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CU in the NBA
Grant Gibbs
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Men's Basketball Opens BIG EAST Play With Marquette on Tuesday
By: None
Release: 12/30/2013
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2013-14 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #13 • Marquette • Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 • 9:02 pm
Marquette Golden Eagles at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com; Westwood One
TV: FOX Sports 1
Series History: Marquette leads, 48-28
Last Meeting: Marquette 80, Creighton 68 on 3/11/98 in Milwaukee, Wis.
Next Game
Creighton (10-2, 0-0) plays its first BIG EAST Conference game in program history when it hosts league favorite Marquette (8-5, 0-0) on Tuesday night.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 9:02 p.m. Central. The game is sold out.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2013-14 season. John Bishop and Nick Bahe will call the action. The broadcast is also webcast live at 1620thezone.com.
The pregame show "Bluejay Shootaround" is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler, and will air from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host "Overtime" for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
The game will also be broadcast nationally on Westwood One radio, with Kevin Kugler and Kevin Grevey on the call.
Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will be broadcast nationwide on FOX Sports 1, with Justin Kutcher and Donny Marshall on the call.
The game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters BIG EAST play with a 10-2 record, including wins over Nebraska, Tulsa, Arizona State, Saint Joseph's and Cal.
Creighton will be playing its fifth straight home game on Tuesday, a stretch in which it has not trailed.
Senior Doug McDermott (24.8 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 42.3 3FG%) is the nation's only returning consensus First Team All-American, as well as the nation's leading returning scorer. He's led the Jays in scoring and rebounding each of the past three seasons, was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and has scored 20 or more points in all but one game this year.
Creighton's backcourt returns intact, as well, as Austin Chatman (7.6 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 4.3 apg.), Jahenns Manigat (7.1 ppg., 43.5 3FG%) and Grant Gibbs (5.9 ppg., 4.3 apg) have started every game the past two seasons and maintain a combined 132/54 assist/turnover (2.44) ratio.
Helping to replace Gregory Echenique at the "5" spot have been the duo of Ethan Wragge (1.4 ppg., 50.5 3FG%) and Will Artino (6.3 ppg., 61.1 FG%).
Creighton was picked to finish third in the 10-team BIG EAST Conference this winter after returning 11 lettermen and four starters from last year's 28-8 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season.
Scouting Marquette
The preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST Conference, Marquette brings an 8-5 record into Tuesday's league opener.
Two of the top three scorers are reserves, as Davante Gardner (13.5 ppg., 6.2 rpg.) leads the team in scoring and rebounding while Todd Mayo (9.6 ppg., 2.5 rpg.) is close behind.
Jamil Wilson (11.7 ppg., 2.4 apg.) is the team's second-leading scorer and also third on the club with 4.6 rebounds per contest. He left Saturday's game vs. Samford after just five minutes with what was described as a right knee injury in postgame reports.
As a team, Marquette averages 72.9 points per game while yielding just 61.5 per contest. The Golden Eagles shoot 45.6 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from deep and 66.0 percent at the line.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in the midst of his fourth season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 28-8 mark last year, and is now 90-32 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 370-227 in his 20th season and is 239-163 in his 13th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Buzz Williams (Oklahoma City, 1994) owns a 130-59 mark in his sixth season at Marquette, part of an impressive run that has seen the Golden Eagles reach the NCAA Tournament each season and three straight trips to the Sweet 16 or beyond. Williams was also head coach at New Orleans from 2006-07, giving him a 144-76 mark in seven seasons as a head coach. He is assisted by Brad Autry, Isaac Chew and Jerry Wainwright.
The Series With Marquette
Marquette leads the series with Creighton by a 48-28 margin, including a 19-18 edge in Omaha.
The teams have not met since a 1998 NIT game in Milwaukee, and Creighton has not beaten Marquette since its teams were known as the Warriors way back in 1988.
The teams met 42 times between 1950 and 1988, but the series was discontinued once Marquette dropped its indepedent status and joined the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1988.
Greg McDermott has never faced Buzz Williams or Marquette, and Williams has never faced Creighton.
Former Coaches To Be Honored
Creighton will honor five former coaches at halftime of Tuesday night's game in recognition of their work to help the program over the years. The honorees will be...
-Mary Jean McManus, wife of the late coach John J. "Red" McManus, who coached Creighton from 1959-69 and a pair of NCAA bids.
-Eddie Sutton, coach at Creighton from 1969-74. First coach to take four teams to the NCAA Tournament got his Division I start at Creighton.
-Tom Apke, coach at Creighton from 1974-81. Led the Jays into the MVC and promptly won a MVC Tournament in his first attempt.
-Tony Barone, coach at Creighton from 1985-91. Led Creighton to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids.
-Reva Altman, wife of former Creighton coach Dana Altman, who is currently coaching at Oregon. Program's all-time wins leader led the team to seven NCAA Tournaments and 13 straight postseason bids and was coach when the team moved to CenturyLink Center Omaha. Dana Altman will be unable to attend while on the road with his nationally-ranked Oregon squad.
Conference Openers Have Gone Well
Creighton owns an 11-4 record in its last 15 conference openers, which improved it to 32-22 all-time in Missouri Valley Conference lid-lifters. Tuesday will mark CU's first BIG EAST Conference opener, however.
Greg McDermott is 6-6 all-time in conference openers as a Division I head coach, including a 2-1 mark at Creighton.
League Lid-Lifter History
Tuesday will be Creighton's first men's basketball game as a member of the BIG EAST.
Below is how Creighton did in its first game as a member in its past conferences, including when it joined the Missouri Valley Conference after a 29-year absence.
Date Score CU League Finish
01/03/23 CU 32, Morningside 14 11-3, 1st NCC
01/15/29 CU 38, Grinnell 25 4-1, 2nd MVC
12/27/77* CU 71, Wichita State 70 12-4, 1st MVC*
rejoined the MVC in 1977 after a 29-year absence
Across The Board Openers?
When Tuesday's game takes place, the men's basketball program will be the school's fifth team (in any sport) to compete in the BIG EAST for a league match. The first four teams went 2-2-0.
Sport Creighton Result
WSOC Marquette 2, Creighton 1
MSOC Creighton 1, St. John's 0 (2OT)
VB Butler 3, Creighton 1
WBB Creighton 65, Villanova 58
Making An Entrance
Each Creighton student-athlete will be playing in his first career BIG EAST game on Tuesday night.
Below is a listing of the 14 men to debut in the BIG EAST with a game of 25 or more points.
Notably, Steve Novak's 41 points came in MU's first conference game in program history, a 2006 win over Connecticut.
41 Steve Novak, Marquette vs. UConn, 1-3-06
32 Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. PC, 12-27-11
30 Troy Murphy, Notre Dame vs. PC, 12-8-98
Allen Iverson, Georgetown vs. PC, 12-7-94
29 Caron Butler, Connecticut vs. BC, 1-3-01
Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut vs. WVU, 12-3-97
Tim Thomas, Villanova vs. PC, 12-4-96
28 Troy Bell, Boston College vs. PC, 1-8-00
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall vs. UConn, 1-3-08
26 Seldon Jefferson, WVU vs. Georgetown, 12-2-95
Lawrence Moten, Syracuse vs. BC, 1-2-92
25 Craig Smith, Boston College vs. PC, 1-2-03
Jerome Coleman, Rutgers vs. Syracuse, 1-2-02
Steve Rich, Miami vs. Syracuse, 12-22-93
Eve of Destruction
Before celebrating the New Year, Creighton will first host Marquette at 9:02 pm on Dec. 31st.
Creighton lost seven straight games on New Year's Eve before a 2008 win over Indiana State. Creighton made it two straight Dec. 31 wins with a 2011 victory at Wichita State.
McDermott's Quest For 2,500
Creighton senior Doug McDermott enters Tuesday's game tied for 59th in NCAA history with 2,513 career points.
With 21 points or more, he'd surge into the top-50 in NCAA history, and he'd climb all the way to 41st if he matched his career-high of 44 points.
McDermott became the first player to reach 2,5000 points since Jimmer Fredette (BYU), Andrew Goudelock (Charleston) and Charles Jenkins (Hofstra) did it in 2011, and in the process passed hoop legends Elgin Baylor and Bill Bradley in the NCAA record book.
Page seven of this release lists every player in NCAA history to score 2,500 career points.
On A Roll
Since the start of 2011-12, Creighton is a remarkable 67-16. On a national basis, Creighton's 67 wins since the start of last season ranks tied for eighth, as seen below.
Most Wins, Since 2011-12
School '11-12 '12-13 '13-14 W-L Next
Louisville 30-10 35-5 11-2 76-17 12/31
Syracuse 34-3 30-10 12-0 76-13 12/31
Ohio State 31-8 29-8 13-0 73-16 12/31
Kansas 32-7 31-6 8-3 71-16 12/30
Wichita State 27-6 30-9 13-0 70-15 1/2
Gonzaga 26-7 32-3 11-2 69-12 12/30
Kentucky 38-2 21-12 10-3 69-17 1/8
Creighton 29-6 28-8 10-2 67-16 12/31
Duke 27-7 30-6 10-2 67-15 12/31
Michigan State 29-8 27-9 11-1 67-18 12/31
Give Me Five
Creighton's win vs. Chicago State on Dec. 29th was the Jays fifth straight this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 18 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Late Night With The Jays
Tuesday night's 9:02 pm Central tip-off makes the Creighton-Marquette tilt the final game of the 2013 calendar year anywhere in the country.
It will also be Creighton's eighth start in the 11-year history that the Jays will tip-off after 8:30 pm, a list that includes some of the most lively crowds and best games in building history.
Creighton owns just four games in CenturyLink Center Omaha's 11-year history in which it hit a game-winning shot in the final five seconds, but two of those (Rhode Island and Long Beach State) came among the five games that tipped after 9 pm.
Date Start Time Result
02/18/06 11:02 pm CU 67, Fresno State 62
02/17/07 9:05 pm Drexel 64, CU 58
03/18/08 9:05 pm CU 74, Rhode Island 73
02/21/09 8:35 pm CU 76, George Mason 63
02/20/10 8:37 pm CU 78, Loyola Chicago 58
02/18/12 9:07 pm CU 81, Long Beach State 79
02/09/13 9:05 pm Illinois State 75, CU 72
BCS Busters at Home
Creighton hosts Marquette at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Tuesday, where the Bluejays have won 15 straight regular-season home games against teams from BCS leagues (at time of game) since the start of the 1996-97 season.
Those 15 wins have been by an average of 11.6 points, with nine coming by double-digits, and none decided by fewer than six points.
BCS Schools at Creighton, Last 16 Years*
Date Score
12/22/13 Creighton 68, California 54
12/08/13 Creighton 82, Nebraska 67
12/22/11 Creighton 87, Northwestern 79
12/04/11 Creighton 76, Nebraska 66
12/06/09 Creighton 67, Nebraska 61
11/24/07 Creighton 74, Nebraska 62
11/09/07 Creighton 74, DePaul 62
12/11/05 Creighton 70, Nebraska 44
12/10/03 Creighton 61, Nebraska 54
12/12/01 Creighton 76, Nebraska 70
12/09/99 Creighton 89, Nebraska 72
11/27/99 Creighton 85, #23 Iowa 76
12/20/98 Creighton 66, #18 Oklahoma State 60
12/02/98 Creighton 73, Baylor 59
12/10/97 Creighton 84, Nebraska 73
*regular-season games only
BCS Busters
One frequent question about how Creighton will handle the move to the BIG EAST is how they'll handle the nightly rigors of playing against "BCS" competition on a regular basis.
In the past three seasons, Creighton is 12-2 against teams from those leagues, with both losses (North Carolina, Duke) coming in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Nine of the 12 wins came by double-digits, and just four of the games took place in Omaha.
In the last six regular-season games vs. BCS foes, Creighton has trailed a grand total of 85 seconds while winning all six contests by double-figures.
Individually, Doug McDermott has scored at least 20 points in all but one of those games (Alabama), and in that one he had a double-double. McDermott has averaged 25.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the 14 games.
D. McDermott
Date Opponent Score Pts Reb.
11/20/11 vs. Iowa W 82-59 25 9
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66 24 12
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79 27 5
03/16/12 vs. Alabama W 58-57 16 10
03/18/12 vs. #4 N. Carolina L 73-87 20 9
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin W 84-74 30 8
11/24/12 vs. Arizona State W 87-73 29 9
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42 27 4
12/15/12 at California W 74-64 34 9
03/22/13 vs. Cincinnati W 67-63 27 11
03/24/13 vs. #6 Duke L 50-66 21 9
11/28/13 vs. Arizona State W 88-60 27 6
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67 33 8
12/22/13 California W 68-54 20 11
No. 1 vs. No. 1
Tuesday's game features several battles between the top units in the BIG EAST Conference.
Creighton leads the league in scoring offense (82.9), while Marquette owns the best scoring defense (61.5).
Additionally, Creighton is tied for first in the league in field goal percentage (.492), while Marquette leads the league in field goal percentage defense (.385).
3's vs. 2's
In Creighton's last five games, the Bluejays have attempted 268 shot attempts, with exactly half (134) of those coming from beyond the arc.
Creighton has made 70-of-134 two-pointers in that time, accounting for 140 points.
Creighton has made 58-of-134 three-pointers in that time, accounting for 174 points.
In Sunday's win vs. Chicago State, Creighton made 16-of-25 three-point attempts, good for 1.92 points per shot attempt from deep. To earn the same point total (48 points) from 25 two-point attempts, Creighton would need to shoot 24-for-25 (96 percent).
Perhaps that's why Greg McDermott said in the Sunday's postgame press conference: ""If you're going to give us an open 3-point shot, that's the best percentage shot we can get."
Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy agreed, "We've watched every game they had played, and we knew this was the best shooting team in the country. If there is another team in the country that shoots the ball like these guys shoot, I would love to see that team."
Deadly From Downtown
Through NCAA games of Dec. 29th, Creighton leads the the nation with 136 three-point baskets, and is also third with 11.3 three-pointers per contest and third with 43.7 percent marksmanship from deep.
Creighton has made 11 or more three-pointers in all but two games (7 vs. both George Washington and California), including a season-high 16 vs. Chicago State on Dec. 29.
Creighton also ranked third with 18.8 assists per game and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.77).
Doug McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring, fifth in total points and was also ninth in field goals made.
Ethan Wragge ranked sixth in three-pointers per game, fifth in three-pointers made and ninth in three-point field goal percentage.
Team of the Millennium?
Below is the records for each current BIG EAST school over the last four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins.
The three newcomers to the league, Butler, Creighton and Xavier, are at the top of nearly each category.
All numbers below, entering New Year's Eve.
Most Wins Since 2000-01 (12/30/13)
Team W L Pct.
Butler 330 120 .733
Xavier 319 125 .718
Creighton 318 130 .710
Marquette 305 141 .684
Georgetown 293 141 .675
Villanova 286 158 .644
Providence 223 195 .533
Seton Hall 220 196 .529
St. John's 202 212 .488
DePaul 177 235 .430
Most Wins - Last 8 Years
Team W L Pct.
Butler 204 58 .779
Xavier 182 71 .719
Creighton 179 78 .696
Marquette 179 79 .694
Georgetown 175 69 .717
Villanova 164 86 .656
Seton Hall 124 112 .525
Providence 123 114 .519
St. John's 120 118 .504
DePaul 86 149 .366
Most Wins - Last 4 Years
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 90 32 .738
Butler 86 36 .705
Marquette 83 37 .694
Georgetown 78 30 .722
Xavier 74 38 .661
Villanova 65 46 .586
St. John's 60 50 .545
Providence 59 52 .532
Seton Hall 58 53 .523
DePaul 38 69 .355
Consistent Challengers
Eleven of Creighton's last 16 teams finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and 2012-13, 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, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 16 Years
1st Place 2000-01, 2012-13
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (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; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
Consistency A Key
Doug McDermott has scored 20 or more points in 12 of the 13 games he's played in this season, and 18 of his last 20 contests dating to last season.
On a nationwide basis, McDermott and national scoring leader Antoine Mason (Niagara) are the only players with 20 or more points in all but one team game this season.
McDermott By The Numbers
Senior forward Doug McDermott has put together very similar numbers throughout his career, regardless of result, site, level of competition or score differential, as seen below:
Breakdown MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG PPG
Wins 30.2 .580 .485 .846 7.5 22.1
Losses 32.6 .469 .388 .755 7.9 16.4
Home 29.6 .565 .444 .834 7.6 20.9
Away 31.7 .554 .489 .812 7.6 19.8
Neutral 33.2 .507 .440 .843 7.7 21.5
BCS Foes 31.9 .510 .383 .868 7.2 22.0
Non-BCS Foes 30.7 .561 .473 .820 7.7 20.3
Margin 0-9 32.8 .524 .426 .767 7.7 18.8
Margin 10-19 30.9 .552 .440 .853 7.6 21.1
Margin 20+ 26.8 .605 .546 .897 7.4 23.3
CAREER (All) 30.9 .552 .457 .829 7.6 20.6
Playing With A Lead
Creighton hasn't trailed in either of its last four games, double-digit home wins over Nebraska, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California and Chicago State. In the 11 year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton has led wire-to-wire in 45 games, but this is the first time it's accomplished the feat in three (or more) straight contests.
In all, Creighton has not trailed in its last 180:07 played at home, last facing a deficit late in the first half vs. Tulsa on Nov. 23rd.
Creighton has trailed for just 5:52 of 280:00 minutes this season at home, and just 8:06 of its last 360:00 minutes during its nine-game home win streak. Impressively, Creighton has not trailed at any point in the second half during that home win streak, winning all nine games by double-figures.
Dating to last year, in its last 10 home games played in December (400 minutes), Creighton has trailed for a total span of 4:53, and never trailed in the second half.
That's Why They're "Free" Throws
A pair of Bluejay seniors are quietly working on extended free throw streaks.
Jahenns Manigat is 9-for-9 at the line this season after making his final 13 attempts last year, giving him a career-long streak of 22 in a row.
Doug McDermott made his final three attempts against George Washington on Dec. 1 before going a combined 13-for-13 in wins vs. Long Beach State and Nebraska, giving him a streak of 16 in a row. He then made all 13 attempts on Dec. 17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, pushing the streak to 29 and was 2-for-2 vs. Cal to make it 31 straight. On Sunday vs. Chicago State, McDermott was 8-for-8 at the line, giving him a school-record streak of 39 in a row.
Earlier this year McDermott had a streak of 28 straight makes snapped in CU's season-opening victory over Alcorn State.
Consecutive Free Throws Made, (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
39 Doug McDermott Dec. 1, 2013 - Present
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
28 Doug McDermott March 10 - Nov. 8, 2013
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
24 Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
24 Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
24 Ethan Wragge Feb. 3, 2010 - Feb. 1, 2012
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
22 Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
22 Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
22 Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 5, 2007
22 Jahenns Manigat Feb. 9, 2013 - Present
21 Kevin McKenna Dec. 22, 1980-Jan. 22, 1981
21 James Farr Jan. 2-28, 1989
21 Andre Tucker Feb. 20-Nov. 29, 1993
21 Kyle Korver Mar. 3-Nov. 25, 2002
20 Jason Singleton Jan. 18-23, 1993
20 Kyle Korver Jan. 11-Jan. 23, 2003
20 Kyle Korver Jan. 23-Feb. 4, 2003
Dougie McAutomatic?
Doug McDermott was a perfect 13-for-13 at the line on Dec. 17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
McDermott became the first Bluejay to be perfect in 13 or more attempts from the line since Doug Brookins went 16-for-16 on Dec. 16, 1974.
In addition to Brookins, the only other CU players to make all of their 13+ attempts in the same game were Mike Caruso (14-14 on 1/21/70) and Bob Portman (13-13 on 1/13/68).
Toe The Line
Creighton shot a school-record 75.9 percent from the free-throw line last season, and with much of the same team back, it's no surprise the team is shooting 75.8 percent at the line in 2013.
Creighton has shot 77.3 percent or better from the stripe in six straight games, connecting on 100-of-118 overall (84.7 percent) in that time.
All five members of Creighton's current starting line-up shoot better than 71.2 percent for their career, and the quintet is a collective 900-for-1118 (80.5 percent) in their Bluejay careers from the line.
Creighton has missed exactly two free throws in each of its last three games, going 24-for-26 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 11-of-13 vs. Cal and 20-of-22 vs. Chicago State.
Defense Improves
Two years ago Creighton ranked 222nd in the nation in field goal percentage defense, as teams shot 44.1 percent from the field.
Last year the squad improved to 77th nationally, as teams dropped to 40.7 percent from the floor against the Jays.
The team continues to make strides in that area, holding foes to 40.1 percent marksmanship this year to rank 58th nationally.
Only four of Creighton's first 12 opponents have shot 40 percent or better from the field this season.
Full House
Last year's Creighton team ranked sixth nationally in average home attendance, averaging 17,155 fans per game. It's the seventh straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record. The figure ranked ahead of 14 NBA teams (76ers, Rockets, Grizzlies, Wizards, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Suns, Bobcats, Pacers, Hawks, Bucks, Pistons, Pelicans, Kings).
Creighton also ranked sixth nationally in men's soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation's only school in the top-10 of those three sports.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 17,358 through seven home dates, good for fourth-nationally.
2013-14 Attendance Leaders (12/30)
Rk. School Average Next
1. Syracuse 24,495 12/31
2. Kentucky 22,357 1/8
3. Louisville 20,700 1/9
4. Creighton 17,358 12/31
5. Indiana 17,245 1/4
6. North Carolina 17,218 12/31
7. Wisconsin 16,984 1/5
8. Kansas 16,739 12/30
9. Memphis 15,593 1/4
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,358 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
McDermott In Elite Company
Since the start of his sophomore year (2011-12), Doug McDermott has averaged 23.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 83 contests.
That makes him the only college player in the nation to average at least 23 points and seven rebounds per contest in that span.
In same time, only NBA guys to do so are Kevin Durant (28.2 & 8.0), LeBron James (26.7 & 7.8), Carmelo Anthony (26.0 & 7.0) and Kevin Love (24.7 & 13.6).
Simply No Comparison
Doug McDermott's stats this season of 24.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 42.3 percent marksmanship from three-point range put him in even more elite company than imagined.
Since 1997-98, only two other college players have averaged at least 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 40 percent or better from three-point range over the course of an entire season, Kevin Durant (25.8 ppg., 11.1 rpg., 40.4 3FG%) at Texas in 2006-07 and Wally Szczerbiak (24.4 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 49.2 3FG%) at Miami (Ohio) in 1997-98.
In NBA history, the only players to average 24.7 points, 7.3 or more rebounds and shoot 42 percent or better from three-point range (min. 20 3FG's) during a season are Larry Bird (twice) and Dirk Nowitzki (once).
National Leaders
Doug McDermott's career stats rank among the top-10 active players nationally in 10 of the 15 different categories tracked by the NCAA through games of Dec. 29th.
Rank Category Total Leader
1 Points 2,513 --
1 FG Made 907 --
1 FG Attempted 1,644 --
2 FT Made 491 D. Burton, 535
2 Double-Doubles 32 A. Rubit, 47
2 Scoring Average 20.6 T. Haws, 21.8
3 3-Point Percentage .457 M. Frazier, .480
3 Rebounds 932 A. Rubit, 1,015
8 Games Played 122 J. Gollon, 131
8 FT Attempted 584 D. Burton, 696
Milestone Watch
-Avery Dingman needs one defensive rebound for 100 in his career.
-Jahenns Manigat needs two steals to reach 100 in his career. Manigat owns two steals or more in 7-of-12 contests this year and ranks 11th in the BIG EAST in steals per game.
-Jahenns Manigat is one start shy of 100 in his career.
-Doug McDermott needs to make nine free throws for 500 in his career.
-Ethan Wragge needs 61 points to reach 1,000 in his career. Wragge has made just 12 starts in his career. No other Bluejay in the 1,000 point club owns fewer than 59 starts.
Where There's A Will
Will Artino started Creighton's first seven games, but has shined since returning to the reserve role he was used in during his first three seasons on campus.
Artino averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in his seven starts, but has averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest in five games off the bench, each a win.
Artino had a season-best 13 points off the bench at Long Beach State on Dec. 3, then snared a season-high seven rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Nebraska.
When Artino Starts
Name PPG RPG MPG
Artino 5.7 3.0 14.3
Wragge 11.7 4.1 23.9
Combined 17.4 7.1 38.2
When Wragge Starts
Name PPG RPG MPG
Artino 7.2 4.0 12.8
Wragge 13.4 4.0 25.8
Combined 20.6 8.0 38.6
Starting On Fire
Since inserting Ethan Wragge into the starting five prior to the Dec. 3 game at Long Beach State, Creighton has started out strong.
Creighton has not trailed in its last 192:30 of action, and the Bluejays have outscored foes 218-132 in the first half of those games.
In those five games, Creighton's outscored foes 60-28 from start of game until when Ethan Wragge's checked out for first time.
Wragge Time!
Ethan Wragge had 15 points vs. San Diego State, then added 16 more vs. George Washington two days later, before wrapping up CU's trip to California with 15 points at Long Beach State two days later. It marked the first time in his career he'd posted back-to-back contests of 15 or more points, and made him the first Bluejay reserve with consecutive games of 15+ points since Cavel Witter on Dec. 22 & 29, 2009.
Wragge finished three games at the Wooden Legacy averaging 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots. He tied for the Wooden Legacy lead with 11 three-point baskets, converting 47.8 percent of his 23 long-range attempts.
Wragge now owns seven straight games of three or more three-pointers and has twice tied a career-high with nine rebounds in his past six games. He also became the first player in CU history with 4+ three-pointers in five straight games.
Full House
Creighton has attracted four of its 16 largest home crowds in program history this season.
Here's a look at Creighton's top-16 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
2. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
3. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
4. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
5. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
6. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
7. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
8. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
9. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
10. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
11. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
12. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
13. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
14. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
15. 17,533 California 12/22/13
16. 17,530 Nebraska 12/08/13
Thirty Point Buck
Doug McDermott owns 33 points or more in four of his last seven home games. He scored 41 points in his final home game last year vs. Wichita State (March 2), 37 against UMKC (Nov. 11), 33 vs. Tulsa (Nov. 23) and 33 vs. Nebraska (Dec. 8), before being "held" to 25 points in 29 minutes vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 17. He then scored 20 points in 35 minutes vs. Cal on Dec. 22 and 24 points in 30 minutes vs. Chicago State on Sunday.
McDermott's 33 points were the most by a Bluejay against Nebraska since Duan Cole had 35 points on Dec. 7, 1991.
In his last eight home games, McDermott has played 250 minutes and scored a staggering 233 points.
McDermott has scored 30 or more points in 18 career games. By comparison, all other Creighton players since 1991-92 have combined for 17 games of 30+ points in CU's 707 games played in that period.
Speaking of 30
According to available school records, Doug McDermott owns 18 of the 124 games in Creighton history with 30 points or more. Only Bob Portman (22) has more, with Bob Harstad (12) the only other player besides McDermott with 10 or more such contests.
In addition, McDermott's four games this season of 30 points or more are tied for eighth-most in school history. He already owns fourth and fifth place on that list.
Most 30-Point Games, Career
30-Pt. Games Name Years
22 Bob Portman 1966-69
18 Doug McDermott 2010-Pres.
12 Bob Harstad 1987-91
9 Paul Silas 1961-64
6 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 68-69
6 Cyril Baptiste 1969-71
6 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
Most 30-Point Games, Season
30-Pt. Games Name Year
10 Bob Portman 1967-68
10 Bob Portman 1968-69
8 Bob Harstad 1989-90
7 Doug McDermott 2012-13
6 Doug McDermott 2011-12
5 Benoit Benjamin 1984-85
5 Wally Anderzunas 1968-69
4 Paul Silas 1962-63
4 Cyril Baptiste 1970-71
4 Rod Mason 1987-88
4 Doug McDermott 2013-14
Comparing Offenses
Creighton has had one of the nation's most effective and most efficient offenses in the past three seasons.
With the nucleus from those teams still intact, we thought we'd take a second to compare the 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams to this year's squad through 12 games:
Stat 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Record 10-2 11-1 10-2
FG Made 363 305 337
3FG Made 111 107 136
FT Made 175 170 185
Rebound Margin +5.2 +2.7 +5.8
Assists 247 208 226
Turnovers 152 139 128
Scoring Average 84.3 78.9 82.9
Scoring Margin +14.5 +18.2 +18.0
Senior Leaders
Creighton's seniors led the way in a Dec. 8 win over Nebraska.
The quartet of Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge combined for 67 points, 21 rebounds, 13 assists and five steals in CU's 82-67 win over its in-state rival. The four guys made 23-of-43 shots from the field, including 11-of-24 three-pointers, and was also perfect in 10 free throw attempts.
The same four men shot a combined 15-of-21 from three-point range in CU's 90-58 win over Chicago State on Dec. 29.
Experienced Starters
One reason for Creighton's success is its veteran line-up. Creighton's current line-up has a combined 22 years of college experience under their belt, including 20 seasons at Creighton.
Grant Gibbs is a sixth-year senior who is in his fourth year with the Bluejay program. He has started every game the past three seasons and is on pace to challenge CU's record for career assists.
Ethan Wragge is a fifth-year senior who medically redshirted after plantar fasciitis issues during his second year on campus. He is second in school history in three-pointers made, trailing only 11-year NBA veteran Kyle Korver.
Both Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott are four-year seniors. McDermott has started every game of his career, while Manigat has started all but one of the last 100 games. McDermott already owns Creighton records for career points, field goals, three-point percentage and consecutive free throws made.
According to Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistics, Creighton's line-up averages 2.40 years of experience, making the Bluejays the 17th-most veteran group nationally, and tops among the nation's BCS schools.
Meet Me At The Rim
Creighton had three men grab eight or more rebounds vs. George Washington on Dec. 1st, getting production from Ethan Wragge (9), Doug McDermott (8) and Austin Chatman (a career-high 8).
It was the first time that Creighton had three men with eight or more rebounds in the same game since McDermott (9), Gregory Echenique (9) and Grant Gibbs (8) did it vs. Iowa on Nov. 20, 2011.
Bench Points
Creighton's bench has averaged 28.7 points and 15.9 rebounds per contest. The reserves are shooting 50.4% from the field and 45.0% from downtown.
Both Ethan Wragge and Devin Brooks own games of 20 points or more this season in a reserve role.
Korver Sets NBA Record
Creighton alum Kyle Korver continues to extend his NBA record streak of games with a three-pointer.
Korver entered Tuesday afternoon's (Dec. 31) game at Boston with a three-pointer in 100 straight games, smashing Dana Barros' previous league-record of 89.
In 2009-10, Korver set an NBA single-season record by shooting 53.6 percent from three-point range, a record that still stands.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003 and owns the school record with 371 career three-pointers, helping the Bluejays to a 29-5 mark as a senior.
Korver's longest three-point streak at Creighton was 28 and snapped by Greg McDermott's UNI team. His second-longest streak was 27 and snapped by Steve Merfeld's Evansville team.
Korver made at least one trifecta in 114 of his 128 games as a Bluejay.
Let's Chat About Austin
Junior point guard Austin Chatman had the best scoring day of his Creighton tenure on Nov. 23rd when he scored a career-high 19 points in an 82-72 win vs. Tulsa.
Chatman had 15 points before the break and made a career-best four three-point hoops on the afternoon.
Most recently, Chatman had a career-best eight rebounds vs. George Washington on Dec. 1st.
Chatman averaged 1.86 rebounds per game in his first two years on campus, but averages 4.5 per contest this season, including four or more caroms in nine of 12 contests.
Chasing 3,000
In Major League Baseball, producing 3,000 career hits is something that's been done by just 24 Hall of Famers in history.
Doug McDermott has a chance to become just the eighth Division I male in NCAA history to score 3,000 or more points if he can stay healthy and average roughly 25 points per game this season.
To help put McDermott's career in perspective, the chart on page eight shows how many points McDermott owns and which famous ballplayer that is most comparable to. This season alone, McDermott has surpassed legends like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Kirby Puckett and Willie Stargell.
Productive Minutes
According to bbstate.com, Doug McDermott ranks first nationally this season with 31.6 points per 40 minutes played.
McDermott led the same category last year with 29.3 points per 40 minutes, and was second as a sophomore at 28.7 points per 40 minutes.
A KenPom Delight?
Noted statistician Ken Pomeroy's website, KenPom.com has numerous ratings that break down team efficiencies. The site consistently ranks Creighton's offense among the nation's best.
Pomeroy's site (through Dec. 29) ranks Creighton with the fourth-best mark nationwide in "Adjusted Efficiency" at 118.6 points per 100 possessions, third in "Assists Per Field Goals Made" at 67.1 percent and second in "Effective Field Goal %" at 59.2 percent.
Rare Air
Doug McDermott had 33 points and 15 rebounds in a Nov. 23 win vs. Tulsa, leading to some additional research on the senior All-American.
McDermott was the first Creighton player with at least 33 points and 15 rebounds since Bob Harstad's 33/17 on December 6, 1989 vs. Cleveland State.
Poll Position
Creighton finished last season ranked 22nd in the final Associated Press poll, and made its 2013-14 debut in the top-25 poll last week when it was No. 23rd. The Jays then climbed to a season-best 20th the week of Nov. 25th, but has since dropped out of the poll.
Creighton is 73-26 all-time when ranked in the AP poll.
Including this week's poll result, Creighton has been ranked 30 times in 66 weeks of AP polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in seven other polls. The 30 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than any coach in Bluejay history.
Most Weeks in AP Top 25 at CU, By Coach
Greg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 30 (of 66)
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Including this year, Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 13 of the last 15 seasons. Each of Creighton's last 14 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
This season marks the third straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done from 2002-03 to 2004-05. The only other time CU started 4-0 in three straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Wragge Bombs Away
Ethan Wragge has attempted 91 of his 96 shots this season from three-point range, sinking an incredible 46 of them (50.5 percent) behind the arc. He was 7-for-11 from deep in CU's 83-79 win at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 16, the most treys by a Bluejay in a game since Booker Woodfox had seven (also at Saint Joseph's) in 2008.
With four three-pointers vs. George Washington on Dec. 1, Wragge moved past Ryan Sears into second place in Creighton history for career trifectas. He now owns 270 career treys.
He also ranks sixth in CU history with 43.7 percent marksmanship from downtown.
For his career, Wragge has attempted 618-of-670 shots from beyond the arc.
McDermott, For The Win
Doug McDermott drained his first career game-winner in a Nov. 16 victory at Saint Joseph's. With Creighton trailing by one and 6.9 seconds left, McDermott caught an inbounds pass, hit a fadeaway jumper, and was fouled. He converted the three-point play in CU's eventual 83-79 win.
Said McDermott after the game "I didn't know how to celebrate…I've never hit one before."
McDermott is now 7-for-9 from the field and 18-for-22 from the line in the last minute of games in the past two seasons.
Creighton had not won a game when trailing in the final minute of overtime since Feb. 21, 2012, when Josh Jones hit a game-winner to beat Evansville in the final 30 seconds of overtime. Creighton had also tied that same game as time expired on a Gregory Echenique tip-in to close regulation.
Creighton last won a road game when trailing in the final minute on Jan. 7, 2011, at Southern Illinois, taking the lead for good with 36 seconds left on two Darryl Ashford free throws.
Creighton last won a game away from home when trailing in the final five seconds on March 6, 2009, when Booker Woodfox hit a buzzer-beater to stun Wichita State in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.
Martelli On McDermott
Even before Doug McDermott hit a three-point play to beat Saint Joseph's, Hawks coach Phil Martelli was overwhelmingly complimentary on the skills of Doug McDermott. Here's what he had to say about McDermott prior to the game:
"The country is gaga over these freshmen but McDermott's the best player in the country. Tell me who does more for their team. They can give the awards at the end of the year to the freshmen because of the media blitz, but that kid is a magnificent, magnificent player."
Big Deficits, Big Deal
Creighton overcame a 13-point deficit to win at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 16 before posting an 83-79 win. It was the 10th time in four seasons under Greg McDermott that the Jays have won a game its trailed by double-figures at some point, including six such comebacks away from home.
On the other hand, CU is 77-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 65 of the last 66 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
Just Like Viejas Arena?
Creighton's win at Saint Joseph's had some similarities to its road win at San Diego State two years ago.
In both games, Creighton faced an early double-digit deficit before cutting into the lead before half (17 at SDSU, 13 at SJU).
In both games, Creighton got big nights from Ethan Wragge (19 points at SDSU, 21 at SJU).
In both games, Creighton held on to a lead in the last 10 seconds.
In both games, Creighton was playing its first true road game of the season, and in front of a sellout crowd known as one of the toughest atmospheres in college basketball.
@McDermottAlert Has You Covered
Rather than clog up its other social media accounts with the many exploits of Doug McDermott, Creighton Athletics has created a Twitter account specific to him, that can be found at twitter.com/McDermottAlert.
It contains links to dozens of national profiles and stats on the senior forward, and owns more than 1,400 followers.
Jays Sign A Pair Of Recruits
A pair of high school basketball standouts have signed letters-of-intent to play at Creighton University. Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell will both be freshmen when they enroll in the fall of 2014 and have four years of eligibility.
Gilmore is a 6'7" wing from Manvel, Texas, who attends Manvel High School and plays for coach Greg Devers. As a high school junior, he helped his team to a 30-6 record by averaging 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Gilmore competes for the Houston Hoops AAU program.
Harrell is a 6'7" wing from Denver (Colo.) East High School, where he plays for Rudy Carey. As a junior he averaged 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, helping the Angels reach the state title game. On the AAU circuit, Harrell plays for Billups Elite, which is supported by his cousin, NBA veteran Chauncey Billups.
20-20-20-20-20-20 Vision
Doug McDermott opened his senior season with 20 points vs. Alcorn State, 37 points vs. UMKC, 20 points at Saint Joseph's, 33 points vs. Tulsa, 27 points vs. Arizona State and 30 points vs. San Diego State. In the process, he became the first Bluejay to start a season with at least five consecutive games of 20 or more points since Bob Portman opened with five straight games in 1968-69.
Use The Four's
Doug McDermott converted a rare four-point play on Nov. 11 vs. UMKC, sinking a three-point shy while being fouled before making the subsequent free throw. Isaiah Zierden followed suit on Nov. 28 vs. Arizona State.
In Greg McDermott's four-year tenure at Creighton, the only previous players with a four-point play had been Kaleb Korver and Ethan Wragge, who had done it once each.
Crowd Control
Creighton's sellout crowd of 17,740 on Nov. 8 vs. Alcorn State was its largest ever for a home-opener. It was also Creighton's largest home crowd for any November game, and the ninth-largest home crowd in program history.
Hottest Ticket in Town
Creighton Basketball has proven to be a hot ticket in recent years, but the anticipation for this season has taken those levels up a notch.
Creighton sold more than 15,100 season tickets for the first time, a figure that doesn't factor in students. Last year's record was 13,739.
Creighton has also sold more than 2,100 all-session tickets for the BIG EAST Tournament already, the most by any league school since Connecticut in 2006.
When single-game tickets went on sale on Oct. 29, seven games sold out within an hour, including less than 20 minutes for games vs. Marquette, Georgetown, Nebraska, Seton Hall and Chicago State.
Nation's Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton boasted the nation's best offensive production last year.
Creighton was second in the country in field goal percentage (50.1) and three-point percentage (41.4), third in two-point field goal percentage (55.7), ninth in free-throw percentage (75.9) and 10th in three-pointers per game (8.5).
Below is where Creighton ranked nationally in the first three years of the Greg McDermott tenure (does not include 2013-14):
Category Stat NCAA Rank '13-14
FG Percentage .487 1st .492
3FG Percentage .401 2nd .437
Assists 1,793 4th 226
Assists/Game 16.30 5th 18.8
3FG Made 874 6th 136
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.34 10th 1.77
FG Made 2,852 13th 337
Wins 80 T-16th 10
Winning Pct. .727 26th .833
Ask The Experts
ESPN had 20 experts predict the 2013-14 season. Nine of them (Jay Bilas, Adrian Branch, Elena Bergeron, Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Myron Medcalf, Digger Phelps, Miles Simon and Dick Vitale) predicted Doug McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
CBS Sports asked six experts to predict the 2013-14 season. Two of them (Doug Gottlieb and Jon Rothstein) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
Sports Illustrated had four experts predict the 2014-14 season. Two of them (Seth Davis and Luke Winn) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
All told, McDermott collected 13 votes, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart 10 votes, Kansas' Andrew Wiggins three votes, Kentucky's Julius Randle three votes and Louisville's Russ Smith one vote.
Weekly Honor For McDermott Doug McDermott was named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com and BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 16th after averaging 25.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three Creighton wins to start the season. McDermott made 55.8 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from three-point land, and 78.6 percent of his free throw attempts.
McDermott then earned his second consecutive BIG EAST Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23rd when he got the nod following a 33 point, 15 rebound showing in a 82-72 triumph vs. Tulsa.
McDermott earned his third BIG EAST honor on Dec. 9 after averaging 27.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in lopsided wins over Long Beach State and Nebraska.
Including his seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors in 2010-11, 13 MVC Player of the Week honors from 2011-13, and three BIG EAST Player of the Week accolades of 2013-14, McDermott has now won at least one conference weekly award from the MVC or BIG EAST in 23 of 56 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.
McDermott Honored at Wooden Legacy
Doug McDermott added to his career honor roll when he picked up All-Tournament Team accolades at the Wooden Legacy.
McDermott led all players by averaging 21.3 points per game and also topped all players with 21 field goals made and 16 defensive rebounds.
San Diego State's Xavier Thames was named Wooden Legacy MVP after leading the Aztecs to the title.
Brooks Breaks Harden's Record
Devin Brooks set a Wooden Legacy for three-point marksmanship. Brooks was 6-for-8 from long-range at the Wooden Legacy (75.0 percent), well ahead of the previous mark set by James Harden of 66.7 percent (10-15) in 2008.
Record Watch
With seven field goals on Nov. 8, Doug McDermott took over sole possession of first place on Creighton's all-time field goals made list. He now owns 907 in his career. He had entered the season tied with Chad Gallagher (1987-91) for the school-record with 811.
McDermott also made four free throws vs. Alcorn State, passing MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson for third in CU history, and now owns 491.
Preseason Acclaim
Doug McDermott has garnered a ton of preseason hype you'd expect from a returning two-time consensus First Team All-American.
In addition to being named the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, McDermott has also been named a Preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and Sporting News.
McDermott is also one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, one of 15 men named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, and one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 14 of the last 15 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 15 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 14 of the past 15 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky and Utah State.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (13 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (12 each).
10 Conference Wins x 17
Last season's Creighton team won 10 or more league games for a 17th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 17 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (19).
Each of the last 17 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the league standings as well, though all of those took place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Postseason x 16
Creighton has made the postseason in 16 consecutive seasons. The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 16 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Cincinnati last spring, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record six straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following five programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in six straight seasons, including 2012-13: Creighton, Kansas, North Carolina, Purdue and Syracuse.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish third in its first season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Marquette was picked first with 74 points and five first-place votes, while Georgetown (70, 2) was also selected ahead of the Bluejays (61, 1). Rounding out the top half were Villanova (58) and St. John's (56, 2).
Creighton forward Doug McDermott was named preseason BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year by the coaches.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior forward Doug McDermott served as a captain for Team USA last summer at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia. Playing under the direction of coaches Bob McKillop (Davidson), John Beilein (Michigan) and Frank Martin (South Carolina), McDermott led the team in scoring (14.1 ppg.), field goals (39), three-pointers (18), free throws (17), free-throw percentage (.895) and minutes (23.8) as the team went 6-2 in eight games.
On his way back from Russia, McDermott was invited to the USA Basketball Men's National Team Mini-Camp along with 28 of the NBA's rising stars and fellow collegian Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), where he received rave reviews.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has five 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 Iowans this season includes seniors Grant Gibbs (Marion) and Doug McDermott (Ames), junior Will Artino (Waukee), sophomore Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs) and freshman John Burns (Algona).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 633 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 657 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 177 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in 11 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 152-25 (.859) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (7-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 13,329-11,276 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.6 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 45 different times, including five times last season and the Nebraska, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Cal and Chicago State games this year.
Big Margin Leads To Big Things
Creighton's 107-61 win on Nov. 8 vs. Alcorn State was its highest point total in a season-opener ever, one point more than the 2002-03 team that opened with a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington. The 2002-03 team went on to be 29-5.
Eight of Creighton's 18 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last six teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 ? ? ? ? ?
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Everybody's All-American
Doug McDermott hauled in All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times, CBSSports.com and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Korver (2003).
Oscar, Bird, Doug
Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11.
As a sophomore McDermott had 801 points, joining Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird as the only sophomores in MVC history with at least 800 points in a season.
Last year McDermott became the first player in MVC history to reach 2,000 career points as a junior, and joined Robertson and Bird as the only players in league history to reach 2,000 points in less than three seasons of work.
Below is a list of the most prolific scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
834 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2012-13
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
Top Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
680 Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
Top Junior Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
834 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2012-13
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
834 Doug McDermott (Jr.) 2012-13
801 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
Most Career Points, Active Seniors
Source: Creighton Sports Info/STATS Inc. (12/30)
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next Game
1. 2,513 Doug McDermott, Creighton 12/31
2. 2,001 Travis Bader, Oakland 1/4
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owned 834 points in 36 games last year, an average of 23.2 per contest that ranked him second nationally in scoring.
McDermott's 23.2 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders, before McDermott did it each of the past two seasons (3rd in 2011-12, 2nd last year).
McDermott's 23.2 points per game were the most by a MVC player since Bradley's Curtis Stuckey (25.1 ppg.) in 1990-91.
Father/Son Duos
According to the website CollegeHoopedia.com, Doug McDermott is just the sixth man in NCAA history to be named conference player of the year while playing for his father.
Joining them on that elite list are Dick/Mark Acres (Oral Roberts), Dick/Tony Bennett (UW Green Bay), Homer/Bryce Drew (Valparaiso), Press/Pete Maravich (LSU) and Clifford/C.J. Reed (Bethune-Cookman).
Below is a list compiled by ESPN.com of most points scored by a guy playing for his dad:
Name, School Points Father
Pete Maravich,LSU 3,667 Press
Allan Houston, Tennessee 2,801 Wade
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2,513 Greg
Tony Bennett, UWGB 2,285 Dick
Bryce Drew, Valparaiso 2,142 Homer
Repeat All-American
Doug McDermott joined some elite company by being named a First Team All-American by the USBWA, Associated Press and the NABC for a second consecutive season last spring.
He is the 70th player to repeat the honor from the USBWA, 55th from the NABC, and 51st in the history of the Associated Press.
If McDermott is named First Team All-American by the AP this year, he'll become the first three-time first team selection since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale from 1983-85.
Not Half Bad
Doug McDermott's highest scoring half of his career has been 31 points, done as a sophomore in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
McDermott has scored 15 points or more in a half 52 times during his career, and Creighton is 43-3 in those contests (six times he's scored 15 or more in both halves).
McDermott owns 10 halves in his career with 20 or more points, and just six scoreless halves.
The 800 Club
Creighton's Doug McDermott led the nation with 834 points last season after owning a league-high (and second-most nationally) 801 as a sophomore.
McDermott joined Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird as the third player in MVC history with multiple 800-point seasons.
Nationwide, McDermott was the first player with consecutive seasons of 800 points or more since Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin) in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Supporting Cast
Doug McDermott was Creighton's only player to average in double-figures last year, but he had lots of support to help lead the Jays to 28 wins.
Creighton was 11-0 when Ethan Wragge scored in double-figures last year. CU is 33-3 under Greg McDermott when Wragge shoots 50 percent or better from three-point range, and 24-3 under McDermott when Wragge scores in double-figures.
Creighton was 8-1 when Austin Chatman scored in double-figures last year.
Creighton was 6-2 when Jahenns Manigat scored in double-figures last year. CU is now 21-1 all-time when Manigat makes three or more 3-pointers, including 19 straight wins, and the Jays are 23-2 (with 21 straight wins) when Manigat shoots better than 50 percent from 3-point range.
Creighton is 14-0 all-time when Avery Dingman makes multiple three-pointers.
Creighton is 40-3 all-time when Will Artino (62.9 percent) misses a field goal attempt.
His Own Game of H-O-R-S-E
Doug McDermott led the nation in 2011-12 with 307 field goals made, and his 284 buckets last year once again led the nation.
Prior to McDermott, no player had led the country in field goals made in back-to-back seasons since at least 1995-96.
One area that makes McDermott so unique is his ability to use his off (left) hand, and to use the backboard, as seen below:
Year FG Backboard Left-Hand
2010-11 220 64 28
2011-12 307 174 56
2012-13 284 132 26
2013-14 96 34 4
Totals 907 403 114
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 90-32 on the Creighton sideline early in his fourth year at the helm. The 90 wins are already the most in Creighton history in the first four seasons.
Most Wins at CU, First Four Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 4 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 90-32 so far
Tom Apke 1974-78 79-30
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 59-43
Tony Barone 1985-89 57-62
Red McManus 1959-63 56-46
Dana Altman 1994-98 54-59
Thomas E. Mills 1916-20 53-6
Willis Reed 1981-85 52-65
A.A. Schabinger 1922-26 50-18
Walk-On Earns Rare Start
It's not often that a team starts a walk-on, but Doug McDermott isn't your ordinary walk-on, either. McDermott's assignment vs. Alcorn State made him the first Creighton player to start while owning walk-on status since Nick Bahe on Nov. 18, 2006.
Who Will Start?
Creighton utilized the same starting five in every game last season, and four of their five starters had streaks of 71 or more straight starts by year's end.
Creighton was one of two teams to start the same starting five in every game last season, joining Stephen F. Austin.
CU's starting five played together as a group for 424 minutes last season, during which time its outscored the opposition by 129 points.
The four returning starters were +52 in 110 minutes with Ethan Wragge last year, and +34 in 44 minutes with Will Artino a year ago.
Consecutive Starts, Creighton (Active)
Doug McDermott 122 (leads NCAA)
Jahenns Manigat 98
Grant Gibbs 83
Austin Chatman 48
Ethan Wragge 5
Rasmussen Named to MBB Committee
Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen began a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee on September 1st.
He is the only newcomer to the committee for the 2013-14 academic year, replacing last year's chair, Mike Bobinski.
Championship Duo, Men & Women
Creighton was one of seven schools that won a regular-season conference title in both men's and women's basketball last year.
That elite group consists of Montana (Big Sky), Akron (Mid-American), Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic), South Dakota State (Summit), Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (West Coast) and Creighton (Missouri Valley).
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 73-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 85-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Good As Gold
Since Greg McDermott took over three years ago, Creighton is averaging 79.23 points per home game (4,912 points in 62 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 99-0 at home (70-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 83-0 at home (56-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 28-8 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton was ranked in the Associated Press top-25 in 16-of-20 weeks and finished 22nd in the year-end poll.
Doug McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring (23.2), breaking his own school-record with 834 points. He repeated as a consensus First Team All-American while also sweeping MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors for a second straight winter.
Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) and Grant Gibbs (8.5 ppg., 5.8 apg.) were named Honorable-Mention All-Valley, while Ethan Wragge nabbed Sixth Man of the Year accolades.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.501) and three-point percentage (.414), fourth in assists (16.9), sixth in home attendance (17,155) and ninth in free throw percentage (.759).
Creighton defeated Wichita State in the regular-season finale to claim the outright MVC title before winning its league-record 12th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid with another win over the Shockers. At the NCAA's, Creighton topped Cincinnati 67-63 before falling to No. 6 Duke in the third round.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2013-14 season went on sale on October 29th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink 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.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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|Library more than doubles in size, director says
|Written by Lauren Ohnesorge
|Friday, 15 June 2007 18:04
Johnson County Library director
Linda Icenhour is excited.
Saturday from 1 to 4 is the Grand
Opening of the newly remodeled library. While construction took almost a year
to complete, it will all be worth it, she says.
The library features a new children's nook and a geneology room.
That's not all. The renovations have more than doubled the space, adding over 3,000 square feet, Icenhour said. Additional shelving comes with the package.
The county and city along with several grants funded the project. The library is located on North Church Street in Mountain City, Tennessee.
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First-Place Creighton Hosts Second-Place Drake in Wednesday Twin Bill
The teams are currently scheduled to complete the three-game series with a single game in Des Moines on Tuesday, April 30.
Creighton (24-11, 10-2 MVC) matched its season-long win streak of five games after a three-game road sweep at Indiana State last weekend. As a result, the Bluejays are perched atop the Valley standings at 10-2 and will host the three teams chasing them atop the standings over the next six days.
CU is 1.5 games ahead of Drake (23-16, 9-4 MVC) in the conference standings. The Jays are 3.5 games ahead of third-place Illinois State who they host in a twin bill on Monday after entertaining fourth-place Southern Illinois this weekend, who also trail CU by 3.5 games.
Drake enters the doubleheader after taking two out of three games at home against MVC Preseason co-favorite Illinois State. The Bulldogs are just 4-9 in true road games this season including a 3-2 mark in MVC road contests. DU has won four of its last six games with all four wins coming at home in Des Moines.
The teams share five common opponents this year. Both teams won MVC series against Evansville and Indiana State suffering just a single loss. Creighton also swept a three-game series against UNI in the Valley while DU beat the Panthers in a single contest during the season-opening weekend. Both squads lost games to nationally ranked teams in Florida and Nebraska during non-conference play this year.
After claiming the MVC career home run record outright two weeks ago, Creighton senior Amy Baker capped last weekend by setting the Valley RBI record. With 162 career runs batted in, Baker is the current career leader in the conference for RBI.
Following the Jays: Live stats links for the game can be found on the softball schedule page of GoCreighton.com. Fans can also keep in touch with Creighton softball on Twitter - @BluejaySoftball and Facebook - www.facebook.com/CreightonSoftball.
Last Time Out: For the first time since 2005, Creighton posted a road sweep at Indiana State. The Bluejays won game one of a doubleheader 3-1 before dominating the nightcap with a 16-5 victory in five frames Saturday. CU closed the series with a 9-1 victory in six innings on Sunday.
The Jays outscored ISU 28-7 and out-hit the Sycamores 33-15 on the weekend. Six Bluejays hit .400 or better over the three-game series. CU players batted .393 at the plate and finished the weekend with a .798 slugging percentage.
Creighton hit seven homers on the weekend including a pair from senior Amy Baker and two from junior Blair Lowe. Coming into the weekend, Lowe boasted one career home run, but hit two homers out of the Sycamores' Price Field. Lowe and sophomore Liz Dike finished the weekend with a .636 average at the dish with 7-of-11 efforts.
In the circle, juniors Becca Changstrom and Alexis Cantu combined for three complete-game victories. Changstrom won games one and three for the Jays, allowing just two earned runs while fanning 19 Sycamores on the weekend including 10 in the finale – her ninth double-digit strikeout effort this season.
Scouting Creighton (24-11, 10-2 MVC): After posting a sweep at Indiana State last weekend, Creighton has won 11 of its last 14 games dating back to March 12. The Bluejays are 5-2 at home this year, heading into a seven-game homestand over the next six days.
CU has won each of its first four MVC series resulting in a 10-2 record for first place in the MVC and a 24-11 record overall.
Junior Blair Lowe recorded a stellar performance at the last weekend. Lowe came into the weekend with one career homer but hit two out of Price Field at ISU as she posted a .636 average at the plate on 7-of-11 hitting that also included two doubles.
She capitalized on batting in the leadoff position in all three games last weekend after batting at the top of the lineup just twice earlier this season. Lowe's 15 total bases and slugging percentage of 1.364 led the team against the Sycamores.
With six RBI on the weekend, senior Amy Baker increased her career total to 162 and eclipsed the Valley career RBI record of 157 held by Heather Stella of Illinois State (1996-99). Another Redbird also surpassed the old record on the weekend, Illinois State senior Elizabeth Kay trails Baker by three with 159 career runs batted in.
Lowe owns nine hits over the last five games for Creighton while sophomore Liz Dike boasts eight and Baker claims seven including three homers.
Four Bluejays have reached base in all seven home games this season. Besides Baker's 33-contest streak, junior Blair Lowe has reached safely in the last 11 contests. Sophomore Bri Lingl and junior Alexis Cantu have reached base in consecutive streaks of 10 and nine games, respectively.
Three Creighton players have started all 32 games and are hitting .300 or better in 2013 including Baker (.416), Dike (.340) and Lowe (.337). Creighton ranks fifth in the Valley with a .268 batting average. The Jays' 39 home runs and .463 slugging percentage are tops in the MVC.
In the circle, CU junior pitchers Becca Changstrom and Alexis Cantu are among the top three in the Valley ERA standings. Changstrom leads the MVC with a 1.48 ERA while Cantu boasts a 2.37 ERA. As a staff, the Jays lead the conference with a 2.11 ERA and 246 strikeouts.
Changstrom leads the Valley in ERA (1.48), strikeouts (185), opposing batting average (.196) and wins (17).
Scouting Drake (23-16, 9-4 MVC): DU enters the doubleheader after taking two out of three games at home against MVC Preseason co-favorite Illinois State. Drake swept a Saturday doubleheader with a 4-1 win followed by a 4-3 decision. The Bulldogs dropped the finale on Sunday 6-5.
Drake is currently in second place in the conference with a 9-4 record just 1.5 games behind CU. DU has won four of its last six games with all four wins coming at home in Des Moines.
The Bulldogs are just 4-9 in true road games this season. That record includes a 3-2 mark in MVC road contests. DU swept a doubleheader at Southern Illinois on March 16 but dropped two out of three at Missouri State March 29-30.
Drake is third in the league with a .286 team batting average. The Bulldog pitching staff trails only the Jays with a 3.18 team ERA this season. DU's .430 slugging percentage and 31 homers are second only to CU. The Bulldogs lead the league with 461 total bases, 31 sacrifice bunts and six saves.
Three of the Bulldogs' starters are hitting .350 or better at the plate in 2013 including Laura Brewer (.361), Amy Pierce (.358), and Nicole Randel (.352).
In the circle, Jordan Gronewold leads DU with 36 starts in 38 appearances. She carries a 3.23 ERA with a 13-7 record. Through 127.2 innings of work she has registered 75 strikeouts and 64 walks. Rebekah Schmidt has made 35 appearances but started just three times in 2013. She leads the staff with a 2.61 ERA and 112 strikeouts. Schmidt owns a 10-9 record this season.
Head Coach: The winningest coach in Creighton athletics history, Brent Vigness is in his 20th season at the helm of one of the most successful programs in the Midwest and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). He carries a 630-439-3 record in 19-plus seasons at Creighton and boasts a 77-510-4 overall record that includes five years at Assumption College prior to beginning at CU.
A three-time MVC Coach of the Year, he has led the Bluejays to six MVC regular-season titles (1998-2000, 2007-09), six Valley tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010) and seven NCAA regional appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010). He claimed MVC Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staffs of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
Vigness coached his 1,000th game at Creighton and recorded his 600th win at CU in 2012.
Creighton-Drake Series: The Bluejays lead the all-time series with the Bulldogs 56-27. Creighton has won seven of the last 10 in the series overall and have also claimed seven of the last nine games in Omaha.
Creighton took the series from Drake 2-1 last season. The teams split a doubleheader in Des Moines on April 18 as CU won 5-2 before falling 2-0 in the nightcap. The Bluejays claimed the rubber match 6-2 in Omaha on April 24.
The teams first met in 1978 when Creighton visited Drake on April 22 and suffered a 4-0 setback. The teams have met every season since 1993 when Creighton joined the MVC for softball.
Creighton against Current NFCA Top 25 Poll Squads: The Bluejays are 2-2 this season against teams currently receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll released April 16.
This week's No. 3 Florida squad defeated Creighton 13-3 on February 8 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Later that same day the Bluejays toppled Oregon State, receiving votes this week, 5-3.
Creighton also owns a 4-3 win in eight innings over this week's No. 23 team, Tulsa, at the UTA Maverick Invitational on March 2.
On April 3, No. 21 Nebraska escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Bluejays at the CU Sports Complex.
Baker Ranks Among Top 10 in Three NCAA Offensive Categories: Senior Amy Baker ranks No. 5 nationally in slugging percentage (.931). She stands at No. 6 in the country for home runs per game (0.43). Baker's season home run total of 15 is tied for No. 10 in the country this week.
Bluejays' NCAA Rankings this Week: Creighton ranks No. 25 in the country at 1.11 home runs per game in the latest NCAA weekly statistical rankings released April 14.
The Bluejays stand at No. 35 nationally with an earned run average of 2.11. With 1.49 doubles per game, the team also rates at No. 35 in the country. The Jays' slugging percentage of .461 ranks No. 49 in the NCAA.
Individually, junior Becca Changstrom's average of 8.8 strikeouts per seven innings stands at No. 22 in NCAA. Her 1.48 ERA rates No. 24 nationally and her strikeout total of 185 ranks No. 25 in the country. Changstrom's total of five shutouts in 2013 is tied for No. 32 nationally.
Baker Writes Recipe for Record-Setting Success in 2013: Senior Amy Baker's pair of homers last weekend helped the Omaha native extend the Missouri Valley Conference home run record to a career total of 56.
Last month Baker belted career home run No. 52 to spark a come-from-behind victory at Evansville and tie the MVC career home run record held by Abby Olson of Illinois State since 2011.
MVC Career Home Runs
T1. 56 Amy Baker, CU (2010-pres.)
T1. 52 Abby Olson, ILS (2008-2011)
3. 50 Renae Sinkler, CU (2007-10)
4. 47 Amber Smith, ILS (2006-09)
Baker's total of 15 homers this year already equals the fifth-best mark for a single season in the CU record books. That mark was recorded in 2010 during Baker's freshman campaign.
With six RBI last weekend Baker brought her career total to 162 and eclipsed the Valley career RBI record of 157 held by Heather Stella of Illinois State (1996-99). Another Redbird also surpassed the old record last weekend as Illinois State senior Elizabeth Kay trails Baker by three at 159.
MVC Career RBI
1. 162 Amy Baker, CU (2010-pres.)
2. 159 Elizabeth Kay, ILS (2010-pres.)
3. 157 Heather Stella, ILS (1996-99)
4. 150 Amber Smith, ILS (2006-09)
5. 146 Renae Sinkler, CU (2007-10)
6. 145 Jessica Huff, UE (1998-01)
7. 144 Abby Johnson, CU (2002-05)
In 2013, Baker has already set Creighton career marks in home runs (56) and runs batted in (162).
Give the Bluejays a Lead and You May Not Get it Back: Creighton is undefeated this season when leading after the third (13-0), fourth (16-0), and sixth (13-0) innings.
The Bluejays also have impressive records with an advantage at the beginning of the game. CU is 10-1 when leading after the first frame and 12-1 when up after two innings. The Jays are 13-1 when leading after five innings.
Creighton's Magic Numbers:
· Creighton is undefeated at 18-0 this season when allowing opponents fewer than three runs.
· The Bluejays are also 18-0 when scoring four or more runs on offense in 2013.
· CU is 19-3 when scoring first this season.
· Creighton is 20-1 when posting more hits than its foes this year.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Just five weeks into the season, junior Alexis Cantu set the Creighton single-season mark for being hit by a pitch at 11. Michelle Graner held the previous CU record of 10 set in 2008.
Cantu's hit-by-pitch per game average of 0.31 stands No. 28 in the nation.
Cantu was hit multiple times on two occasions this year. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff she was hit three times in four plate appearances. Cantu was hit by a pitch in each game of the Jays' series at Evansville. The Aces registered two HBP's against Cantu in game two sandwiched between one hit-by-pitch in the games one and three.
The junior is currently on a season-long streak of 10 games without being hit by a pitch.
Baker Climbs to the Top of CU Career Record Books: Last month senior Amy Baker claimed the top spot in the all-time Creighton record books for home runs and runs batted in.
The senior's career total of 56 homers surpassed the previous top mark of 50, set by current assistant coach Renae Sinkler in 2010. Baker has also set the Missouri Valley Conference mark.
With 162 career runs batted in, Baker recently moved past both of her assistant coaches in the rankings Abby Johnson (144) and Sinkler (146) to claim the top spot.
Baker is also among the Creighton career top 10 for batting average, total bases and walks. The Omaha native's .416 batting average this season would currently rank fourth all-time for a single-season mark in program history.
Baker leads the Valley in home runs (15), RBI (37), total bases (94) and slugging percentage (.931).
Walk It Off in Grand Style: Amy Baker's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning against Youngstown State on March 12 secured a 6-2 win and marked the 16th time a CU player hit a walk-off blast since 2001.
The slam also marked the third straight season with a walk-off home run. In 2012
Alexis Cantu's three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth inning vs. Missouri State on May 6 beat the Bears, 5-4.
Cantu's first career walk-off homer was the first by any Bluejay since Sammy Snygg posted one against Bradley on April 2, 2011.
Stacey Rybar is the last Bluejay with two walk-off homers in the same season (2002), and also the last Bluejay with a walk-off homer in the MVC Tournament (May 10, 2002 vs. UNI).
Here's a list of Creighton's walk-off home runs since 1999:
Inn. Player vs. Opponent Date
8 Amy Baker vs. Youngstown State 3/12/13
8 Alexis Cantu vs. Missouri State 5/6/12
8 Sammy Snygg vs. Bradley 4/2/11
10 Michelle Graner vs. Wichita State 5/3/09
7 Laura Kratochvil vs. Illinois State 3/21/09
6* Sara Loeffelholz vs. Saint Joseph's 3/6/09
10 TJ Eadus vs. Northern Iowa 3/29/08
7 Bailey Dawson vs. Texas State 2/9/08
6* Michelle Graner vs. South Dakota State 3/22/07
9 Jessica Merkel vs. Nebraska 4/14/05
6* Lauren Flores vs. Bradley 4/9/05
7# Abby Johnson at Missouri State 3/15/03
7 Stacey Rybar vs. Northern Iowa 5/10/02
8# Stacey Rybar at Bradley 5/4/02
5* Nicole Garber vs. Drake 4/23/02
10 Kari Shank vs. Northern Iowa 4/8/01
*walk-off due to run-rule;
#CU hit as home team in away game
Homer Cooking: After not hitting a home run in the first two games of 2013, Creighton jacked at least one ball over the fence in 10 consecutive contests before the streak was halted at UT Arlington for three games.
Creighton has drilled a home run in 16 of its last 20 contests, including five multi-homer games. Amy Baker and junior Blair Lowe each smashed two homers at Indiana State last weekend.
Freshman Kelsey Allender's first career grand slam highlighted the series versus UNI on March 29. The slam was the Jays' second of the year following Amy Baker's walk-off grand slam against Youngstown State on March 12.
As a result, CU leads the Valley with 39 homers this season. The Bluejays rank No. 25 nationally with 1.11 home runs per game in the latest NCAA statistical rankings released April 14.
Seven Bluejays have hit multiple home runs this season led by Amy Baker's league-leading total of 15. Joining Baker with more than one homer in 2013 is sophomore Bri Lingl (6), freshman Blake Ringle (5), junior Alexis Cantu (4) sophomore Liz Dike (3), Lowe (2) and Allender (2).
Allender hit her first career home run of an inside-the-park variety against Grambling State Feb. 24. Allender's inside-the-park home run is the first since Dike scored two of them last season, the last against Wichita State on April 7, 2012.
Senior Sammy Snygg also rifled a shot over the wall versus then-No. 14 Florida in Creighton's opening weekend. Junior Ellen Homan drilled a three-run homer at home against Bradley April 6.
Marching into Spring: Creighton finished the month of March with a 14-5 record this year. The Jays closed out the month on a four-game win streak and opened its home season with a three-game sweep of Northern Iowa to take over first place in the Valley.
Last season the Bluejays were finished 9-10 in the third month of 2012.
Bradley Series Recap: Creighton took two out of three games from Bradley at home April 6-7. Each game of the series was decided by just one run.
Bradley won the opener 3-2 before the Bluejays came from behind to take game two of a doubleheader 6-5 in eight innings on April 6. CU jumped out to a 3-0 lead April 7 before BU scored two in its final at-bat for a 3-2 Jays' win.
Senior Amy Baker's pair of home runs against Bradley increased her career total to 54 homers. With 156 career runs batted in, Baker needs just one RBI this week to tie the Valley career RBI record of 157.
Day one of the series ended in dramatic fashion. Junior Ellen Homan connected on a three-run home run just over the right field wall to tie game two at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning. It marked Homan's first home run of the season and third of her career.
In her first at-bat of the season, junior right-handed pitcher Becca Changstrom capped the come-from-behind victory with a walk-off double to right center in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two to give the Jays a 6-5 victory over BU.
Nebraska Rivalry Part One: Down 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Creighton softball team rallied to load the bases and put pressure on visiting No. 22 Nebraska but the Cornhuskers got out of the jam to escape with the one-run victory at the CU Sports Complex Wednesday evening.
The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Creighton (19-10) as Nebraska (26-7) dealt the Bluejays their first defeat at home this year.
Creighton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Senior Amy Baker drew a two-out walk before junior Alexis Cantu drilled a two-run homer over the left field wall to put the Bluejays up two after one inning.
Nebraska quickly answered in the top of the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs then took the lead for good in the fifth before adding an insurance run in the seventh.
Following a leadoff walk, a double from CU sophomore Bri Lingl down the right field line put runners in scoring position with no outs. A one-out RBI single from junior Blair Lowe scored a run to cut the Husker lead to 4-3 with runners on the corners. Freshman Kelsey Allender drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with one out on the scoreboard.
But the Huskers handled the pressure to strike out the final two Bluejay batters and escape with a 4-3 victory.
Northern Iowa Series Recap: Creighton swept a three-game series from Northern Iowa March 29-30 at the CU Sports Complex. The Bluejays swept a Friday doubleheader by scores of 4-1 and 11-1, with the second game shortened to five innings. CU clinched the Saturday finale 4-2.
Sophomore Liz Dike led the Bluejay offense last weekend with five hits versus Northern Iowa. Including a 4-for-4 effort in the finale. She recorded a triple, double and pair of singles. Freshman Kelsey Allender hit the first home run at the CU Sports Complex of 2013, and her second career homer with a grand slam in game two.
Junior Becca Changstrom remained undefeated in MVC starts at 4-0 and improved to 13-4 overall this season after registering two complete-game wins. She gave up just three earned runs on nine hits through 14 innings in the circle resulting in a 1.50 ERA. Changstrom notched her seventh double-digit strikeout performance in the opener with 11 K's.
Evansville Series Recap: Creighton senior Amy Baker capped off a record-setting week by blasting career home run No. 52 to spark a come-from-behind victory at Evansville March 16 and tie the MVC career home run record.
CU junior Becca Changstrom matched her career high of 13 K's on Friday night in a conference-opening win at Evansville. She struck out 10 Purple Aces in the series finale a day later.
The Bluejays opened the MVC season at 2-1 on the road for the third consecutive season. Creighton also went 2-1 at Evansville to begin the 2011 conference slate before the Jays earned a 2-1 split at Bradley last season.
Rebel Spring Games Recap: The Bluejays went 6-2 at the 2013 Rebel Spring Games March 9-13. The wins increased Creighton's all-time record at the tourney to 49-9 (.845) in six appearances at the Florida tourney all under current head coach Brent Vigness.
The Bluejays shut out five opponents (Saint Francis (PA), North Dakota, Butler, Fairleigh Dickinson and Army) over the four-day span. The exception was a 6-2 victory over Youngstown State in eight innings after a walk-off grand slam from senior Amy Baker.
One CU loss was a no-hit 5-0 defeat at the hands of Eastern Illinois on March 10. Three days later Creighton dropped a 3-1 decision to Robert Morris.
UTA Maverick Invitational Recap: The Bluejays went 3-2 at the UTA Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas, to improve to 8-6 this season. After a pair of wins over host UTA and Lamar on March 1, CU upset then No. 21 Tulsa 4-3 in extra innings on March 2 for its first win over a ranked team since February 2010.
The Bluejays' bats struggled in the final two games of the tourney resulting in losses to Lamar and the host Mavericks. The losses snapped a five-game win streak for the Jays.
Fantastic February Finishes: Creighton finished the month of February with a 5-4 record. It marks the seventh straight season that head coach Brent Vigness has directed the Bluejays to a winning record in the first month of the season.
The Bluejays are 46-24 in February spanning those seven seasons to the beginning of 2007. CU's 5-4 mark this season is the same record the Jays had in 2010 – the year of the program's last NCAA Tournament appearance.
Central Arkansas Tournament Recap: The Bluejays went 3-1 at the Central Arkansas Tournament in Conway, Ark., to improve to 5-4 this season. CU's only loss was to host UCA in its first true road game this season. Creighton outscored opponents 35-16 last weekend. The Bluejays hit .353 as a team over the four games while holding opponents to a .271 average.
The Bluejays are 8-1 all-time at tournaments hosted by Central Arkansas. Creighton went undefeated in five games at the UCA Spring Clash to open the 2007 campaign. The Jays are now 2-1 all-time against UCA with two wins in the 2007 tourney.
Kajikawa Classic Recap: Creighton opened 2013 at the Kajikawa Classic Feb. 7-9 with wins over New Mexico and Oregon State, leading to a 2-3 record. The Bluejays are 5-6 all-time at the Kajikawa Classic following a 3-3 ledger at Tempe in 2010.
Déjà Vu vs. OSU: Creighton's win over Oregon State on Feb. 8, marked the Jays' second-straight victory over the Beavers by the same score (5-3) in the same tournament (Kajikawa Classic) at the same location (Tempe, Ariz.), three years apart. CU is now 2-2 against the Pac-12 foe and head coach Brent Vigness is 2-1 versus OSU.
Telecky on Top against Oregon State: Brittany Telecky won her first start of the season in a 5-3 victory over Oregon State. The junior pitched 6 innings against OSU allowing just three runs on eight hits. She also came in as a relief pitcher against San Diego State for two innings, allowing no hits or runs and just one walk.
Season-Opening Salvo: The Bluejays' season-opening win over New Mexico was Creighton's third-straight victory to begin a season following opening-day wins in 2011 and 2012.
CU's first-game win streak matches the longest in program history when the Jays previously won three consecutive openers from 2006-08 and 1998-2000. All three streaks were under the direction of current head coach Brent Vigness.
Creighton is 19-18 overall in season-opening contests including an 11-9 record under head coach Brent Vigness.
Preseason Predictions: The Creighton softball team placed four players on the 2013 preseason all-conference team as the league's coaches picked the Bluejays to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), the league office announced Jan. 23.
The fourth-place prediction is the highest preseason ranking for the Bluejays since 2010 when they were picked to win the Valley. Creighton has finished lower than fourth in the MVC regular season standings just three times in the past 16 seasons.
Senior catcher Amy Baker earned the second All-MVC preseason selection of her career to go with a nod from 2011 during her sophomore campaign. Additionally, three juniors claimed their first preseason honors in designated player and pitcher Alexis Cantu, pitcher Becca Changstrom and outfielder Ellen Homan. All four of the CU honorees earned All-MVC accolades after last season.
The four CU player selections match Southern Illinois for the most on the 2013 preseason squad. Additionally, the four players on the preseason all-conference team are the most for any Creighton squad dating back to 2004 when three Jays earned All-MVC preseason honors and current assistant Abby Johnson collected honorable mention recognition.
Recapping 2012: The Bluejays return 11 players from last season's team that compiled a 28-25-1 overall record and finished fifth in the MVC at 15-11. Creighton finished last season with a school-record 294 runs. CU led the MVC with a .292 batting average, 56 homers, 275 RBI and a .464 slugging percentage. The Jays ranked in the NCAA top-30 in scoring (No. 20), home runs per game (No. 22) and slugging percentage (No. 27) in 2012.


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Sea to Summit
X-Storage Pouch (3 Piece) (out-of-stock)
Out of Stock Product Number: 25310
The 3-Piece X Storage Pouch is for the outdoor enthusiast who likes to keep their gear organized! The lightweight, zippered pouch allows you to see inside with mesh panels and still keep the X pieces all tidy inside.
* This product does not qualify for shipping to all countries.
- Pouch will hold X-Mug, X-Bowl & X-Plate
- Lightweight and Durable
- Mesh window
- X-Mug, X-Bowl & X-Plate sold separately
Gender: Unisex
Season: F13
Vendor ProductId: 106
Review ProductId: 25310
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Durable
- Orange
- Spacious
- Useful
- none
Best Uses
- Just Because
Comments about Sea to Summit X-Storage Pouch (3 Piece):
Well, this pouch fits all my Sea to Summit dishware. It seems to be made of a very durable material and the mesh screen provides for use as a straining device. The zipper is strong and their is some extra space leftover which I use for a towel. It is really great and is highly visible in an orange color. Rock Creek is the only place online where you can by this pouch (specifically) by itself.


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Frank Lampard - Born 1978
Chelsea's English midfielder Frank Lampard scores their second goal... News PhotoArsenal F.C.,Chelsea F.C.,Club Soccer,England,English Premier League,Frank Lampard - Born 1978,Greater London,Horizontal,London - England,Match - Sport,Midfielder,Scoring,Scoring a Goal,Soccer,Soccer Player,Sport,Stadium,Stamford Bridge,UKPhotographer GLYN KIRKCollection: AFP 2013 AFPChelsea's English midfielder Frank Lampard scores their second goal during their English Premier League football match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London, England on January 20, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Glyn KIRK - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)


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Whether you loved or hated it, sport has been on everyone's minds over the past few weeks.
How did the athletes do it- what's the science at work behind their incredible feats? Genetics certainly comes into play, but many other factors influence an athlete's performance, from footwear, to diet and sleep.
So let's give a little love to the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt!
There are plenty of videos online about the secret of his sprint- here's a good one. In brief, it comes down to his stride (longer than the other athletes' – genetically gifted I guess) and his strength (near-superhuman, probably- but he had to train for that one).
Where does footwear come in? Well, we recently had a team of scientists down from Loughborough University running (no pun intended) a live event in the Antenna gallery- they work on biomechanics and high performance footwear- and it is really quite incredible how much engineering actually goes into a pair of running shoes!
So that's it guys- get yourself some amazing high-performance trainers, and see you on the starting block in 2016!


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Rebecca in Tobacco
Kork Ease
Style: Rebecca in Bronze
$140.00 $42.00
Final Sale
The Rebecca in Tobacco is a functional flat sandal. It's crisscross open toe adds flair to this Kork-Ease best seller.
Color: Tobacco
Leather upper
Leather insole
Rubber infused leather sole
Adjustable tie back
Runs large. Size down if in between sizes.