Gameday Pick ‘em #31: Illinois State (22-7; 11-6, 3rd in MVC)
The Pundits
“Illinois State formidable foe” (OWH)
“ISU men try to play spoiler at Creighton” (Pantagraph)
“Making points in other ways” (OWH)
“Parcells saying helped Bluejays” (OWH)
“Woodfox keys Creighton’s 9-game win streak” (Pantagraph)
“NCAA options are few for MVC teams” (OWH)
The Picks
This is it.
A sold-out Qwest Center. A national television audience tuning in on ESPN2. Three seniors playing what all of Bluejay Nation hopes is their last game in The Phone Booth. A 9-game winning streak that means almost nothing if a 10th win doesn’t materialize this afternoon.
Today is for a title. It is as simple as that. The same thing held true in 2002, when juniors Kyle Korver, Larry House, DeAnthony Bowden, and Terrell Taylor were the leading upperclassmen on a senior-less team. They needed a win at home against the Drake Bulldogs to post back-to-back regular season championships in the Missouri Valley Conference. They took a 39-30 lead into halftime, but the Jays allowed DU to shoot 57% in the second half and were outscored by 11 in last 20 minutes. They lost an outright title by 2 points, 75-73.
They still split a conference title that year, and of course went to St. Louis and rolled through the Arch Madness tournament. But that was Dana Altman’s last taste of a conference crown. Even his best team at CU, the squad that won 29 games the following year, didn’t win the Valley regular season title. But the day has come. Altman and the Jays can hang a banner this afternoon.
Since that loss to Drake on a senior-less Senior Night, the Jays have posted some memorable moments in the final regular season home game of the year.
That scenario requires Altman’s Jays to win 13 straight games. Can they do it? Obviously, they need to worry about today’s game first. And that might be their most difficult one of the 4 they need to win.
Let’s put it bluntly: Illinois State owns the Jays recently. Moreover, Osiris Eldridge owns the Jays. The O-Hawk posted 28 points in his first game against Creighton, a loss in Omaha. Since then, he has tortured the Jays. He scored all 18 of his points in the second half in the teams’ second meeting his freshman year, a game during which the Jays fell for the Redbirds’ trap. And since that game, he has scored at least 15 points and grabbed at least 6 rebounds in each of the other three meetings between his ISU team and the Jays.
The good news: he’s been on a cold streak lately. Is he tiring? The bad news: just like a 13-game win streak is hard to achieve, watching Eldridge struggle for more than a couple games in a row just doesn’t seem to happen often.
To hang a banner, the Bluejays must stop the O-Hawk. Sure, inside play is important today — Dinma Odiakosa and Brandon Sampay seem to play well against the California Connection game in and game out — and we must guard Champ Oguchi tight all afternoon. But it starts and ends with Osiris. And if P’Allen Stinnett gets into a war of words with the solid Junior, as he did last year, it could spell a problem for the Jays on one of the biggest days in the program’s recent history.
Hang a banner, Jays. Take care of business.
It’s what we’ve been waiting for (see Kanye below for more…)
VH1 TV Shows Music Videos Celebrity Photos News & Gossip
A regular season title: “Is this what you’ve been waiting for?!”
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (22)
Panon: Woodfox (23)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Woodfox (23)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (16)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 11
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 9
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8
“Illinois State formidable foe” (OWH)
“ISU men try to play spoiler at Creighton” (Pantagraph)
“Making points in other ways” (OWH)
“Parcells saying helped Bluejays” (OWH)
“Woodfox keys Creighton’s 9-game win streak” (Pantagraph)
“NCAA options are few for MVC teams” (OWH)
The Picks
This is it.
A sold-out Qwest Center. A national television audience tuning in on ESPN2. Three seniors playing what all of Bluejay Nation hopes is their last game in The Phone Booth. A 9-game winning streak that means almost nothing if a 10th win doesn’t materialize this afternoon.
Today is for a title. It is as simple as that. The same thing held true in 2002, when juniors Kyle Korver, Larry House, DeAnthony Bowden, and Terrell Taylor were the leading upperclassmen on a senior-less team. They needed a win at home against the Drake Bulldogs to post back-to-back regular season championships in the Missouri Valley Conference. They took a 39-30 lead into halftime, but the Jays allowed DU to shoot 57% in the second half and were outscored by 11 in last 20 minutes. They lost an outright title by 2 points, 75-73.
They still split a conference title that year, and of course went to St. Louis and rolled through the Arch Madness tournament. But that was Dana Altman’s last taste of a conference crown. Even his best team at CU, the squad that won 29 games the following year, didn’t win the Valley regular season title. But the day has come. Altman and the Jays can hang a banner this afternoon.
Since that loss to Drake on a senior-less Senior Night, the Jays have posted some memorable moments in the final regular season home game of the year.
- In 2003, Larry House poured in a career-high 28 points as Altman, Coach Red, and the rest of the Jays closed the Civic Auditorium for good in a complete pasting of Wichita State.
- In 2005, an emotional crowd took the time to honor Tyler McKinney at the end of a blowout against Indiana State; McKinney had battled a series eye issue and a few weeks later would lead the Jays into the NCAA tournament yet again.
- In 2007, the nucleus of Nate Funk, Anthony Tolliver, and Nick Porter each left the floor of the White Out against Wichita State to standing ovations during the last 1:30 of the game. Joining them was Manny Gakou, one of the more popular players among Jays fans for his infectious smile. Those seniors would then travel to St. Louis as the #2 seed and win three games in three days for a Valley tournament title.
- And last year, Cavel Witter made sure the seniors had the kind of night they had envisioned since starting their college careers. Witter’s 42-point performance against Bradley helped the Jays pull out a 111-110 double overtime thriller. The crowd didn’t mind staying at The Phone Booth late into the night to cheer intensely during and after the game, honor Nike Bahe, Dane Watts, and Pierce Hibma.
That scenario requires Altman’s Jays to win 13 straight games. Can they do it? Obviously, they need to worry about today’s game first. And that might be their most difficult one of the 4 they need to win.
Let’s put it bluntly: Illinois State owns the Jays recently. Moreover, Osiris Eldridge owns the Jays. The O-Hawk posted 28 points in his first game against Creighton, a loss in Omaha. Since then, he has tortured the Jays. He scored all 18 of his points in the second half in the teams’ second meeting his freshman year, a game during which the Jays fell for the Redbirds’ trap. And since that game, he has scored at least 15 points and grabbed at least 6 rebounds in each of the other three meetings between his ISU team and the Jays.
The good news: he’s been on a cold streak lately. Is he tiring? The bad news: just like a 13-game win streak is hard to achieve, watching Eldridge struggle for more than a couple games in a row just doesn’t seem to happen often.
To hang a banner, the Bluejays must stop the O-Hawk. Sure, inside play is important today — Dinma Odiakosa and Brandon Sampay seem to play well against the California Connection game in and game out — and we must guard Champ Oguchi tight all afternoon. But it starts and ends with Osiris. And if P’Allen Stinnett gets into a war of words with the solid Junior, as he did last year, it could spell a problem for the Jays on one of the biggest days in the program’s recent history.
Hang a banner, Jays. Take care of business.
It’s what we’ve been waiting for (see Kanye below for more…)
VH1 TV Shows Music Videos Celebrity Photos News & Gossip
A regular season title: “Is this what you’ve been waiting for?!”
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (22)
Panon: Woodfox (23)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Woodfox (23)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (16)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 11
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 9
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8
posted by Creighton Otter at 9:38 AM
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