Today In The Valley (Jan. 31)

Indiana State (4-17; 2-8, 10th) vs. Northern Iowa (15-6; 9-1, 1st)
12:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana
MVC TV

These guys just keep winning. Northern Iowa seem to find a way to win almost every MVC game they have played this year. That’s right … almost. The one team that was able to knock off the Panthers in Valley play this year has been the Sycamores from Indiana State. In a double overtime thriller back on December 28th, the MVC opener for both squads, Indiana State was able to outlast the Panthers by a final of 85-84.

Since that game the Panthers have been unstoppable. They have been playing aggressive, tough defense, and have found ways to win every game. Ben Jacobsen, Valley Coach of the Year in my opinion, has been able to adjust the Panthers’ plan of attack during games that allow his team to use their strengths to beat opponents every which way. They are not flashy, nor are they Blue Chip recruits of top-level talent. They are simply well coached and play tough, something Jay Bilas holds in high regard.

As for the Sycamores, their Valley story is a bit different. Since that conference-opening win over UNI, they have gone a dismal 1-8, placing them in last place in the conference. They have shown signs of life staying in games, but as I have said before, they seem to all end the same way … with a loss.

The Trees proved they can beat the Panthers, even on the road, but can they do it twice in the same season? I say yes. On a day when fans from French Lick and all places in Indiana will honor the 1979 national runner-up Sycamores, they’ll be partying after an upset in Terre Haute!
Picks
Creighton Otter: Indiana State
Panon: Northern Iowa
Dance Cam Guy: Indiana State

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Illinois State (17-4; 6-4, t-3rd) vs. Bradley (13-8; 7-3, 2nd)
3:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois

Bradley versus Illinois State is always a heated rivalry. The “Interstate 74” game has had its great moments over the years, but the one that is fresh in everyone’s mind is Bradley knocking off then-undefeated Illinois State in an early conference matchup. The Braves were able to get a great crowd and were ready for the Redbirds. But the season has evolved a bit now, and both teams are showing the ability to play with anyone in the Valley.

Illinois State, as we all know, was able to go undefeated in the early half of the year due in part to a low strength of schedule in non-conference play. They began MVC play with a ton of confidence, blew out opponents, and then were smacked in the face by Bradley. Since that game, the Redbirds have gone 3-3, including losses to Indiana State and Wichita State, two of the weaker teams in the MVC this year.

Bradley, in similar fashion, has gone 3-3 since that fateful night as well, with their wins coming against Indiana State (twice) and Wichita State. Because the Braves, and not the Redbirds, were able to win the games they were in all likelihood supposed to, they now sit one spot ahead of the Redbirds in second place.

The way the Valley has been beating itself up this year, I would not be surprised at all to see yet another log jam at second place, with two of those teams being Bradley and ISU. This one could get ugly, as I know those Redbirds want revenge.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Illinois State
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Wichita State (9-12; 3-7, 8th) vs. Drake (14-8; 5-5, t-5th)
4:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas
MVC TV

The Fox Sports cameras will be pointed on two teams coming off losses in this afternoon matchup between Drake and Wichita State. The Bulldogs own a win already this year against the Shox, and Drake owns 4 straight wins in the series.

To win on the road this afternoon, Mark Phelps’ Blue Dogs will need to avoid coughing up a lead late like they did to Evansville on Thursday afternoon. What seemed like a sure win with 5 minutes to play turned into a heartbreaking defeat as Iowa native Kaylon Williams drained a 40-foot 3-pointer as time expired to break a tie and send the Purple Aces to a season sweep over DU. Jonathon Cox (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Josh Young (16 points, 5 rebounds) got theirs, but it wasn’t enough to get the Bulldogs a split of the season series with UE.

Last weekend, Drake didn’t allow the home crowd in Omaha get behind the Bluejays and provide energy to a team that feeds off support from the fans. They’ll need to do the same today to have a chance at winning in Wichita, as Shox fans seem to lift the Black and Gold squad to victories almost by themselves. The Shox will try to build off the home crowd, with freshman Toure Murry leading the way offensively.

Defense will be the most important ingredient this afternoon. WSU doesn’t shoot the ball particularly well, and Drake’s offensive weapons are somewhat limited. If the Shox can hold Young and Cox in check, the home team should prevail and work their way further out of the MVC basement.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Wichita State
Panon: Wichita State
Dance Cam Guy: Wichita State

~ Creighton Otter

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Evansville (13-7; 5-5, t-5th) vs. Southern Illinois (10-11; 5-5, t-5th)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

In a three-way tie for 5th place, the loser here will be on a fast track to play in a dreaded Thursday night game in St. Louis.

Move over Ryan Sears, you have company. In the Salukis’ win over Missouri State, Bryan Mullins became just the second player in the more than 100 years of the conference to chalk up 500 career assists and 250 steals. Impressive numbers for the senior.

Evansville’s win over Drake was delayed a day due to weather. It didn't affect the Purple Aces. They used a 10-0 run to steal a win in Des Moines. Down 62-55 with over three minutes to play, they won the game on a Kaylon Williams 40-foot 3-pointer.

After winning their first 10 home games the Purple Aces now have lost two consecutive (to UNI and Creighton). It will be tough for them to regain their old magic at home tonight. Winners of 5 of their last 7, the Salukis are rebounding after their slow conference start. Former Valley coach of the year C-Lo is molding this team together nicely.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois

Today In The Valley (Jan. 29)

Special Edition of TITV: Postponed Games From 1/28

Drake (14-7; 5-4, 5th) vs. Evansville (12-7; 4-5, t-6th)
4:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa

The Bulldogs host the Purple Aces tonight in a pretty even matchup of teams jockeying for position in the middle of the MVC. They are headed in different directions it seems, if their most recent games are any indication.

DU had lost 3 straight before coming to Omaha over the weekend and silencing a large crowd with a definitive 12-point win against Creighton. UE, on the other hand, led for all but the final few seconds on the road against Wichita State and lost to the Shockers on a 3-pointer with just a few ticks left on the clock. That loss was the Aces’ fourth in five games.

These two teams opened MVC play against one another, with the Aces holding serve at home with a 76-65 win on December 28. UE’s Jason Holsinger was a factor from far away that day, hitting a number of 3-pointers in the second half to help the Aces outdistance the Bulldogs. Since then, however, he’s been struggling from long range.

As has the entire Evansville team. They average the fewest 3-point baskets in the MVC. The game also features two of the best players in the league, and arguably the most valuable players on any teams in the conference: UE’s Shy Ely and DU’s Josh Young. But the real question is: do the Purple Aces have anyone to stop Drake’s Bucky Cox?

Picks
Creighton Otter: Drake
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Drake

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Southern Illinois (9-11; 4-5, t-6th) vs. Missouri State (9-11; 2-7, 9th)
8:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois

Southern Illinois comes into this game in unfamiliar territory. They’re sitting at 4-5 in the conference, tied for 6th place, and in a battle to avoid playing in a Thursday night game in Arch Madness. The Bears from Missouri State will most likely take part in the Thursday games in St. Louis, but they are just looking to build some consistency during the last month of the season and get everyone healthy and gelling to try to make a run through the tournament and possibly play spoiler for some higher ranked teams.

The Salukis are coming off a road loss at Illinois State, but there is nothing like a game in the Dawg Pound to put a loss behind them and get back on the winning track. After some midseason turmoil that saw the departure of two players, C-Lo is starting to settle on a lineup he can rely on. Kevin Dillard is showing the conference, during his first trip through the MVC as a freshman, the reasons why he was Mr. Basketball in Illinois last year. Dillard is not a physically intimidating Saluki like many of their recent guards, but on the court he does enough to scare a lot of opponents.

MSU is coming off a home loss against UNI. Cuonzo Martin is finally getting his players back from injuries, something that will hopefully stop the merry-go-round of starting lineups he’s had to put on the floor during most of the season so far. Look for SIU to get control of this one early and make a nice run in the second half of conference play.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois

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Creighton 73, Indiana State 62

Technically Speaking

With 32 seconds left and a 9-point lead, the Jays were looking for an exclamation mark to put right on top of their 10th straight home win against Indiana State. Well, if the players weren’t, the thousands of fans who braved cold temps and lingering thoughts of this past weekend’s loss against Drake sure were.

And the crowd got it, technically speaking. P’Allen Stinnett received a pass from Justin Carter, who had just blocked Harry Marshall’s shot, and took it strong to the tin for a breakaway dunk.

And then he hung on the rim.

And then he received a technical foul.

It wasn’t a very popular call with the crowd (including myself) at the time, but it was the right one. He pulled himself up with the rim clenched tightly between his two hands. About 8 minutes earlier, he had pulled his teammates up with his play: he broke a tie with an offensive rebound and layup following a Kenton Walker missed free throw (KW actually missed two during the trip to the line). Then, he scored 8 straight Bluejay points a few minutes later.

But Stinnett was largely unheard from for the better part of 32 minutes of action, something that cannot happen if CU is going to place itself in the top half of the Valley during the next month before Arch Madness. And instead of leaving players, coaches, and fans with a lasting memory of a great second half stretch of his play, Stinnett’s technical foul will be what most fans causally remember from the evening.

And it should be that way. Technically speaking, Stinnett wasn’t the most impressive Bluejay on the floor Tuesday night, or the most explosive. Those two nods go to Justin Carter and Antoine Young, respectively.

While the casual fan might remember most #10’s high flying dunk and subsequent “excessive celebration” penalty, the night belonged to his roommate Carter’s frequent dives on the court after loose basketballs, strong presence on the boards, and deft shooting touch from both inside and outside the paint.

Carter scored a career-high 17 points (6-7 from the field, 2-3 from 3-point range), grabbed 8 rebounds, dished 3 assists, blocked 2 shots, and swiped 4 steals. He seemed to be all over the court, yet he played 23 minutes (just the 4th most minutes on the team for the night). But it was the couple of drops to the deck he displayed, and the effort and energy behind the gestures, that doesn’t show up in the box score but means the world to final margin.

Young, on the other hand, just seems to be the missing motor right now. I wouldn’t’ blame the freshman if he is a bit frustrated as many of his classmates across the Valley are playing more minutes and getting more opportunities offensively to contribute right away. He isn’t showing it, though, and his smile when on the court has been almost as pleasant as his natural ability and positive defensive energy.

Young logged a career-high 24 minutes and scored 12 points (one off his career-high of 13). He missed his only 3-point attempt, hit 4 of his free throws, and his field goals were a flurry of off-balanced leaners and physically demanding (and contested) layups and jump shots.

Still, the most important numbers on his stat line are the zero turnovers and the two dozen minutes of action he saw. As much as I love Josh Dotzler’s toughness, guile, and defensive intelligence, and as much of a scoring threat as Cavel Witter is at any moment of any game, I’m on the record with section 123 and all the blog’s readers in thinking that Young’s play down the homestretch of the MVC schedule is the key to Creighton’s fortunes – at least the one that Dana Altman and his staff can control at this point, 22 games into the season.

If the Jays aren’t going to get consistent scoring from the posts, they’ll need to have a guard on the floor that can make some things happen in and around the basket. Young is that guard. His outside shot is getting better as his playing time increases, and defensively he is pretty locked in when guarding the ball.

There were a couple other highlights last night: Casey Harriman hit a couple of 3s and also grabbed 4 rebounds in 17 minutes; Booker Woodfox got his 17 points (and a couple of 3s) in 24 minutes; and Kenton Walker played a career-high 22 minutes.

Sure, the Jays technically won the game, but it wasn’t pretty. Don’t expect any of the rest of their games to be displayed in a museum anytime soon, either. There seems to be too much pressing, too much thinking, and not enough communicating when the guys are on the floor. But those traits won’t come until they replicate (consistently) the effort displayed by Carter against the Sycamores. Wins don’t need to be pretty; they just need to be wins. Then confidence will grow. And ask Northern Iowa how much confidence can help a team win ballgames.

Today In The Valley (Jan. 28)

EDIT: The Drake-Evansville and SIU-Missouri State games have been rescheduled for Thursday 1/29.

Northern Iowa (14-6; 8-1, 1st) vs. Illinois State (17-3; 6-3, t-2nd)
7:00 p.m.
McCleod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa

The schedule makers must have known something before the season started when they put together this year’s Valley slate. As the conference begins the second half of play and many teams will start seeing opponents for the second time, the Redbirds and Panthers will be meeting for just the first time.

UNI comes in with an 8-game win streak and is yet to lose in 2009. They took care of a Missouri State team that is playing inconsistent ball under first year coach Cuonzo Martin. That win marked the Panthers’ fifth Valley road win of the season, which ties a school record. Forget that stat tonight, though, because they’re in the confines of the McLeod Center. Jake’s Jungle should be out in full force for this one. Surely they’ll have more than the 3,500 people they were averaging earlier in the year, right? Right!?

The Redbirds picked up a win against in-state rival SIU in their last game to remain within striking distance of UNI. Fans should get their money’s worth in a game featuring two of the top teams in the Valley, albeit teams that play much different styles than one another. If the conference race continues to play out the way it has, their second game (February 24 in Normal) will no doubt have implications on seeding for St. Louis.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Illinois State
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State

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Bradley (12-8; 6-3, t-2nd) vs. Wichita State (9-11; 3-6, 8th)
7:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois

Is Wichita State making a mid-season push? Is Bradley the team that showed up for the first half of the Valley? The midway point in the conference is always a great time for players and coaches to take a step back and look at the successes and failures of the first half of MVC play.

Confidence (or lack thereof) is a key factor to any basketball team’s success. How confident are the Braves as they take the home court? Sure, they beat Indiana State in their most recent game (who hasn’t, really?), but before that the Braves had dropped two straight road games by a combined total of 11 points. Close but no cigar.

If you want a living, breathing example of confidence, say hello to the WSU Shockers. After a beatdown of Creighton, a come-from-behind win against Illinois State, and a crazy 1-point squeaker over Evansville, the Shox have gone from laughing stock to surging stock in just three games.

Three home games, though. They’ll leave Kansas and try to win a true road game for the first time this season. If they can get a couple of road wins in the second half of the conference season, a team we all thought would be playing on Thursday might have a chance to snag a 6 seed.

Before WSU starts boasting a four-game win streak, they will need to take out a very talented and athletic Bradley team in Peoria. Look for Bradley to try and shut down freshman standout Toure Murry and sweep the season series between the two teams. BU won the last meeting 60-58 on Sam Singh’s offensive put back at the buzzer, and tonight’s contest should be another good game.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Bradley
Panon: Bradley
Dance Cam Guy: Bradley

Mid-Season All-MVC Picks

The dedicated staff at BluejayBasketball.blogspot.com spent a few arduous, grueling hours minutes brainstorming some mid-season accolades (that mean absolutely nothing) based on a half season’s worth of conference play.

Or, as we’re calling them, The Middies.

Creighton Otter’s
Middie All-MVC Team
Osiris Eldridge (ILS)
Champ Oguchi (ILS)
Shy Ely (UE)
Booker Woodfox (CU)
Theron Wilson (BU)

Dance Cam Guy’s
Middie All-MVC Team
Osiris Eldridge (ILS)
Champ Oguchi (ILS)
Shy Ely (UE)
Booker Woodfox (CU)
Kevin Dillard (SIU)

Panon’s
Middie All-MVC Team
Osiris Eldridge (ILS)
Champ Oguchi (ILS)
Shy Ely (UE)
Booker Woodfox (CU)
Josh Young (DU)

While the three of us reach a consensus on 4 of the 5 spots, we each had different opinions for the last position on the list. Panon went with the preseason All-Valley pick Young from Drake, whereas I chose Wilson, who is in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding in the MVC. Dance Cam Guy went with the youngster Dillard, who looks like the next great Saluki guard.

Jonathon Cox and P’Allen Stinnett, preseason picks among Valley pundits, are missing from everyone’s lists. Cox leads the conference in rebounding and is in the top 10 in scoring, so you could make a case for him. And Stinnett averages almost 1 point greater per conference game than his non-conference stats.

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BluejayBasketball.blogspot.com
Unanimous Middie All-Frosh Team
Kevin Dillard (SIU)
Toure Murry (WSU)
Johnny Moran (UNI)
Kaylon Williams (UE)
Eddren McCain (BU)

Close but no cigar ...
Kyle Weems (MSU)
Ryan Hare (SIU)

The first two names on this list are tearing through conference play during their first seasons in the Valley. When looking at the top 20 scorers in the MVC, Dillard (12.7 ppg overall, 16.0 ppg MVC) and Murry (11.8 ppg overall, 14.4 ppg MVC) have stepped their scoring up the most in conference play compared with their overall averages. It is quite amazing when you think about the fact that both players seem to be getting stronger as the season progresses.

Moran, the sharpshooter from “A Town” in Illinois, is one of four UNI Panthers in the top 20 in scoring that has increased his ppg in conference play. He’s joined by Adam Koch, Kwadzo Ahelegbe, and Ali Farokhmanesh as the featured offensive forces on the top team in the MVC.

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The future is bright for the conference, as some of the most explosive freshmen in the MVC aren’t even on this list. But the present is what matters most, and all the folks on the lists above are all angling to push their teams to the top of the MVC standings.

For the Jays' sake, P’Allen Stinnett would be best served to step his game up defensively while continuing his offensive efforts, a strategy that would carve him a place in the All-MVC team and his team a shot at the top couple of spots in the standings.

Gameday Pick ‘em #22: Indiana State (4-16; 2-7, t-9th in MVC)

The Pundits

“Jays must go back to basics to win, Altman says” (OWH)
"Jays need to make sacrifices" (OWH)
"ISU men head to Creighton looking for answers" (Terre Haute Star Tribune)

The Picks

The second half of the Missouri Valley Conference begins in earnest tonight, with CU and Dana Altman welcoming a familiar face to the Qwest Center. Head Tree Kevin McKenna brings the Sycs to The Phone Booth in an attempt to even up the season series between his new school and his first school.

Aside from splitting with Wichita State and having not yet faced Missouri State, this marks the first “second” game for the Jays against a Valley opponent. On New Year’s Eve, CU went to Terre Haute and shot the lights out where Larry Legend used to call home, posting a 79-61 win. This game marks the ringing in of a new type of year, the homestretch of MVC play.

In their last action, the Sycamores lost by 12 points on the road against Bradley. After upsetting Illinois State in the Hulman Center on January 10, the Sycs have lost four straight MVC games (two to Bradley, one at home versus Southern Illinois, and one at Evansville). After sitting out the first semester with academic issues, their best player Harry Marshall had his conference schedule interrupted by injury. He scored 12 points in the win against the Redbirds but hurt himself toward the end of the game. He returned to action after missing a few games with a subpar scoring night (9 points vs. SIU), but in his last game hit double figures from the field (11 points).

We all know what happened in Creighton’s last game. It wasn’t pretty, and it doesn’t need to be rehashed. In fact, only two things need to be said.

Rebound.

Play defense.

Oh, and guard Harry Marshall. Please.

If these words don't work, try this amalgamation of inspiration from our nation's cinematic leaders (Fonzie Bear included):




Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (23)
Panon: P'Allen Stinnett (19)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (14)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Stinnett (20)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 8
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 19
Panon: Jays by 19
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 9
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15

Drake 74, Creighton 62

Get Blue

Waking up Saturday I had a pretty good feeling about the day ahead. The early morning air was chilly, but with no wind and a sky full of sun there was an aura of a day much warmer and inviting than the weathermen had forecasted. I embraced the early afternoon tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha and decided to spend some quality time at Blue Line Coffee near the Q before the game. I spent a little time on the Internet with some perfectly roasted coffee beans while peering out at the continued development of the North Downtown area, engaging in some pregame writing and reading — getting blue in my own way.

This was in stark contrast to the thousands of Creighton alumni who made their way to the school’s Get Blue event previous to taking their seats in The Phone Booth. The celebration was supposed to continue inside the Q against the Drake Bulldogs, but 17,000-plus Jays fans “got blue” in a different way following another second-half collapse by this season’s squad.

Potential means nothing if it is not realized. And regardless of how many sick crossover dribbles Cavel Witter drops, high flying dunk attempts P’Allen Stinnett sticks, or improbable baseline jump shots Booker Woodfox hits, to be 5-4 in MVC play through the first half of the season means the only potential the Jays have shown consistently is the chance for some impressive and important streaks to come to a screeching halt.

After watching Drake almost double Creighton’s points in the paint (42-22) and outscore the Jays in second chance points (12-7) and fast break points (19-6), CU loyalists can’t be blamed for sporting slumped shoulders and negative thoughts while leaving the Q (some early, with more than 2 minutes left in the game). How is this team going to win 20 games this year (for the 11th consecutive season)?

What constitutes a better opportunity to start a win streak than playing a team at home that has been absolutely annihilated in their previous 2 games and comes into Omaha on a 3-game losing streak? UNI (0-1 against this season), Illinois State (0-1), Bradley (1-0), and Drake (0-1) have to be considered the four teams ahead of CU in the MVC race right now. We still have four games against these teams left on the schedule (with just 2 at home), as well as road trips to perennial problem spots in Springfield and Carbondale. How is this team going to win 10 conference games this year (for the 13th consecutive season)?

If Northern Iowa wins today, it would essentially hold a 3.5 game lead over the Jays for the conference regular season title. Moreover, against the teams CU is either trailing or tied with in the conference standings as of Sunday morning, they own a win against only Bradley. Barring a miraculous late season push by a Bluejays team that has not shown the ability to put together solid back-to-back ballgames since the first two MVC games (way back in 2008), plus a total meltdown by UNI or even Illinois State, CU looks to be no better than third in the standings by even the most radical of forecasts. How is this team going to participate in any meaningful postseason tournament this year (for the 12th consecutive year)?

That’s perhaps the most perplexing for me and the rest of my college buddies who support this program. I’ve documented my 20-plus years of Bluejay fandom on this site often, but it was during my adulthood when things gelled for Altman and the Jays. Since DA won his first MVC tournament title in 1999, CU hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

The goal of the program should be winning championships. We have won one outright conference regular season title in Altman’s 15 years (2000-2001), and we tied for one (2001-2002). We received an at-large birth in 2001 after losing to Indiana State in the Arch Madness semifinals. Other than that season, the Jays have had to rely solely on winning 3 games in 3 days in St. Louis. And while that might be a blast for me and the thousands of other CU fans who make the trek to the Lou each year, it represents somewhat of a Hail Mary situation for a program that should seem to be past that at this point.

With half of the conference season under the bridge, and two-thirds of the regular season schedule behind them, weeks of wishing for better rebounding and more consistent effort have materialized into a waste. I don’t know much about basketball, but it seems as though the coaching staff would be inclined to make some more drastic changes during the next month to prepare the team for what will need to be another dynamic run through Arch Madness toward a tournament title.

Going into yesterday, Altman’s team faced a minimal margin for error. Now they face a month’s worth of preparation for the single event in St. Louis that can give Booker Woodfox the trip to the NCAA Tournament he no doubt wanted when he signed with CU.

It is enough to make a Jays fan blue.

Today In The Valley (Jan. 25)

Wichita State (8-11; 2-6) vs. Evansville (12-6; 4-4)
2:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

Two teams headed in opposite directions will get together in Wichita today to mark the final game of the first half of conference play. Wichita is coming off back-to-back home wins against Creighton and Illinois State, while Evansville has lost 3 of their last 4 games (the only win a home victory against Indiana State).

For WSU, the changes in their play from 0-6 to 2-6 have been remarkable. Gregggggg Marshall couldn’t find a consistent starting 5; now, everyone’s playing like they deserve to start. Timely 3-point shooting helped them finish off the Redbirds on Wednesday, but it was their defense that paved the way to the win. Torre Murry is another one of the fabulous freshmen making their names known early in their Valley careers: since MVC play started he is pouring in 14.4 points per game, good for the third best conference-only production among all Valley players.

Leading that list, however, is UE senior Shy Ely. His 17.4 ppg in conference play mirrors the 17.3 points he averages for all games this year. He went off for 26 points and 9 rebounds against Creighton earlier this week, and he will be the focal point for Marshall’s defensive strategy. Stop Ely (or don’t, even), and you have a good chance at taking care of Evansville (especially at home). That’s due in large part to the shrinking offensive production of fellow Purple Ace senior Jason Holsinger.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Wichita State
Panon: Wichita State
Dance Cam Guy: Wichita State

~ Creighton Otter

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Missouri State (9-10; 2-6) vs. Northern Iowa (13-6; 7-1)
6:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
ESPNU

The Panthers take their 7-game win streak to Springfield to take on the Bears, who after starting 0-5 in Valley play are the winners of two of their last three. In their first meeting in Cedar Falls, the UNI shot 81.8% in the first half and cruised to a 78-64 win.

How are the Panthers winning games? Defense. During the streak they have limited opponents to just 38% shooting while allowing 57.4 points per game. On the other end of the court, meanwhile, UNI is shooting 51% (including 45% from beyond the arc). Yet to lose in 2009, Ben Jacobsen’s team seems to have made some kind of New Year’s resolution. They've also managed to win their first four games of 2009 on the road, and they’re eager to make it five.

Chris Cooks, reigning MVC player of the week, will lead the Bears into this contest. He had back-to-back 20-point games in the win against WSU (23) and the loss against Illinois State (20), and he poured in 18 in the win against Drake. His offensive production has been a blessing to this injury-laden team (who now appear to finally have everyone back).

Coach Cuonzo Martin's defense has been terrific at home. They held Drake to 44 points in their last win and Wichita to 55 in their first Valley win. This is their second straight home game before going on the road for two next week.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Missouri State
Panon: Missouri State
Dance Cam Guy: Northern Iowa

Gameday Pick ‘em #21: Drake (13-7; 4-4, 5th in MVC)

The Pundits

“Jays focus on play, not talk” (OWH)
“Midseason slump slows Drake” (OWH)
"CU's Iowans seek revenge against DU" (OWH)
"Parker to remain in lineup at Creighton" (DM Register)

The Picks

I want payback.

At first it was cute. Drake reeled of what seemed like a couple of months worth of wins in a row, found themselves ranked in the top 25, and showed up in Omaha looking for their win in Omaha since ruining Creighton’s (non-) senior night in 2002.

Jays fans had become accustom to close contests between CU and DU, but most of the teeth-gnashing happened on the road in Des Moines. Since that lowly night in 2002 that cost the Jays an outright MVC regular season title, Dana Altman’s guys had slaughtered the Bulldogs by an average of 17 points per game in five straight home wins from 02-03 through 06-07.

But last year, things changed. The first 20 minutes of action featured Creighton jumping out to a 6-point lead at intermission, led by sturdy Dane Watts’ 8 points and 6 rebounds. But CU’s lead crumbled early in the second stanza, the Jays hit only about half their free throws down the stretch and could grab key rebounds, and Drake forced the game to overtime. Again, that wasn’t something new to these two teams’ matchups — it happened in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 before this — but CU wasn’t usually on the losing end of the extra 5 minutes. They were this time.

More than 17,000 Jays fans fled the Q into the weeknight air, shaking their heads in disbelief. They would resume that motion a week later in Des Moines, as the Bluejays and Bulldogs exchanged the lead 8 times en route to a 75-65 CU loss. But neither of those losses were nearly as frustrating as what Keno Davis’ team did to my beloved Bluejays in St. Louis.

After Creighton and Bradley engaged in a wonderful 4-5 battle on Friday afternoon at Arch Madness, the Jays looked focused and poised to make yet another run at ending Drake’s improbable yet impressive MVC season early. And for awhile in the first half, that looked like exactly what would happen. Even as the Jays squandered a 18-13 lead at the 10:30 mark of the first half on their way to trailing by 9 at halftime, things looked promising. CU started the second half with a 7-0 run to pull within 2 at the 18:44 mark, but Adam “Alphabet” Emmenecker and the rest of the Dawgs hit clutch shot after clutch shot and drilled so many free throws it hurts my head to reminisce about them a year later. Alas, Drake was the team ending CU’s MVC season, sending me and the rest of the CU fans who take over STL each year to go drink themselves silly on a Saturday night in the Gateway to the West.

In this case, payback is a dish best served on a cold day in the Midwest. A near sellout crowd is expected to shuffle through the freezing temperatures and into the Qwest Center, hoping to warm up by the fire engulfing Drake’s season. And I’ll be right by the visitor’s bench, hopefully keeping my hands toasty as the Jays enact some revenge for last year’s home loss to DU, the close loss on the road in Des Moines, and the frustrating events of Arch Madness 2008.

Drake started conference play 4-1 but has seen their promising start wash away in a week. First came a hard fought loss at Illinois State. Then, on national television, the Bulldogs were obliterated by Northern Iowa. But more frustrating than either of those two losses was the 21-point loss Wednesday night at Missouri State, a team that had just one conference win before beating Drake.

Don’t worry, Bulldogs. We know how it feels. We were the stepping stone for the Shockers last weekend, who have since beaten Illinois State at Koch Arena. But the Jays fought back in the second of their two road games in the past week, handling Evansville in a resounding fashion. And now Creighton is back to play 3 games at home in the next 9 days.

Saturday won’t make up for last year’s sweep. Neither would a win in two weeks in Des Moines. But winning both games over the Bulldogs would do a lot for Creighton’s ultimate position in the jockeying for a top seed in Arch Madness (not to mention my psyche and the fandom of Jays fans inside and outside The Phone Booth today).

I’ll hoist a QCB this afternoon and wish revenge upon the Bulldogs. It’s nothing personal; I just want things to go back to the way they used to be in this 92-year-old series. After taking over as the Head Coach on the Hilltop in 1994, Altman lost his first three meetings against Drake. In between February 1996 and February 2008 (the start of last year’s 3-game DU winning streak), he lost just 4 times in 23 meetings with the Bulldogs (an 82.6% winning percentage).

Let’s do it old school today, Jays, and keep Drake’s season spiraling downward.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: P'Allen Stinnett (13)
Dance Cam Guy: Kenny Lawson (18)
Panon: Booker Woodfox (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (15)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (16)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 7
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12
Panon: Jays by 12
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 21
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 11

Today In The Valley (Jan. 24)

Illinois State (16-3; 5-3) vs. Southern Illinois (9-10; 4-4)
4:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois
MVC TV

Today marks the first meeting this season between the Redbirds and the Salukis. They’ll face off twice in 11 days, with the return trip to Carbondale by ISU scheduled for February 4.

These teams always tend to play each other tightly, and since 1980 the average score in these contests is 71-70, advantage SIU. But before sweeping both games last season en route to a resurgent year in the MVC, the Redbirds had lost 11 straight to the Salukis.

This game features two of the more balanced starting 5s in the MVC, but neither team is exceptionally deep. For SIU, that is a byproduct of losing a few players before and during the season to either injury or defection. For ISU, five players log more than 24 minutes a game (and four players over 30 mpg), so there is simply limited time on the court for backups.

That’s because when Osiris Eldridge, Champ Oguchi, and the other Redbird regulars are on the floor, Tim Jankovich has to feel pretty good about his team’s chances. But SIU’s Bryan Mullins, arguably the most experienced player in the Valley, has seen every possible lineup and type of game from most of the ISU players. Nothing will get past him, especially a weak pass. For the Redbirds to prove Vegas right (favored by 7.5 this morning), they’ll need to be tough with the ball against the usually-stringent SIU defense.

It seems that the excitement of a remarkable season has faded a bit in Normal, as Illinois State has dropped their last three road games in the Valley this year after completing an undefeated non-conference slate. The last of the three was a loss to Wichita State, which came into the game with just one conference win. WSU was able to knock off the Redbirds by shutting down their offense with great defensive intensity in the second half. That and some timely 3-pointers were enough for the Shockers to walk away with a 64-58 victory.

SIU on the other hand have been able to win 4 of their last 5 Valley games, and as I have said before, are getting hot at just the right time. The Salukis’ most recent win was over a struggling Indiana State club, by a score of 58-47, a typical defensive battle by the Egyptian Dogs.

When these two meet this afternoon, the buildup may not be what it was at the start of the season, but should go a long way in a very tight Valley race. If the Salukis are able to pull out a victory today, that could drop the Redbirds into a race for third with SIU. This should be a fun game to watch, with the defense of SIU working their best to contain the explosive athleticism of the Redbirds. If this is a low scoring game, look for the Dawgs to come out on top.


Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Illinois State
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Bradley (11-8; 5-3) vs. Indiana State (4-15; 2-6)
6:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois
MVC TV

Well, the Braves had it. And then they lost it. They could have handed Northern Iowa a second home loss, and had a double-digit second half lead. Alas, the Panthers continued their winning ways and took a two-game lead in the MVC regular season race through 8 games.

The Braves look to rebound against the Sycamores, who tried hard but ultimately came up on the losing end against SIU on Wednesday. To be blunt, with Harry Marshall still less than 100% due to an injury, even if he plays things don’t look good night in and night out for the Trees in conference play. They’re simply not deep enough, nor experienced enough, to win consistently in this conference right now. But there are a few pieces in place, players who continue to gain valuable court time.

Tonight poses a new test. The Sycs haven’t won in Carver Arena since 1998. Seriously.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Bradley
Panon: Bradley
Dance Cam Guy: Bradley

~ Creighton Otter

The Case For Kenny

I think some people forget that Kenny Lawson Jr. isn’t even that (a junior, I mean). He’s only a sophomore, and he (along with fellow Californian post man Kenton Walker) is the kind of player whose budding play on the court and great personality on campus makes him a potentially transformational player for the future of Creighton basketball.

Have Creighton fans become spoiled with the past success of post players such as Anthony Tolliver and Brody Deren, the focal frontcourt dudes on some of Dana Altman’s most successful CU squads? It might just be the context in which Kenny is developing — in the midst of a new revolution of younger Jays who all seem to have started playing for Creighton at the same time — and the preseason accolades (prematurely) placed upon this year’s team, but I think Jays fans forget that it takes time (whether we like it or not) to progress as a post player in Altman’s world.

A look at the stats shows that Lawson is right on schedule, and that he’s due for a big second half of the conference season. When compared to Tolliver’s sophomore season (as a true sophomore) and Deren’s first year at CU (his redshirt sophomore season following a first-year transfer from Northwestern), Lawson’s number look equal, if not better, than those two great Jays’ stats.

Scoring

Through 20 games, Lawson’s averaging 8.6 points per game. His points-per-40 minutes average is 16.6. That compares favorably against Tolliver’s 4.2 points per game and 9.7 per-40 average. Kenny is a little more than a full point per game off Deren’s 9.9 average in 01-02.

Additionally, Lawson and Deren are dead equal in field goal percentage in their sophomore seasons (53%), whereas Tolliver hit just 42% of his shots. Plus, Lawson hits his free throws at 71% clip, while both Anthony and Brody made 57% of their charity shots in their respective seasons.

Lawson just scored a career-high 16 points against Evansville Wednesday night; here’s hoping it is the start of a long streak of impressive offensive performances.

Rebounding

Lawson’s name (as well as Walker’s) is brought up a lot of the time when Jays fans talk about this squad’s woes on the glass. And while both guys have room to improve in this area, Lawson is no slouch on the boards when compared to his predecessors in the post.

Deren averaged 5.1 rebounds (3.3 defensive caroms) in his sophomore season; Lawson is currently bringing in 4.8 boards per game (3.4 defensive). Tolliver swung 4.4 rebounds per contest in his second year (2.7 defensive).

It was that season, if you’ll remember, when Altman had a “heart to heart” conversation with Anthony, reminding him exactly what he needed to concentrate on down the stretch of the season in the coaching staff’s collective mind. I might be (probably am) wrong, but I think it happened after the Bracket Buster win over Chattanooga (a blowout win for CU). Tolliver was probably the only Jay not celebrating that day personally, as he fouled out in just 9 minutes of action (collecting 1 rebound and 0 points). He responded to the coaches’ calls for improvement and focus. In the final three regular season Valley games and a three-game championship run for the Jays in Arch Madness, Tolliver ran off a streak of efforts in which he grabbed 13, 6, 6, 8, 3, and 7 rebounds. That was the foundation for the remarkable junior and senior seasons Tolliver experienced at CU.

Lawson grabbed 10 rebounds at St. Joe’s and 7 against Dayton in back to back December games. Since then, he’s had 4 games grabbing more rebounds than his average and 8 games collecting fewer boards than his average. He was a focal point in CU’s wins at Bradley (10 points, 8 rebounds) and at Evansville (16 points, 5 boards). With about half the MVC season left, he’s poised to make a positive push on a glass.

Blocks

To this day, Deren has registered some of the most impressive (and downright intimidating) blocked shots I’ve seen from a player in the White and Blue. But Kenny’s not far behind, statistically speaking. He might lack Deren’s brute strength, but his condor-like arms and keen court awareness helps him keep pace with Brody’s 1.6 blocks per game from 01-02 — Lawson’s at 1.7 bpg so far this season.

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Much of Creighton’s potential success in the rest of the Valley schedule and in the postseason depends on how much Lawson and Walker can contribute in the post to a team full of perimeter scorers. The next 10 regular season games and the subsequent postseason opportunities will no doubt serve as a springboard for both men in their junior seasons next year. I won’t be surprised to see Lawson’s numbers get better during the next two months, which would be a positive development toward consistent post play.

Creighton 79, Evansville 57

A Snapshot of Selflessness

Following Creighton’s road win at Bradley a few weeks ago, newspapers in Omaha and Peoria reported that Dana Altman had prepared his team for the victory by unleashing a rousing pregame speech intent on inspiring his players with images of playing to win for each other, and for the university and its fans.

Following a convincing win against the Braves and a close-yet-victorious contest at home against SIU, the effects of Altman’s speech must have been wearing off as the team approached Wichita. The final against the Shox wasn’t pretty, but it looked a lot better than the majority of play on the court. Still, CU is a solid squad and was still just 6 points down midway through the second half against the Shockers.

So Dana apparently reached into the same bag of tricks that helped the Jays focus against Bradley and pulled out a similar sermon before CU took the court in Evansville last night. Watching the team play 20 games already this year, I sometimes get the feeling that there are long lulls of communication between the players, which directly affects the play on the court. But between Altman’s address and the players-only meeting that also took place before the game against the Purple Aces, conversation seemed to be in order to avoid a 2-game losing streak. Those conversations not only paid off, but seemed to carry over directly into the Jays’ effort against Evansville.

Against Wichita, the Jays dished only 8 assists (their third-worst performance of the season in that category). Versus Evansville, CU spread the ball around to the tune of 21 assists (their second-highest total of the year). P’Allen Stinnett might not have had one of his amazing scoring nights, but that mattered none; he had 4 assists and ZERO turnovers. Cavel Witter (4) and Antoine Young (3) each made some great plays to find open teammates (they also each had their fair share of problems, with 4 turnovers apiece).

But the player whose evening most resembled what this year’s team is searching for on a regular basis was Casey Harriman. The Lion King plays about 15 minutes per game and is good for just a little more than 3 points per contest. But during those precious 900 seconds of playing time, Harriman gives what seems to be 900% effort. Again, it doesn’t always translate to great stat lines (see: WSU game), but he does what he is asked to do and does it with energy and passion. Plus, the kid is tough.

Harriman had a great night against UE

He hadn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game since December 13, yet he got 22 minutes last night and made the most of them. 11 points (career high). 4 rebounds. 2 blocked shots (doubling his season total). A couple dives to the floor. A knock down on a screen. Oh, and 5 assists (also a career high). His shot looked a bit more lofty, his step a bit more smooth. Last year he hit nearly 43% of his 3-pointers; this year, just 33% through 20 games. He played his way onto the court through hustle and doing the little things, and he found his shot and a rhythm.

And the Jays found theirs, too. CU shot 57% from the floor (their best mark this season) and 56% from 3-point range (their second-best effort of the year). They won the battle of the boards, for goodness sake (39-27), with everyone besides Booker Woodfox (1) and Dustin Sitzmann (0) pulling down 2 or more rebounds. And our front line got involved, to the tune of Kenny Lawson’s 16 points and 5 rebounds and Justin Carter’s 14 points and 6 rebounds.

I hope the Jays don’t continue to need Altman’s rousing pregame speeches to remind them what they’re playing for. This team can beat anyone in this league, and a lot of teams outside it. If they want a constant reminder, they can print the two box scores that are most impressive to me so far this season (at Bradley, at Evansville) and hang them on their dorm room walls or inside the posh Qwest Center lockers. They are snapshots into selfless play, something that when coupled with offensive execution and defensive intensity can propel this team to the top of the Missouri Valley and beyond.

Today In The Valley (Jan. 21)

Indiana State (4-14; 2-5) vs. Southern Illinois (8-10; 3-4)
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

Many of us who follow the Missouri Valley closely had a pretty good feeling that Southern Illinois would wake up right in time for the conference race to heat up. SIU played their hearts out against Creighton and had the game won multiple times before falling in overtime. They then hosted a good Bradley team that came into SIU Arena in a tie for first in the Valley and left on the wrong end of a 68-62 battle in white out conditions.

Many of SIU’s fans believe the Creighton game was just what they needed to get their Egyptian Dogs on the right track; a proverbial kick in the pants if you will. Whether that was the impetus the team needed, or rather the defections of Cornelius and Roundtree (dang, that sounds like a law firm or maybe a hero-sidekick cartoon duo), C-Lo has his team headed in the right direction about one-third of the way through conference play.

That right direction points them toward Terre Haute tonight, where they’ll take on the Sycamores. Kevin McKenna’s Sycs have shown some quality spurts during the conference season, with most ending the same way: with a close loss. The latest came as the Trees dropped their second game of the season against an improved Evansville team, despite a double-double from ISU’s Carl Richards. The Sycamores will come into this game as they have for the better part of the season, as underdogs, but will hopefully have a solid home crowd there to support them.

With the current log jam that is the MVC rankings, each team will be playing to leap frog some teams and get back into the mix before the race start to clear up. SIU should walk away with this one, but maybe the Trees can make it close once again.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Wichita State (7-11; 1-6) vs. Illinois State (16-2; 5-2)
7:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

Tonight’s matchup features two relative newcomers to the Valley. Sure, we could be talking about Champ Oguchi or Clevin Hannah, or any one of either team’s fresh faces on the court. I’m pointing, instead, to the men inside (or in Gregggggg Marshall’s case, outside) the coaches box.

Both Tim Jankovich and Marshall started their reigns in the Valley last season. And through 1.5 seasons, the only traits they share so far in minimal Missouri Valley action is the slick hair and suits. Jank is 41-12 for the Redbirds; Gregggggg is 18-31. They split the team’s two showdowns last season.

Jank is blessed with two go-to, game-changing scorers in Oguchi and Osiris Eldridge. Marshall’s roster lacks a star, but budding freshman Torre’ Murry continues to impress as he gets further into his first season. The three players are among the top scorers in MVC during conference play.

WSU played pretty well in their last game, a thrashing at home against Creighton. ISU put together a 12-point win over Missouri State. I would be surprised if the Birds dropped this one, but I was more than shocked that the Shox beat CU in such a sound fashion.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Illinois State
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State

~ Creighton Otter

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Missouri State (8-10; 1-6) vs. Drake (13-6; 4-3)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri

This is the classic trap game for Drake. They’re fresh off one of the most humiliating outcomes in recent memory for the Bulldogs, a nationally televised manhandling on behalf of the Northern Iowa Panthers. They hit the road for three of their next four games, including stops Wichita, Omaha, and tonight in Springfield.

Oh, and the Bears have their best player back. And he’s making plays. Chris Cooks is to MSU what Josh Young is to Drake. When UNI pummeled Young and forced him into his worst performance in a long time on Saturday, it looked eerily similar to what the Bears experienced when Cooks was out with concussion-related symptoms to start conference play.

Sure, MSU still has personnel issues, but they are getting stronger as the season progresses. Second semester newcomer Will Creekmore has been great so far in his limited first year of action, and he has quickly ascended to the top of the Bears’ scoring list (averaging 9.7 ppg in 10 games). He’s also grabbing 5.6 rpg, which helps Cooks as he hits the boards for 5.8.

Maybe I’m still suffering from whiplash following last weekend’s trap game succumbed to by the Bluejays, but this game scares me on behalf of the Bulldogs. My colleagues do not agree, however.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Missouri State
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Drake

~ Creighton Otter

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Northern Iowa (12-6; 6-1) vs. Bradley (11-7; 5-2)
7:00 p.m.
McLeod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa

The lead or share of the Valley lead is on the line here in Cedar Falls. If UNI holds on at home they’ll continue their reign atop the Valley (oxymoron?). If Bradley pulls off the road win, they’ll tie the Panthers (and possibly Illinois State) with a 6-2 record.

UNI has now reeled off an impressive 6 straight Valley wins (4 of which were on the road). While it has opened the eyes of people around the league, myself included, it’s taking the people in Cedar Falls some time to get used to this surprise team. They averaging just 3,488 fans at home games. Whether it is because of the weather, the economy, or Cedar Falls football fans paying too close of attention to hometown hero Kurt Warner, they aren’t showing up at the McLeod Center. Students aren’t showing up either. Attendance is so sparse at some games it makes the Amazon rainforest look good. Give it to the Panthers. They are beating any team on the court no matter who’s in the crowd, no matter what building they’re in.

Those Valley fans who didn’t bother watching the AFC Championship Sunday night probably tuned into the Bradley vs. SIU game on ESPNU. Bradley couldn’t repeat the victory they had over SIU at home on the opening night of Valley play. The Braves might be coming back to Earth a bit following their 5-1 start, which included wins at Wichita, Missouri St, and Indiana St. … the bottom three teams in the Valley. Bradley was able to pull off a win against Illinois St. when the Birds were riding high. Can Jim Les pull off another “stunner?” The Braves lost their first game on Sunday when it held an opponent under 70 points. They need a huge defensive night to stop the Panther attack. UNI is the most balanced team in the Valley and on any given night anywhere between 3 and 5 players could be in double figures.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Northern Iowa
Panon: Northern Iowa
Dance Cam Guy: Northern Iowa

~ Panon

Gameday Pick ‘em #20: Evansville (12-5; 4-3)

The Pundits
“Altman: Bluejays must find identity” (OWH)
"3 seniors let Aces draw to success" (OWH)
“Aces fever on the rebound” (Courier Press)

The Picks

The times are few and far between when I represent the logical, realistic Jays fan on this blog. I look at much of my life through blue-tinted glasses; I was brought up around all-things Bluejays, and that’s who I am. But for just a few fleeting moments, let’s take a look at the facts.

• Evansville and Creighton are tied in the middle of a muddled Missouri Valley Conference right now, each touting 4-3 records into tonight’s nationally televised (albeit on ESPNU) game in Indiana.
  
  
• The Purple Aces have the kind of experience that usually translates into victories when things get tight and a game is close in the waning seconds.
  
  
• After a solid first half against Southern Illinois, the Bluejays have played about 7 inspired minutes of basketball out of the last 65 minutes of action (including the second half of the win against SIU and the let’s-not-speak-of-it-again effort at Wichita State on Saturday).
  
  
• To win on the road, a team must be stout defensively and control the boards (or at least stay even, for goodness sake). The Jays do neither with any consistency, yet they are 2-2 on the road in the MVC so far. They were atrocious in both these aspects of the game against the Shockers. In only a few short days following that outcome, can they overcome the Aces?
  
  
• Anything is possible, I guess. I mean, Evansville even lost a home game this year. In fact, this is the end of a three-game home stand for the Purple Aces, during which they lost their first home contest of the season (to league-leading Northern Iowa). Creighton starts a three-game home stand after they get back from Roberts Stadium; can they bring home a win and set the stage for three winnable games at The Phonebooth?
  
  
• The Aces have a go-to scorer, Shy Ely, who is near the top of scoring in Valley play (16 ppg). He also grabs 7 rebounds per contest. They have a long-range specialist, Jason Holsinger (10 ppg), who, when hot, can hit 3-pointers from anywhere on the court. They have another complementary scorer to play alongside Ely, Nate Garner (10 ppg, 5 rpg), someone who can make defenses pay for turning too much attention Shy’s way. And they have a young guard, Kaylon Williams, who is posting incredible “game manager” numbers in MVC play (6 assists per game, a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and 6 rebounds per game).
  
  
• The Jays counter with P’Allen Stinnett’s 15 ppg in conference play (last Saturday’s stinker of an effort notwithstanding), Booker Woodfox’s 14 ppg in Valley games, Cavel’s 10 ppg, and another game manager, Josh Dotzler, who can dish dimes with the best of them (almost 4 apg). The first three Jays, especially, are great free throw shooters, too.
  

As a fanatic, it pains me that statistically we are equals with a team that for the better part of a decade have resided near or at the bottom of the MVC standings year in and year out. But as a realist, I know that in order for the Jays to become the team they can (and hopefully will) be, Dana Altman’s crew needs to steal a game or two on the road. They might be favored by Vegas, but they're underdogs as they hit the road tonight.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (15)
Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (19)
Panon: Cavel Witter (16)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (14)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Witter (18)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 6
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
Panon: Jays by 4
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 3
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 5

Wichita State 74, Creighton 61

Roller Coaster

Mrs. Creighton Otter and I live in the middle of Omaha. While my wife is a transplant from the Iowa hometown of the Ankeny Bulldog, Ryan Sears, I was born and raised in the Big O. As such, and much like everyone my age who grew up in town, I spent more than my fair share of afternoons and early evenings at the city’s long-time urban amusement area, Peony Park.

The park closed in 1994 and has since been paved over, with grocery stores, restaurants, and a bank replacing the 4.5 acre swimming pool and sandy beach, water slides, typical carnival rides, and roller coasters. The beer garden, ballroom, and ski lifts surrounding the park are gone, making way for commercial development and apartments.

That brings us to the present. My wife and I live in apartments erected on the north side of where the original Peony Park provided generations of Omaha residents lifelong memories. I am one such person, and I remember vividly the feelings associated with the Tilt-o-Whirl (nauseated), the Black Hole (nauseated and scared of the dark), and the roller coaster located on the southern edge of the park (nauseated, scared of the dark, and stiff from whiplash). Sounds like fun!

Truth be told, I wasn’t really a fan of the roller coasters, be them at Peony Park or any other amusement park for that matter. As exhilarating as part of the ride might be, I always felt the negatives outweighed the positives. As a kid, I wasn’t all about feeling sick … especially if I had control of whether or not the knot in my stomach would be there in the first place. All things considered, I’d much rather hang out at the pool, ride some water slides, or roll over competitors in the bumper cars.

More than two months into this CU basketball season, I find myself throttling through what seems eerily like the Galaxy Coaster at Peony Park again. I mentioned the Black Out being staged at Koch Arena for Creighton’s trip to Wichita in the Gameday Pick’em on Saturday; apparently the Jays were as scared and claustrophobic of the surrounding darkness as I was long ago in the blacked-out section of the park’s coaster ride. This season has officially brought to life the up-and-down metaphor of the roller coaster. And to be perfectly honest, it isn’t fun right now.

The loss at until-then winless Wichita State is just one example. It isn’t the fact that the Jays lost on the road against a team desperate for a conference victory — sitting with a group of CU fans at lunch of Friday, you could tell that everyone was thinking “trap game” in the back of their minds. It’s how the loss happened that leaves me as queasy and white-knuckled as those first couple of trips through the rails at Peony Park.

After snatching a victory from Southern Illinois in the final seconds of regulation and then overtime last week, the Jays didn’t bother showing up for what looked like (statistically, at least) a better chance for a win than even the game seven days before (a 9-point victory at Bradley). After outrebounding SIU by 7 boards, CU was absolutely humiliated by the Shockers in the paint, to the tune of a minus-25 rebounding margin. As Piv points out in the paper today, CU grabbed just 2 more total rebounds than WSU snatched offensive boards (22 total for CU; 20 offensive for the Shox).

CU scored 13 fewer points against WSU than they average for the season. They shot just 33% from the field, much lower than their 44% average overall. In a game when they needed some 3-point magic, the Jays only hit 32% of their long-range shots. And after weeks of Altman and his coaching staff no doubt stressing the importance of crisp passing and offensive flow, CU recorded just 8 assists (on 16 made shots).

Booker Woodfox showed up on offense (20 points in 26 minutes) but he is still hobbled with a bad wheel. Antoine Young showed up, too (12 points, including a couple of 3-pointers), but only played 14 minutes. Casey Harriman was asked to play second-half minutes at the center position, something the 6-5 forward had trouble converting into rebounds against a tall and athletic WSU frontcourt. But at least he tried.

For a roller coaster to be invigorating to the senses, there must be a steady stream of ups and downs. The problem with Saturday, it seemed was the feeling that the coaster just kept heading down hill.

• P’Allen Stinnett, who has carried the Jays offensively during the games in which Woodfox has either missed or been largely ineffective due to the bad ankle, was as poor on offense (5 points on 2-7 shooting and 0-3 from 3-point range) as he was on defense (numerous lapses in assignment, including a few efforts to guard his man as the WSU player cut to the basket and scored).
  
  
• Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker were largely ineffective in the post, combining for as many points (4) and almost as many rebounds (6) as turnovers (4).
  
  
• And in a game when Stinnett wasn’t hitting shots and Woodfox needed someone on the perimeter to take the pressure off, Cavel Witter had almost as many turnovers (3) as field goal attempts (4).
  
  
• Additionally, in a game where a big 3-pointer here or there would have made a huge difference in possibly switching momentum to Creighton’s favor, Kaleb Korver had arguably one of his least impressive days as a Jay: 0-5 from the field, including 0-3 from long range, and zero rebounds in 14 minutes of play.

Following an undefeated December, a Las Vegas Classic title, and a repositioning of its standing as league favorite with two impressive wins to start conference play, Dana Altman’s Jays seemed to be heading up the track, with the upward trajectory needed to fulfill preseason prognostications about the team’s ultimate fate. But this season has become a never-ending roller coaster. Game by game. Sometimes half by half.

Is this loss the bottom of the track? The last dip before the Bluejays’ coaster speeds upward to something akin to another 9-game win streak? One game CU looks every bit like the team many White and Blue worshipers thought they would be this season: owning Dayton at home, beating DePaul on a neutral court, and serving Bradley a loss in Peoria. Then, just like that, the Jays show they are capable of being run out of the gym by the Redbirds in Normal, coughing up a win at home against league-leading (seriously?!?) Northern Iowa, and thoroughly getting worked over by a WSU team destined for anything but greatness in a murky Missouri Valley Conference season.

Tuesday marks a new start for the United States, a potential upward movement amidst economic turmoil and both political infighting and global military action. It also marks a new day for the Jays, a game in which their largest weaknesses and shortcomings (rebounding, overall inexperience, resiliency) will be tested in a building (Roberts Stadium) against a team (Evansville) that have been the scene and perpetrators of more than a few losses that have left Jays fans shaking and scratching their heads. Will the loss at Wichita serve as the last dip in the Jays’ season for awhile, paving the way for an extended win streak? Or will Creighton be thrust further into an engulfing shadow atop the drop of the Galaxy Coaster?

Today In The Valley (Jan. 18)

Illinois State (15-2; 4-2) vs. Missouri State (8-9; 1-5)
2:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois

Not since the 2003-2004 season has Illinois State had two separate players post back-to-back 20 point games. Now, with the scoring ability of Osiris Eldridge and Champ Oguchi, the Redbirds are looking to have Champ make it three in a row. After his performance against Drake, where he dropped a career high 29 points, the frontrunner for MVC Newcomer of the Year will look to continue his hot streak against a struggling Missouri State team.

The Redbirds got a little taste of reality as they lost back-to-back games to Bradley and Indiana State, and barely hung on against a tough Drake team in overtime. Coach Jankovich will be looking to capture his 41st victory as the Redbirds’ leader, and should get it tonight.

But wait just a minute. Even though their only win is against a team (WSU) with just one conference win, the Bears won’t lay down and play dead for ISU. MSU has shown some competitive drive in their conference games so far, losing by an average of 9.5 points in each of their MVC games and by 6 or less in three of the six. MSU relies heavily on their defense, as they are only shooting 39% from the field (last in the Valley) and 32% from downtown (9th in the Valley). Also, the Bears are sitting dead last in scoring offense, but are second behind Drake in scoring defense.

I wonder if their Sign Guy at JQH Arena still has the “J.J. Who?” sign, considering they are also 8th in the MVC in free throw percentage. Crazy how things have changed since the days of Blake Ahearn? Maybe now that the NCAA has declared 7th graders “prospects”, they can find the next Blake before someone else snatches him up: maybe start looking at Knights of Columbus Free Throw Shooting Championships.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Illinois State
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Southern Illinois (7-10; 2-4) vs. Bradley (11-6; 5-1)
6:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois
ESPNU

After watching Wichita State hang tough at Drake last Sunday night, this weekend’s MVC game on ESPNU should be another exciting matchup (pitting Creighton’s last two victims against one another). The Salukis will be hoping to return the favor for an embarrassing 16-point road loss in the conference opener in Peoria three weeks to the day.

The final score (79-63) was much, much closer than the game actually was, but it was during that game when MVC fans across the Valley saw their first real glimpse of Kevin Dillard, the former Mr. Illinois Basketball, who poured in 21 points. Jays fans just witnessed him score 21 at the Qwest, and he’s scored double-figures in every conference game so far this season. The Salukis return to the Dawg Pound, where Dillard and the rest of his teammates will need the home cooking to recover quickly from Wednesday’s heartbreaking loss in Omaha.

In their previous game, Bradley managed a 63-52 win against a Harry Marshall-less Indiana State team in Terre Haute. Their defense showed up when it needed it the most, during the last 7 minutes. BU closed the game with an 11-4 run to turn a 4-point deficit into an 11-point win. Dodie Dunson led the Braves with 15 despite having some symptoms of the flu. Healthy or not, he will need to have as good a game, if not better, against the Salukis if the Braves want to leave Carbondale with the sweep over SIU.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois

~ Panon

Gameday Pick ‘em #19: Wichita State (6-11; 0-6)

The Pundits

“Jays can’t look past struggling Shockers” (OWH)
“Witter apologizes for words with Saluki” (OWH)
“Ankle sprain sidelines Millard for 4 to 6 weeks” (OWH)
“Shatel: What’s Next? Altman at a loss” (OWH)
“Shockers alone in last place” (Wichita Eagle)

The Picks

How do I put this kindly? I don’t care much for anything Black and Gold. Since childhood, I’ve been seemingly allergic to color combinations like those sported on the uniforms of Wichita State’s baseball and basketball teams. I have a similar aversion to combinations of maroon and grey/black, thanks to my early experiences as a Jays fan with Southwest Missouri State and then more recently because of the Salukis of Southern Illinois.

Why bring up color? Because “BLANK-outs” are all the rage these days, especially in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton won an incredible overtime game against SIU a few nights ago, the same evening 15,000-plus Jays fans donned white clothing and braved the cold January evening. Those are the same Salukis who will host a similar “white-out” Sunday night on ESPNU as they host the Bradley Braves.

Today is a “black-out” in Wichita. The folks at Wichita State will have electricity; they’ll also have black jerseys with gold trim out on the Koch Arena floor. Subsequently, the Jays are packing their home white uniforms for their trip to Kansas. Here’s to hoping CU beats WSU just as they did in the MVC opener for both schools, at home in the Qwest Center.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a 0-6 team with motivational issues might need something like an arena gimmick to get revved up for a midseason tilt against the MVC’s preseason pick for a league title. The Jays will need to stay the course and absorb what will most likely be a boisterous and fury-fueled fan base, one that is falling over itself to get into the win column.

This games has “TRAP” written all over it. With Chad Millard out with an ankle injury and Booker Woodfox unlikely to be at 100% the rest of the season because of an ankle problem, as well, Creighton will need to bear down and play within Dana Altman’s system to pull out a win in this hostile situation. P’Allen Stinnett and the other Jays can’t allow themselves to become unraveled, even as Head Shocker Gregggggg Marshall will probably be spitting fire from the opening tip trying to get his guys intent on slaying the Bluejays.

Regardless of what happens, though, I hope Altman and the Jays can connect on one of their familiar backdoor alley-oop or pick dunk plays. I’m sure Marshall would appreciate it, too. That is, as long as it comes at the right time in the game for CU.

I really hope the Jays win this one. There’s only one set of colors that will look good tomorrow, and that’s the White and Blue.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (19)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Antoine Young (19)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 2
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 5
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 6

Today In The Valley (Jan. 17)

Drake (13-5; 4-2) vs. Northern Iowa (11-6; 5-1)
11:00 a.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
ESPN2

All eyes in central Iowa — heck, maybe even the nation full of early-rising hoops junkies looking for something to counter the Notre Dame-Syracuse tilt on ESPN at the same — will be tuned in to The Deuce for this showdown of two of the Valley’s top teams.

This game features last year’s MVC champs, the Drake Bulldogs, hosting a team that would very much like to replicate that squad’s unexpected ascension from the depths of the preseason polls to the top of the Valley. Through one-third of the conference season, Northern Iowa has won road games in Carbondale and Omaha, arguably the two most difficult home courts on which to steal a win in the MVC. Today, the Panthers look to claim another victim on the road … albeit just down the road a bit from Cedar Falls.

UNI features a roster with solid offensive balance. Four Panthers average between 10.2 and 11.2 points per game, and freshman Johnny Moran is knocking on the double-figures door at 9.7 points per contest. Two of those leading scorers are big men (Jordan Eglseder, 10.2 ppg; Adam Koch, 11.2 ppg), while the others are sturdy if not flashy guards Kwadzo Ahelegbe (10.5 ppg), Ali Farokmanesh (10.5), and the aforementioned Moran.

What Drake’s roster lacks in offensive balance it makes up for with two of the most important players in the MVC. Junior Josh Young (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals per game) and senior Bucky Cox (12 points, 8 rebounds per game) are arguably the most consistent (and clutch) inside-outside combination in the MVC at this time. They are surrounded by complementary role players, some who have the ability to go off for a few scoring spurts here and there, but these are the two Bulldogs that lead the rest of the pack.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Drake
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Drake

~ Creighton Otter

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Evansville (11-5; 3-3) vs. Indiana State (4-13; 2-4)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

A win today and Evansville is within striking distance of the lead pack of five other teams who are above .500 in conference play. The Purple Aces are in foreign territory going into this game, as it will be their first game at home following a home loss. UNI snapped Evansville’s unbeaten streak this season at Roberts Stadium on Tuesday. Indiana State, meanwhile, hits the road (but stays in-state) following a home loss against Bradley.

The Purple Aces need to forget the loss to UNI and move on — the seniors especially. Against Northern Iowa, EU’s senior starts were kept in check to say the least: Shy Ely, 7 points, and Jason Holsinger, 4 points, were held to season lows. Players like them don't have two consecutive bad games. And as a team, the Purple Aces shot 33%, well below their season average of nearly 44%. The law of averages says they will shoot better in this game, which is what you would expect when you in the confines of their home arena.

Kevin McKenna should have his entire coaching staff and team memorize the game tape from UNI’s win against Evansville. If the Sycamore defense does its job, the offense will still need to put the ball in the bucket. That’s made more difficult by the unknown availability of Harry Marshall. They are a different team when he is on the floor, but even if he plays (it may be a game-time decision) he probably won’t be at 100%.

This should be a great game in what is the final regular season matchup between the Valley’s two Hoosier State representatives. Evansville won the first meeting by 6 points on the Hulman Center floor in Terre Haute. And as we approach the midpoint of conference action, a win by either team will help the victorious team avoid the dreaded Thursday night games at Arch Madness.

Picks
Creighton Otter: Evansville
Panon: Evansville
Dance Cam Guy: Evansville

~ Panon

Creighton 73, Southern Illinois 72 (OT)

The Great Escape

What’s better for Jays fans? A blowout win against SIU or a close, come-from-behind victory against the Salukis? It sounds like the makings of a trick question, doesn’t it? The only thing truly tricky, though, is how Dana Altman’s Bluejays were able to make a solid halftime lead disappear, only to then pull not one but two rabbits out of the proverbial hat and escape with a one-point win against their conference arch rival.

A rival, believe it or not, Creighton now owns a 2-game win streak against. Not since the Arch Madness title game in 2002 and a raucous home game at the Civic the next winter have the Bluejays beaten the Dawgs from Carbondale in repeat attempts. The recent success of both teams (CU’s under Altman, SIU’s under a triumvirate of Bruce Webber, Matt Painter, and now Chris Lowery) has escalated the intensity of the matchups each season to levels not felt by both players and fans of the Jays for quite some time inside Valley play.

Looking past the immediate decade and examining the results a bit further, there seems to be a specific ebb and flow to the one-sidedness of these CU-SIU showdowns. Coming into last night’s game, the Jays had beaten SIU just 2 times in the past 11 games dating back to the famous Arch Madness title game in 2003. And while the early 2000s saw each school split the meetings almost right down the middle, it was Creighton that won 8 of 10 meetings between January 1996 and the beginning of 2001. Before that, SIU won 7 out of 8 games from 1992 to 1995 (a.k.a. “The Dark Years”).

Is last night’s second win over SIU in as many chances the changing of the tides? Based on what 15,000-plus CU fans in attendance and a regional television audience saw last night, both teams seem primed for a couple of years of a back and forth struggle to retain supremacy in the MVC.

Did That Really Just Happen?

Oh yeah, the game. It had everything one has come to expect from a CU-SIU tilt: strong Saluki defense (sometimes too strong), streaky Jays shooting (sometimes too streaky for the crowd’s liking), questionable calls (see previous in list), and a game that came down to the final couple of possessions (in this case, a few possessions in regulation and overtime). I've never seen so many heads shaking back and forth (in a positive, quizzical way, mind you) walking through the concourses of the Q and down the streets in the Old Market following a game before tonight.

Sure, there have been other memorable evenings during which the Qwest Center has magically morphed into the Cardiac Q. But never has there been a back-and-forth game, full of lead changes and equal play, in which the home team came back from the dead twice and actually win. The video below will set the scene for you, but just in case you want the abridged version:


Holthus and Spoon were here, too; icing on the cake

• Creighton led by 8 points at halftime and opened a 9-point lead 30 seconds into the second half.
  
  
• After making 13 field goals (including 5 3-pointers) in the first half, CU made just 5 field goals (and 1 long-range shot) in the second stanza – good for a bad 24% shooting from the field.
  
  
• Meanwhile, the Salukis were busy shooting 50% from the floor in the second 20 minutes, led by sensational freshman Kevin Dillard’s 18 second-half points.
  
  
• CU’s lead was gone by the 12 minute mark and the two teams exchanged leads for much of the second half, until Carlton Fay drained a 3-pointer with 4:36 to go in the game. SIU would lead the rest of the way.
  
  
• That is, of course, until the waning moments of regulation. Cavel Witter, trying desperately to give his team a chance to play more basketball, was fouled by Dillard shooting a 3-pointer (the first of a few unfortunate late-game events for the freshman in his first trip to Omaha).
  
  
• Cavel knocks down 3 free throws with 3.3 seconds left on the clock. He wears jersey number 3. Panon yells that into my ear 3 times while we are crossing our fingers and heaving prayers to the heavens as Witter attempts – and buries – all of the shots. OVERTIME.
  
  
• The Jays score first in OT, but then Tony Boyle (yep, he’s still in Carbondale) takes over (something I never thought I’d write in this blog). Two free throws, a dunk, and a layup later, Boyle has the Jays in a load of trouble – down 4 with a little more than a minute to play.
  
  
• That’s where 1:05 of the video above takes us: Cavel gets called for a charge with about 55 seconds left to play, and SIU looks like they’ll leave Omaha with a victory. Then, in a very particular order...
  
  
• Josh Dotzler, the filthiest thief on the CU roster, takes the ball away from Dillard after the inbounds play, dishes to P’Allen Stinnett, who drains his 5th 3-pointer of the night to make it a 1-point deficit.
  
  
• On the ensuing play, Stinnett (whose 29 points and 5 rebounds marked one of the sophomore’s most important and impressive all-around outings of his 1-plus year as a Bluejay) steps in front of freshman Ryan Hare, drawing a charge (Hare’s 5th foul) and giving the Jays the ball back down 1 with 30-ish seconds left.
  
  
• After struggling through another game with a bad ankle, Booker Woodfox loses his defender (paging Mr. Dillard, yet again), gets a solid screen from Mr. Offensive Foul Kenton Walker, and nails a 3-pointer to put the Jays up 2.
  
  
• Oh, and in the middle of that action, an entire arena was transformed from grown men and women, some with children in attendance or grandchildren in their laps, to raving lunatics clamoring for a Jays win and celebrating excessively as the final horn sounded and both teams, drenched in sweat and effort, exited the arena floor. Or maybe that was just section 123. I think I blacked out.

The video above, while wonderful, does not do justice to how cold it was in Omaha last night, how hot it was in the Qwest Center during Creighton’s rabid comeback, and how testy the feelings are between the SIU and CU players and fan bases. The names and faces have changed, but a game like this will go a long way to cementing the status of these two teams as nemeses and the class of the Valley.