Creighton 77, Missouri State 74; Creighton 79, Illinois State 71
Happy New Year
The New Year is upon us, and Creighton closed out 2006 and brought in 2007 with two entertaining, gut-wrenching wins in front of huge throngs of Phone Booth Phanatics.
The wins over Missouri State and Illinois State were the culmination of many holiday time events, including the Jays coming up just short of a Rainbow Classic Tournament championship before Christmas, coveted junior college recruit Ty Morrison quitting the team after getting back from Hawai’i, and beginning what will prove to be the most difficult Missouri Valley Conference season in Altman’s tenure.
And they begin a year that I’m hoping will bring unprecedented success for the beloved Bluejays. It’s my fortune, after all.
---
Back in the summer, I swung by Rice Bowl, the favorite Chinese food restaurant of many a Creighton student and alumnus, to pick up a little something for dinner one night. Beneath my tin and paper takeout container and strewn amongst the chopsticks I wouldn’t use or the double-digit soy sauce packets that would quickly find the trash, lay a fortune cookie.
The merits or lack thereof of fortune cookies can be debated relentlessly, but I don’t usually put much stock into what a cookie says (unless, of course, the Keebler Elves were to appear to me in my sleep and give me instructions about how to join their crew or something).
However, on this (hopefully) fateful night, my fortune cookie read this:
“Your sports team will be very successful this year.”
Talk about giving me something to think about. Which of “my” sports teams did Confucius mean? When I got this magical dessert, the Cubs were in the midst of one of their worst swoons in a few years. So, that crossed them off the list. The Bears are the number one seed in the NFC and one of the most successful NFL teams this season. But, with Brian Urlacher and the rest of that swift and strong defense, I don’t think Confucius would need to help any with the Monsters of the Midway succeeding in a week NFC North division.
So I turned my thoughts to this season’s Creighton Bluejays. Seemingly every reporter covering Dana Altman’s team must have received the same fortune cookie last summer, because you couldn’t read two basketball-based Web sites or the local newspaper without seeing “preseason top 25” or “preseason favorite” or “this year’s George Mason.”
And so what if the cookie technically says “this year” and I received the cookie in 2006. Does that mean I used all of my fortune up in 2006 with a successful Bears campaign, which will surely fizzle in the playoffs because of the power of the cookie? I doubt it, as Rex Grossman and a shady secondary will have more input on those happenings than any Chinese philosopher.
So, just like any resolution for a new year, I’m going to take ownership of the situation.
I’m replacing “this year” with “this season,” and I’m using the two wins at home over Missouri State and ISU as a jumpstart to my fortune — and the fortunes of this team.
---
The Rollercoaster
What would it look like to watch yourself on national television while you ride a rollercoaster? And I’m not talking about one of the kiddie coasters at the old Peony Park — I’m talking a tipsy-turvy, upside-down, corkscrew coaster. Well, I know now, after getting home from The Q last Saturday and watching the DVR version of Creighton’s three point win over SMS … er, I mean, Missouri State.
In the last 5 minutes of the game, after the Jays had blown a double-digit lead (again) and Missouri State had jumped out to a double-digit lead, I was ready to leave. My toe hurt (the repercussion of kicking the hockey board in the first row of Section 123 and breaking my toenail), my voice hurt (from screaming so loudly at both the opposing players and the Jays), and my eyes hurt (from watching the Jays dribble the ball of their feet and hoist errant shots for what seemed like an eternity in the second half).
But that’s when Confucius stepped in. Or was it Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver? Whomever it was, they changed the course of this year’s Jays team, and they did it in stunning fashion, closing out what has to be ranked as the second most exciting game in Qwest Center OMAHA history (behind last season’s Wichita State game).
With the third-largest crowd in The Q’s history already spent from cheering on a blistering performance in the first half and then watching as Blake Ahern (seriously, graduate already) and the rest of the Bears carved up the Jays in the second half, the 4:38 mark in the second half found MSU with an 11 point lead and ever drip of momentum on their side.
What happened in the next 4 minutes or so was a result of 3 missed free throws by the Bears, heady defensive play by the Jays, and Funk and Tolliver leading the way on an 18-3 run to finish out the game and send more than 15,000 people home happy.
Funk scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, while going perfect from the free throw line (6-6) in the second frame. Tolliver poured in 10 second-half points, but it was his block, steal, and three big defensive rebounds that paced the energy and hustle for the Bluejays in the last 5 minutes of the contest.
And then there is Dane Watts, whose three-pointer with 57 seconds left gave the Jays their first lead since the 14:25 mark in the second half. Sure, it looked like he traveled, but for every three-pointer that Houston or Fresno State made when they traveled, I’ll take the good fortune (thanks, Confucius).
So, obviously the rollercoaster analogy is correct, but what about watching yourself on one?
Well, the first couple rows of Section 123 were visible during ESPN2’s broadcast of the game, and a couple of people in the rows displayed definite coping mechanisms. One of us could barely watch, legs shaking, while the Jays nipped away at the lead. One of us fluttered our hands, nervousness taking over the body. And then there was me. I was the guy with my hands on my head the entire time. I couldn’t believe what was happening … we were finally catching some breaks (missed free throws) and making the other team pay for their mistakes (hitting some shots, making some free throws, playing solid defense down the stretch).
So thanks, Confucius, for helping the Jays out. I’ve got the fortune taped to my computer screen, and I’m counting on it to get the squad through some tough spots.
Like New Year’s Day, for instance. Illinois State came to town, with everyone in The Q still buzzing about the Missouri State win. Like assistant coach Brian Fish said on the radio after the Jays beat ISU 79-71, it was a trap game if there ever was one.
And ISU’s Osiris Eldridge did all he could to trap the Jays. He scored 28 points on 10-17 shooting from the field, including 8 three-pointers, which is a new Phone Booth record for most three-pointers in one game. ISU shot 47% for the game, and made it a contest down the stretch, as the Jays just couldn’t pull away.
But, Tolliver did all he could to finish the contest. It was literally a perfect way to start 2007 for A-Train, as he went 11-11 from the field for 23 points. His only miss was one free throw, but he bolstered his scoring with 9 rebounds and a couple of steals. So much for being tired after playing a bulk of minutes in the MSU rollercoaster game, huh? Funk pitched in with another 19 points (on 6-10 shooting), and the Jays shot 64% from the field for the game (a number rarely imaginable for this team this season coming into this game).
But, Confucius (or some of the Jays guards) decided to make it interesting and just give ISU the ball. 18 turnovers in total plagued the Jays, especially in the waning minutes when ISU cut a 14-point deficit to an 8-point loss in the final minute. Too little, too late?
Actually, just a little too much Tolliver, Funk, and a guy named Confucius.
The New Year is upon us, and Creighton closed out 2006 and brought in 2007 with two entertaining, gut-wrenching wins in front of huge throngs of Phone Booth Phanatics.
The wins over Missouri State and Illinois State were the culmination of many holiday time events, including the Jays coming up just short of a Rainbow Classic Tournament championship before Christmas, coveted junior college recruit Ty Morrison quitting the team after getting back from Hawai’i, and beginning what will prove to be the most difficult Missouri Valley Conference season in Altman’s tenure.
And they begin a year that I’m hoping will bring unprecedented success for the beloved Bluejays. It’s my fortune, after all.
---
Back in the summer, I swung by Rice Bowl, the favorite Chinese food restaurant of many a Creighton student and alumnus, to pick up a little something for dinner one night. Beneath my tin and paper takeout container and strewn amongst the chopsticks I wouldn’t use or the double-digit soy sauce packets that would quickly find the trash, lay a fortune cookie.
The merits or lack thereof of fortune cookies can be debated relentlessly, but I don’t usually put much stock into what a cookie says (unless, of course, the Keebler Elves were to appear to me in my sleep and give me instructions about how to join their crew or something).
However, on this (hopefully) fateful night, my fortune cookie read this:
“Your sports team will be very successful this year.”
Talk about giving me something to think about. Which of “my” sports teams did Confucius mean? When I got this magical dessert, the Cubs were in the midst of one of their worst swoons in a few years. So, that crossed them off the list. The Bears are the number one seed in the NFC and one of the most successful NFL teams this season. But, with Brian Urlacher and the rest of that swift and strong defense, I don’t think Confucius would need to help any with the Monsters of the Midway succeeding in a week NFC North division.
So I turned my thoughts to this season’s Creighton Bluejays. Seemingly every reporter covering Dana Altman’s team must have received the same fortune cookie last summer, because you couldn’t read two basketball-based Web sites or the local newspaper without seeing “preseason top 25” or “preseason favorite” or “this year’s George Mason.”
And so what if the cookie technically says “this year” and I received the cookie in 2006. Does that mean I used all of my fortune up in 2006 with a successful Bears campaign, which will surely fizzle in the playoffs because of the power of the cookie? I doubt it, as Rex Grossman and a shady secondary will have more input on those happenings than any Chinese philosopher.
So, just like any resolution for a new year, I’m going to take ownership of the situation.
I’m replacing “this year” with “this season,” and I’m using the two wins at home over Missouri State and ISU as a jumpstart to my fortune — and the fortunes of this team.
---
The Rollercoaster
What would it look like to watch yourself on national television while you ride a rollercoaster? And I’m not talking about one of the kiddie coasters at the old Peony Park — I’m talking a tipsy-turvy, upside-down, corkscrew coaster. Well, I know now, after getting home from The Q last Saturday and watching the DVR version of Creighton’s three point win over SMS … er, I mean, Missouri State.
In the last 5 minutes of the game, after the Jays had blown a double-digit lead (again) and Missouri State had jumped out to a double-digit lead, I was ready to leave. My toe hurt (the repercussion of kicking the hockey board in the first row of Section 123 and breaking my toenail), my voice hurt (from screaming so loudly at both the opposing players and the Jays), and my eyes hurt (from watching the Jays dribble the ball of their feet and hoist errant shots for what seemed like an eternity in the second half).
But that’s when Confucius stepped in. Or was it Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver? Whomever it was, they changed the course of this year’s Jays team, and they did it in stunning fashion, closing out what has to be ranked as the second most exciting game in Qwest Center OMAHA history (behind last season’s Wichita State game).
With the third-largest crowd in The Q’s history already spent from cheering on a blistering performance in the first half and then watching as Blake Ahern (seriously, graduate already) and the rest of the Bears carved up the Jays in the second half, the 4:38 mark in the second half found MSU with an 11 point lead and ever drip of momentum on their side.
What happened in the next 4 minutes or so was a result of 3 missed free throws by the Bears, heady defensive play by the Jays, and Funk and Tolliver leading the way on an 18-3 run to finish out the game and send more than 15,000 people home happy.
Funk scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, while going perfect from the free throw line (6-6) in the second frame. Tolliver poured in 10 second-half points, but it was his block, steal, and three big defensive rebounds that paced the energy and hustle for the Bluejays in the last 5 minutes of the contest.
And then there is Dane Watts, whose three-pointer with 57 seconds left gave the Jays their first lead since the 14:25 mark in the second half. Sure, it looked like he traveled, but for every three-pointer that Houston or Fresno State made when they traveled, I’ll take the good fortune (thanks, Confucius).
So, obviously the rollercoaster analogy is correct, but what about watching yourself on one?
Well, the first couple rows of Section 123 were visible during ESPN2’s broadcast of the game, and a couple of people in the rows displayed definite coping mechanisms. One of us could barely watch, legs shaking, while the Jays nipped away at the lead. One of us fluttered our hands, nervousness taking over the body. And then there was me. I was the guy with my hands on my head the entire time. I couldn’t believe what was happening … we were finally catching some breaks (missed free throws) and making the other team pay for their mistakes (hitting some shots, making some free throws, playing solid defense down the stretch).
So thanks, Confucius, for helping the Jays out. I’ve got the fortune taped to my computer screen, and I’m counting on it to get the squad through some tough spots.
Like New Year’s Day, for instance. Illinois State came to town, with everyone in The Q still buzzing about the Missouri State win. Like assistant coach Brian Fish said on the radio after the Jays beat ISU 79-71, it was a trap game if there ever was one.
And ISU’s Osiris Eldridge did all he could to trap the Jays. He scored 28 points on 10-17 shooting from the field, including 8 three-pointers, which is a new Phone Booth record for most three-pointers in one game. ISU shot 47% for the game, and made it a contest down the stretch, as the Jays just couldn’t pull away.
But, Tolliver did all he could to finish the contest. It was literally a perfect way to start 2007 for A-Train, as he went 11-11 from the field for 23 points. His only miss was one free throw, but he bolstered his scoring with 9 rebounds and a couple of steals. So much for being tired after playing a bulk of minutes in the MSU rollercoaster game, huh? Funk pitched in with another 19 points (on 6-10 shooting), and the Jays shot 64% from the field for the game (a number rarely imaginable for this team this season coming into this game).
But, Confucius (or some of the Jays guards) decided to make it interesting and just give ISU the ball. 18 turnovers in total plagued the Jays, especially in the waning minutes when ISU cut a 14-point deficit to an 8-point loss in the final minute. Too little, too late?
Actually, just a little too much Tolliver, Funk, and a guy named Confucius.
posted by Creighton Otter at 9:56 AM
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