Creighton 79, Drake 56; CU 62, UNI 54; Wichita St. 62, CU 59
All Aboard the A-Train
If there is one player who has been the indirect focus of more of these random blog postings than any other, it would have to be Anthony Tolliver. During the last three years, this site has chronicled the emergence of Tolliver from injured youngster (and part of the Jeffony Tolliday personification) to dominant low- and medium-post man and vocal leader of Creighton basketball.
He has had some very memorable games — everyone in Bluejay Nation will remember where they were and how loud they yelled when he hit his baseline jumper to beat Wichita State in 2006 — but his progression as a college basketball player has been a step-by-step process spanning years of hard work and some tough situations.
But no matter how you categorize his three-and-a-half seasons as a Bluejays, it is impossible to deny the truth — the A-Train is the most important player in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Are You Kidding Me?
That subtitle can be used two ways.
First, I imagine all of the Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and Wichita State fans screaming at the top of their lungs (or in MSU’s case, making somewhat-witty signs) about Tolliver being the most indispensable player in The Valley of Death. Heck, even other Creighton fans would say this year’s Jays team starts and ends with Nate Funk.
Second, I think about that statement — are you kidding me? — as my permanent mindset when I watch Tolliver play.
In Valley play so far this season, only three players are in the top 10 of scoring, rebounding, and shooting percentage: Evansville’s Matt Webster, SIU’s Randal Falker, and Tolliver. UNI’s Grant Stout is close, as he leads the Valley in rebounding and is the top 10 of scoring.
However, Tolliver leaps to the top of that short list, because he has head-to-head wins against Webster’s Purple Aces and Stout’s Panthers. (Falker and the Salukis come to the Qwest Center Saturday for the teams’ first showdown of the season.)
Because winning is all that matters in conference season, folks. And all Tolliver has done is lead the Jays to a 5-2 start in conference play.
It started against Missouri State, when Tolliver posted 20 points and 6 rebounds. Defensively, he completely changed the last three minutes of the game with a blocked shot and an altered shot that effectively completed Missouri State’s meltdown and gave the Jays the Valley opener for yet another season.
How did he follow it up in his next game? Only by going a perfect 11 of 11 from the field for 23 points, grab 9 rebounds, and record 2 more steals in a record-setting win against Illinois State.
Tolliver’s great conference games: 2
Jays’ conference record: 2-0
And if that wasn’t enough evidence for you, then came the Indiana State road game (read: one of those “NEED” road games in The Valley of Death.
In a game the Jays lost by 3 points, A-Train went 3-11 from the field, 0-1 from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over twice. The Sycamores double-teamed Tolliver frequently, and he made great passes out of the double-teams, only to have his teammates clank missed shots at the rim like they were shooting paintballs. Offensively, he couldn’t convert, and the Jays had their first loss of the conference slate (albeit on the road).
How would Tolliver fare in his showdown with The Ultimate Warrior, Evansville’s Webster (he’s called that because he uses every dirty trick in the professional wrestling handbook to draw contact, create distance for himself from the defender, and guard his opponent)? How does 14 points (on 6-7 shooting), 2 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 steal sound? Most importantly, how does a 75-62 road win sound? In a place where Southern Illinois couldn’t win?
Exactly.
Tolliver’s great Valley games: 3
Jays’ conference record: 3-1
Dominating the Hawkeye State
Starting to see a pattern? You would have thought that Dr. Tom Davis did, as he brought his Drake Bulldogs to The Phone Booth last week to play in front of what is the largest crowd in school (and state) history (16,315). In fact, it was the biggest crowd to see two Valley teams play in the regular season in history.
I hope all 16,000-plus people remember A-Train’s performance, because it is one that will rarely if ever be repeated again. In a game that saw Creighton record its best team shooting percentage performance in school history, Tolliver was the toast of the team.
18 points. 6 rebounds. 6 assists. 5 blocks. 1 big Jays win.
According to Stats Inc., that is the best stat line in the nation since 2006 National Champion Florida’s Joakim Noah put up similar numbers in last year’s NCAA tournament.
It was a special night, and it continued as the Jays traveled northeast to take on Valley co-leader Northern Iowa. As they Jays opened up to a huge first-half lead, Tolliver was well on his way to another stellar night. He posted 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while keeping his counterpart Stout in check for most of the game.
So, just in case you’re scoring at home:
Tolliver’s great MVC games: 5
Jays’ conference record: 5-1
Still Work To Do
The proof is in the pudding, folks, and in this case the proof stands 6 foot 9 inches tall, 245 pounds strong, and is among one of the brightest players in The Valley of Death. His domination of the two Iowa MVC teams earned him Valley Player of the Week honors, and his work in the classroom set him up for Scholar-Athlete of the Week, as well.
But all of those awards couldn’t stop A-Train from picking up two early fouls against Wichita State, and therein lies a problem.
If, for whatever reason, Tolliver finds himself in foul trouble, the Jays are extremely limited in what they can do offensively in the post. A-Train scored just 9 points against a Shockers team that doesn’t field a huge frontcourt, and it was just the kind of match-up Tolliver has feasted on in his career. He grabbed 6 rebounds, but just like the rest of his teammates, his 3 assists were offset by 3 turnovers (the team tallied 11 assists and 14 turnovers).
And again, the most important stat: The Jays lost.
It was one of those “want” road games — If you told Dana Altman and the rest of the Jays that they’d be 1-1 on the UNI/WSU road trip, they would probably take it. However, the Jays had so many opportunities to win the game, it was a giveaway in the worst way for Creighton.
Tolliver’s great conference games: 5
Tolliver’s sub-par contests: 2
Jays’ conference record: 5-2
The math isn’t that difficult, even for a guy like me who hates crunching numbers. In fact, the situation is quite simple.
Get Anthony involved + Teammates hit some open outside shots + Keep defending well + Limit stupid (or as Altman called some of Nick Porter’s spots in the WSU game, “not smart”) plays = good outcome for the Jays.
The Jays, including Tolliver, didn’t keep up their end of that equation against the Shox, and they lost. You can bet the team will come into tonight’s home game against Bradley looking to plug in the right numbers and effort and maximize that formula.
And it all starts aboard the A-Train.
If there is one player who has been the indirect focus of more of these random blog postings than any other, it would have to be Anthony Tolliver. During the last three years, this site has chronicled the emergence of Tolliver from injured youngster (and part of the Jeffony Tolliday personification) to dominant low- and medium-post man and vocal leader of Creighton basketball.
He has had some very memorable games — everyone in Bluejay Nation will remember where they were and how loud they yelled when he hit his baseline jumper to beat Wichita State in 2006 — but his progression as a college basketball player has been a step-by-step process spanning years of hard work and some tough situations.
But no matter how you categorize his three-and-a-half seasons as a Bluejays, it is impossible to deny the truth — the A-Train is the most important player in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Are You Kidding Me?
That subtitle can be used two ways.
First, I imagine all of the Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and Wichita State fans screaming at the top of their lungs (or in MSU’s case, making somewhat-witty signs) about Tolliver being the most indispensable player in The Valley of Death. Heck, even other Creighton fans would say this year’s Jays team starts and ends with Nate Funk.
Second, I think about that statement — are you kidding me? — as my permanent mindset when I watch Tolliver play.
In Valley play so far this season, only three players are in the top 10 of scoring, rebounding, and shooting percentage: Evansville’s Matt Webster, SIU’s Randal Falker, and Tolliver. UNI’s Grant Stout is close, as he leads the Valley in rebounding and is the top 10 of scoring.
However, Tolliver leaps to the top of that short list, because he has head-to-head wins against Webster’s Purple Aces and Stout’s Panthers. (Falker and the Salukis come to the Qwest Center Saturday for the teams’ first showdown of the season.)
Because winning is all that matters in conference season, folks. And all Tolliver has done is lead the Jays to a 5-2 start in conference play.
It started against Missouri State, when Tolliver posted 20 points and 6 rebounds. Defensively, he completely changed the last three minutes of the game with a blocked shot and an altered shot that effectively completed Missouri State’s meltdown and gave the Jays the Valley opener for yet another season.
How did he follow it up in his next game? Only by going a perfect 11 of 11 from the field for 23 points, grab 9 rebounds, and record 2 more steals in a record-setting win against Illinois State.
Tolliver’s great conference games: 2
Jays’ conference record: 2-0
And if that wasn’t enough evidence for you, then came the Indiana State road game (read: one of those “NEED” road games in The Valley of Death.
In a game the Jays lost by 3 points, A-Train went 3-11 from the field, 0-1 from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over twice. The Sycamores double-teamed Tolliver frequently, and he made great passes out of the double-teams, only to have his teammates clank missed shots at the rim like they were shooting paintballs. Offensively, he couldn’t convert, and the Jays had their first loss of the conference slate (albeit on the road).
How would Tolliver fare in his showdown with The Ultimate Warrior, Evansville’s Webster (he’s called that because he uses every dirty trick in the professional wrestling handbook to draw contact, create distance for himself from the defender, and guard his opponent)? How does 14 points (on 6-7 shooting), 2 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 steal sound? Most importantly, how does a 75-62 road win sound? In a place where Southern Illinois couldn’t win?
Exactly.
Tolliver’s great Valley games: 3
Jays’ conference record: 3-1
Dominating the Hawkeye State
Starting to see a pattern? You would have thought that Dr. Tom Davis did, as he brought his Drake Bulldogs to The Phone Booth last week to play in front of what is the largest crowd in school (and state) history (16,315). In fact, it was the biggest crowd to see two Valley teams play in the regular season in history.
I hope all 16,000-plus people remember A-Train’s performance, because it is one that will rarely if ever be repeated again. In a game that saw Creighton record its best team shooting percentage performance in school history, Tolliver was the toast of the team.
18 points. 6 rebounds. 6 assists. 5 blocks. 1 big Jays win.
According to Stats Inc., that is the best stat line in the nation since 2006 National Champion Florida’s Joakim Noah put up similar numbers in last year’s NCAA tournament.
It was a special night, and it continued as the Jays traveled northeast to take on Valley co-leader Northern Iowa. As they Jays opened up to a huge first-half lead, Tolliver was well on his way to another stellar night. He posted 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while keeping his counterpart Stout in check for most of the game.
So, just in case you’re scoring at home:
Tolliver’s great MVC games: 5
Jays’ conference record: 5-1
Still Work To Do
The proof is in the pudding, folks, and in this case the proof stands 6 foot 9 inches tall, 245 pounds strong, and is among one of the brightest players in The Valley of Death. His domination of the two Iowa MVC teams earned him Valley Player of the Week honors, and his work in the classroom set him up for Scholar-Athlete of the Week, as well.
But all of those awards couldn’t stop A-Train from picking up two early fouls against Wichita State, and therein lies a problem.
If, for whatever reason, Tolliver finds himself in foul trouble, the Jays are extremely limited in what they can do offensively in the post. A-Train scored just 9 points against a Shockers team that doesn’t field a huge frontcourt, and it was just the kind of match-up Tolliver has feasted on in his career. He grabbed 6 rebounds, but just like the rest of his teammates, his 3 assists were offset by 3 turnovers (the team tallied 11 assists and 14 turnovers).
And again, the most important stat: The Jays lost.
It was one of those “want” road games — If you told Dana Altman and the rest of the Jays that they’d be 1-1 on the UNI/WSU road trip, they would probably take it. However, the Jays had so many opportunities to win the game, it was a giveaway in the worst way for Creighton.
Tolliver’s great conference games: 5
Tolliver’s sub-par contests: 2
Jays’ conference record: 5-2
The math isn’t that difficult, even for a guy like me who hates crunching numbers. In fact, the situation is quite simple.
Get Anthony involved + Teammates hit some open outside shots + Keep defending well + Limit stupid (or as Altman called some of Nick Porter’s spots in the WSU game, “not smart”) plays = good outcome for the Jays.
The Jays, including Tolliver, didn’t keep up their end of that equation against the Shox, and they lost. You can bet the team will come into tonight’s home game against Bradley looking to plug in the right numbers and effort and maximize that formula.
And it all starts aboard the A-Train.
posted by Creighton Otter at 1:30 PM
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