 1.6
Points Thru 84 Games Played 454 673
Rebounds Thru 84 Games Played 334 417
Blocks Thru 84 Games Played 70 106
Wins Thru 84 Games Played 58 57
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 18-14 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 18 road wins are already more than all of last year (10).
In recent history, road success has translated into multiple bids in the NCAA Tournament.
Recent MVC Non-Conference Road Records
2008-09 -- 10-24 (1 NCAA, 2 NIT, 3 CIT, 1 CBI)
2007-08 -- 18-26 (1 NCAA, 3 NIT, 1 CBI)
2006-07 -- 19-20 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2005-06 -- 17-18 (4 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2004-05 -- 14-20 (3 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2003-04 -- 12-23 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
Winning From Within
Creighton beat Nebraska on Dec. 6th, despite making just 1-of-10 three-point shots. That snapped a streak of 74 straight games making four or more treys (the nation's fifth-longest active streak).
Creighton had made just one three-pointer in a game just once previously in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure at CU, on Jan. 20, 2007 vs. Southern Illinois.
Creighton's 515 straight games with at least one trifecta is the MVC's longest active streak.
20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had four individuals score more than 20 points this season, and two did it in a reserve role.
Justin Carter scored a career-high 21 points off the bench in the overtime setback to Michigan on Nov. 26th.
A day later, Ethan Wragge had a career-best 21 points off the bench against Xavier.
Before those two games, Creighton hadn't had a player score 20 points off the bench since Cavel Witter had 25 points against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22, 2008.
Welcome Back, Carter
Senior Justin Carter missed Creighton's first three regular-season games with a partially torn MCL in his left knee, but didn't waste any time making a difference in his return.
Carter played 24 minutes off the bench against No. 15 Michigan on Nov. 26th. He led CU with a career-high 21 points, making 10-of-15 shots from the floor, and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Keeping It Fresh
The 21 points scored by Ethan Wragge against Xavier were the most by a Bluejay freshman since P'Allen Stinnett had 22 points against Rhode Island on March 18, 2008. Stinnett had four games of 20 or more points as a freshman en route to sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors.
Wragge's 21 points came in just 17 minutes. That made him the first CU player to score more than 20 points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
Wragge's five three-pointers against Xavier were the most by a CU freshman since Stinnett had five three-pointers in a season-opening win over DePaul on Nov. 9, 2007.
True Freshman Knocking 'Em Down
True freshman Andrew Bock is 19-of-22 at the free-throw line in his young career. His 86.4 percent marksmanship from the line would rank third in the Missouri Valley Conference with enough attempts.
Bock has a streak of 16 straight free throw makes snapped when he missed his first attempt versus Savannah State on Dec. 16th.
Fellow true freshman Ethan Wragge made his first 10 free throw attempts far as well.
No Creighton freshman on record has ever made 20 consecutive free throws or more.
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 103-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached last season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school has ever put together more than six straight 20-win seasons.
Creighton is one of six teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 11 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Postseason x 12
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 12 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is two more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 12 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
10 Conference Wins x 13
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 13th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 13 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (15).
Doubling Up From The Start
Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge both scored 11 or more points in each of their first two games at Creighton.
Prior to this season, Creighton hadn't had a player open their career with two or more games of 11 points or more since junior college transfer Edward St. Fleur had 16 points, then 17 points, to start the 1995-96 campaign.
Ashford's 127 points are ninth-best 14-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure, while Wragge's 94 points are 13th-most. Wragge's total is fifth-most by a freshman under Altman.
In case you are wondering, the most points under Altman in a newcomer's first 15 games is 180 by Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
Most Points, First 14 Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
161 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
157 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
156 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
146 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
142 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
138 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
129 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
128 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
127 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
116 Johnny Mathies, So. 2003-04
112 Larry House, Jr. 2001-02
107 Terrell Taylor, Fr. 1999-00
94 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 30 times in the last 10 seasons.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 10 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
02/24/09 at Missouri State 13 W 65-59
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
Looking To Fill Dotzler's Shoes
Just like he did four years ago at Bellevue (Neb.) West High School, Antoine Young is looking to fill the shoes of four-year starting point guard Josh Dotzler.
In two exhibition games this fall, Young tied for the team lead with three steals, and had 13 assists without a turnover. In regular-season action, Young has 37 assists and 22 turnovers, good for a 1.69 assist/turnover ratio.
Last year Dotzler led the MVC in steals (70) and steals per game (2.0 spg.) while ranking fourth in the nation with a 3.46/1 assist/turnover ratio.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 315. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,001 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Jan. 3rd.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 812-289 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 1/6
2. 772-216 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 1/6
3. 567-208 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 1/6
4. 427-233 Gary Williams, Maryland 1/10
5. 376-327 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 1/5
6. 372-241 Bob McKillop, Davidson 1/4
372-268 Bob Thomason, Pacific 1/8
8. 347-140 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 1/6
9. 322-268 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 1/4
10. 320-129 Billy Donovan, Florida 1/9
11. 315-168 Dana Altman, Creighton 1/6
27 Wins in 2008-09
Creighton tied for 15th nationally with 27 wins in 2008-09, and were one of 24 schools with 27 or more wins last season.
Last season Creighton became the only school from a top-10 league to ever win 26 or more games by Selection Sunday and not receive an NCAA Tournament bid.
Wins Schools
34 North Carolina
33 Memphis
31 Missouri, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut,
Michigan State
30 Duke, Villanova, Oklahoma, Utah State
28 Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Syracuse
27 Creighton, Davidson, LSU, Charleston, Siena Dayton, Purdue, Penn State, Kansas, Xavier
Tenure? He's Got 16 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in his 16th season as head coach at Creighton. His 16 years at CU ranks 15th-longest nationally among active head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs. Name, School
34 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
32 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
30 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
28 Don Maestri, Troy
26 Greg Kampe, Oakland
24 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
22 Bob Thomason, Pacific
21 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
20 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
17 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
16 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
15 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette
The Four-Point Play
Few plays in basketball are as rare as the four-point play, which happen only when a player is fouled while making a three-point shot and then hits the ensuing free throw.
On Nov. 4th against Missouri Western State, P'Allen Stinnett pulled off that rare feat with 13:17 left in the second half.
Stinnett then did it again at Dayton in the season-opener on Nov. 14.
Before Stinnett's magic, Creighton had not had a player convert a four-point play in a regular-season game since Johnny Mathies vs. Evansville on Jan. 22, 2006.
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 103-year history of the MVC.
The Jays also set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton averaged 15,930 fans (12th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 16,229 fans per game so far.
2008-09 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,012
2. Syracuse 21,044
3. North Carolina 21,035
4. Tennessee 20,483
5. Louisville 19,397
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 17,048
8. Memphis 16,933
9. Kansas 16,350
10. Marquette 16,200
11. Arkansas 16,043
12. Creighton 15,930
13. Illinois 15,498
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,229 so far Creighton 2009-10
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Nine of his last 12 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 12 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 315 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 173 triumphs in regular-season conference games are second-most in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hickey entered the MVC Hall of Fame last March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
Coaches--Most Wins As MVC Member--All Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 486 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 337 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 315 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 173 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school for the recently completed decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton led the MVC overall with 229 wins and a .702 win percentage in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 31, 2009:
MVC Standings (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 125 54 .698 229 97 .702
Southern Illinois 130 50 .722 224 103 .685
Missouri State 97 82 .542 185 134 .580
Northern Iowa 92 89 .508 173 138 .556
Wichita State 88 92 .489 175 142 .552
Bradley 89 91 .494 171 150 .533
Illinois State 81 99 .450 161 146 .524
Drake 72 108 .400 145 162 .472
Indiana State 63 117 .350 129 178 .420
Evansville 62 118 .344 116 177 .396
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 1999-2000)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 6 4 0 0 10
Southern Illinois 6 2 0 0 8
Wichita State 1 3 1 0 5
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Northern Iowa 4 0 0 0 4
Missouri State 0 4 0 0 4
Illinois State 0 3 0 0 3
Indiana State 2 0 0 0 2
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Runnels Rebounds Into History
Junior transfer Wayne Runnels became the first Creighton player in 40 seasons to grab nine or more rebounds in each of his first two games as a Bluejay.
Believe it or not, that 1969-70 season saw three different men open their careers with consecutive games of nine or more rebounds.
Cyril Baptiste had five straight such games, Denny Bresnahan had three such games and Nate Stephens had at least two such games to begin their Creighton career.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton had two players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include juniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 491 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 515 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
Woodfox Inks Deal With NBDL
Booker Woodfox, the 2009 MVC Player of the Year, has been signed by the Erie BayHawks in the National Basketball Association Developmental League. Woodfox averaged 15.8 points per game last season for Creighton and ranked second nationally with his 47.6 percent accuracy from three-point range.
Erie will play on NBATV on both Wednesday (Noon) and Thursday (2:45 pm).
Dance Regulars
Creighton is one of 20 schools to have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments during each of the past five decades.15.9
Multiple NCAA Appearances, Last 5 Decades
Team 60's 70's 80's 90's 00's
Arizona State 4 2 2 2 2
BYU 2 3 5 5 7
Creighton 2 3 2 2 6
DePaul 2 3 9 2 2
Duke 4 2 7 9 10
Kansas 3 4 6 10 10
Kentucky 6 7 9 8 9
Louisville 4 6 8 7 7
Marquette 3 9 3 4 6
North Carolina 3 6 10 10 8
Princeton 7 2 4 6 2
Providence 3 5 2 3 2
Temple 2 3 5 10 4
Texas Tech 2 2 2 2 4
UCLA 7 10 5 10 8
Utah 3 3 3 7 6
UTEP 4 2 6 2 2
Villanova 3 4 8 6 5
Weber State 2 6 2 2 2
Western Kentucky 4 4 4 3 5
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 106 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 89-17 (.840) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 19-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 7,845-6,598 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. The 17 losses have been by a combined 95 points (5.6 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 23 different times, including four times this year.
Creighton has attracted 1,506,685 fans in 106 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,214 per contest.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 57 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Avg. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 17 charges so far this year after taking 47 in 2008-09. Over the previous seven seasons, the Bluejays have averaged taking 48.4 per year.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-08 '08-09 '09-10 Total
Casey Harriman 17 8 7 32
Antoine Young n/a 4 3 6
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 3 3
Justin Carter n/a 9 2 11
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Chad Millard 7 4 0 11
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 0 6
Kaleb Korver 0 3 0 3
Cavel Witter 3 0 0 3
Former Players 258 11 n/a 243
Total 292 47 17 356
Coat, Food Drives A Success
The generosity of some Creighton Basketball fans has paid big dividends for the Siena Francis House in the preseason. More than 675 pounds of food and around 250 coats were collected in separate events connected with Bluejay basketball.
The food drives took place on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 as part of the open practices hosted at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Fans were invited to bring canned goods or other perishable items prior to both events. More than 675 pounds of food were collected.
On Nov. 8th as part of the team's exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha, fans could exchange new or slightly used coats for two tickets to Creighton's regular-season home opener on Nov. 17 against Florida A&M. Around 250 coats were gathered. Nu-Trend Cleaners then donated to the cause by cleaning of all coats before they were delivered to the Siena Francis House on Nov. 9th.
The Siena Francis House is Nebraska's largest shelter, serving homeless men, women and children for over 30 years.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2009-10 season went on sale on October 26th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). Tickets for the Dec. 6 Nebraska game will be $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and won a share of the MVC regular-season title for the first time since 2001-02. The Jays were then selected to the NIT, where it defeated Bowling Green before falling to Kentucky.
Senior Booker Woodfox was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and ranking second nationally with 47.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
Fellow senior Josh Dotzler led CU in assists and led the MVC in steals while earning a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive Team.
Justin Carter returns after leading Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per contest, while P'Allen Stinnett is the team's top returning scorer after scoring at a 12.5 points per game clip.
Creighton averaged an MVC-record 15,930 fans per game last season, 12th-best nationally.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, for the fifth time in the seven-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2008-09 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.32 cumulative grade-point average over the 2008-09 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
