Just a Few Hours Until Tip-Off...

... and I thought I would rig the blog to post some tid-bits related to the Jays-Bradley game automatically. I'm compiling these at 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

(Thank you, Al Gore, for this host of boutiful amounts of creativity we know as "the Internet.")

Without further ado, here are a few nuggets of knowledge from the Creighton Athletic Department’s MVC tournament notes Enjoy!

• Bradley is 4-2 all-time against CU at the MVC Tournament, making them the only squad with a winning record over the Jays at the league tournament.
  
  
• In the last 24 meetings between the schools, Creighton is 13-1 when holding Bradley to 65 points or less but 3-7 when they allow more than 65 points. Creighton has also won the last 17 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against BU.
  
  
• Bradley’s 290 three-pointers lead the MVC this season and ranks among the top-10 nationally.
  
  
• Creighton’s bench averages 37.5 points per contest (second-most nationally) and has outscored the starting five by 85 points this year.
  
  
• Creighton owns a 34-16 all-time record in MVC Tournament games. Creighton’s 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its .680 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops.
  
  
• Creighton is 5-4 all-time as the fourth seed, including a 2-1 record against Bradley (wins in 1984 and 2000, a loss in 2006). Creighton’s 2000 team beat Bradley 71-62 in the quarterfinals en route to a second-straight title, something this year’s team is looking to do as well. That 2000 team is the only one in MVC history to win the league tournament as a fourth seed.
  
  
• The only players in league history to play in three MVC Tournament finals victories are Creighton’s Kyle Korver (2000, ‘02, ‘03), Tyler McKinney (2002, ‘03, ‘05) and Nate Funk (2003, ‘05, ‘07) and Southern Illinois’ Marcus Timmons (1993, ‘94, ‘95), Chris Carr (1993, ‘94, ‘95) and Paul Lusk (1993, ‘94, ‘95). Creighton seniors Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts have a chance to join that elite club, as they were played in the championship game for the Bluejay title teams in 2005 and 2007 as well.
  
  
• Creighton has won its last six games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less. However, six of CU’s last eight losses at the MVC Tournament have been by margins between five and eight points.
  
  
• Cavel Witter’s career-high 42 points against Bradley was noteworthy for numerous reasons. Witter’s 42 points were double his previous career-high of 21 points against Indiana State on Jan. 19, 2008.
  
  Witter’s 42 points were the most by any Missouri Valley Conference player since Indiana State’s Nate Green scored 45 points against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 19,1999.
  
  Witter’s 42 points were the most by a sophomore in any game this year nationally. According to ESPN.com, Witter became one of three players nationally to score 40 or more points off the bench this season.
  
  Witter’s 42 points were the most by a Creighton player since Benoit Benjamin had 45 vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985.
  
  Witter’s 42 points were the most by a Creighton player ever in the month of March.
  
  Witter’s 42 points were tied for eighth-most in Creighton history.
  
  Witter’s 42 points made him the first Creighton player with at least 40 points since Rodney Buford had 40 on Dec. 30, 1996 vs. Bradley.
  
  Witter’s 42 points was a Qwest Center Omaha record, four more than Nate Funk’s 38 points on Nov. 26, 2005 vs. Dayton.
  
  Witter’s 42 points came just two weeks to the day after he was held scoreless in the first meeting against Bradley.