Bluejay Basketball

We've Moved! (White & Blue Review)

2009-08-01T15:12:00.005-05:00

Friends,

It's been a slow summer in this space. But it hasn't been for lack of effort on my part.

Four other dedicated Jays fans and I have spent the past four months putting together what we feel will become the most dynamic Creighton Bluejays fan site on the web.

Introducing www.WhiteandBlueReview.com

We're covering more than basketball; there are great sports, and great stories, on the Hilltop. We hope to provide you news, commentary, and analysis about all of them.

To learn more about what White & Blue Review is, click here.

We have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites. But in the end, we want whiteandbluereview.com to serve as an information hub for Creighton fans everywhere. Each post has the ability for readers to add comments, and we hope to hear from you about the stories we write, the stories you want us to write, and other features you want to see.

Thanks for reading! Creighton fans are amazing, and you are the reason we are spending some of our free time providing more information about Bluejay sports.

GO JAYS

Creative Accounting

2009-05-29T15:57:00.003-05:00

13 + 1 = 13?

With final exams in the books and five new Bluejays inked to men’s basketball letters of intent, summer vacation is officially underway. That was until the past few days, when recently departed senior-to-be Cavel Witter whipped discussion of CU hoops back into a frenzy with the news that he is not leaving the program as previously reported this spring.

Thursday’s Omaha World-Herald reported coach Dana Altman was open to Witter coming back to the team and earning his way back into the rotation, yet adding that nothing was “etched in stone.” Friday, Steve Pivovar published a story saying Witter expects to wear the White and Blue next season. “"Basically, it's going to come down to me getting back in there and working myself back on to the team," Witter said. He added, “I just need to show that I'm willing to work hard and that I'm willing to deal with the coaches and my teammates," Witter said. "That's not going to be a problem.”

The problem, though, comes when trying to answer this question: how many teammates will he be dealing with?

Ethan Wragge, Andrew Bock, Wayne Runnels, Daryl Ashford, and Greg Allen each signed fresh LOIs in the past 6 months. Add those five guys to a roster sans scholarship players Josh Dotzler, Booker Woodfox (graduation), and Kenton Walker (transfer), and the numbers don’t add up.

Seniors: Justin Carter / Chad Millard (TF) / Cavel Witter
Juniors: Kenny Lawson (RS) / Casey Harriman (RS) / P’Allen Stinnett / Kaleb Korver / Wayne Runnels / Daryl Ashford
Sophomores: Antoine Young
Freshmen: Josh Jones (RS) / Ethan Wragge / Andrew Bock / Greg Allen
*Scholarship players only

That’s right; that’s 14 players either on scholarship last year or planning to be on scholarship this year. Problem is, 13 is the magic number. So what in the abacus is going on here? Is Witter paying his own way to play? Is someone else? Is someone picking up some academic aide? Is Kenny Lawson logging some work study hours in the library, putting books away ala Panon? (At least Lawson wouldn’t need a library ladder to reach the top shelves.)

It is a good problem to have, in my opinion. Regardless of how things went on the court for Witter last season, it is almost unheard of for a coaching staff to be able to bring in a player with 2 years of experience in their exact offensive and defensive systems this late in the year. Plus, Altman knows a thing or two about changing his mind.

Plus, with Dotzler graduating and the young Young stepping in to play a majority of minutes at the point guard position (I assume), having Witter in place as someone who can play point and some off-guard will no doubt add to the experience on the bench needed to return to the NCAA tournament. I’m in no way doubting the abilities of Bock and Allen, but I also haven’t seen them drop 40 on Bradley or hit some clutch free throws against Southern Illinois (yet).

Also, in this scenario, it is possible for the point guard position to be solidified through 2014. If Altman can redshirt one of his two incoming freshmen point guards, then Jays fans would potentially spend senior nights with Young (2012), Bock (2013), and Allen (2014). That kind of consistency at the point guard position would be ideal.

Who really knows how this will play out? I’m just excited that it seems Witter will get one more year to attend a great school, play with teammates he’s been with for a few years, and make the best out of his senior year in a Creighton uniform. The more experience, the better, right?

Kentucky 65, Creighton 63

2009-03-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

A Win-Win Loss

This is always the hardest piece to write. Every year, about this time, Creighton’s basketball season comes to end with a loss. Some have been more difficult for fans and players to accept than others, but each leaves a sting that usually takes ample time to recover from.

With a few minutes left on Monday night against the Kentucky Wildcats, I allowed myself a split second thought of ending this season with a win. The Jays went toe to toe with a team littered with blue chip recruits and a few McDonald’s All-Americans for 39 minutes, the energy and atmosphere inside The Phone Booth were palpable, and for a fleeting moment I envisioned doing the same thing all over again two nights later.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. The Jays failed to win back-to-back postseason games yet again. But for the life of me I can’t remember a CU loss after which I felt so proud and satisfied. Perhaps that’s why, driving home from the Qwest Center for the final time this season, the outcome felt more like a win (in the long term) than a loss.

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Let’s be clear, first and foremost, about what was expected of Dana Altman’s team coming into this once-in-a-lifetime visit from the Wildcats to Creighton’s home gym. The Jays were favorites in Vegas. They had home court advantage thanks to the #1 seed given to them by the NCAA, which runs the NIT event. But I’m sure a straw poll of Jays fans and casual basketball observers would have been about 50-50 (at best) when asked if they expected a Bluejay victory.

Didn’t matter. From the opening tip, the players were focused in all phases of their efforts. For hours before tip-off the fans were into it, too, packing Farrell’s to listen to the CU pep band and pound a few beers. A few Wildcat sweatshirts floated through the crowd of Jay backers, the nearly identical shades of blue blending into one sweet cacophony of basketball interest.

They braved a tornado warning, by the way. Those who showed up to The Phone Booth later than 4:45 but before 5:30 ended up being corralled into another area of the convention center so as to let the storm pass. But the environment was just beginning to turn hostile.

Minus pregame music on the scoreboard, and unable to harness the energy that comes from the LCD boards illuminating the arena with CU-specific marketing messages, the crowd was rowdy anyway. Sure, there were some people there to watch Kentucky. And there were people there to watch Kentucky and Creighton. But a vociferous majority (that’s for you, Verne!) was there to support about a dozen players and some coaches, and that’s it.

To Creighton’s credit, the players and coaches didn’t disappoint anyone in the building. I’m sure that in the back of some folks’ minds, the idea (or nightmare) existed that for all the excitement and buildup to the game the Jays would come out flat, get too caught up in “the name on the front of the jersey,” and get rolled. But to the appreciation of 16,900-plus in the Q and thousands watching across the country on ESPN, and much to the chagrin of opposing coaches and similar basketball programs nationwide, the Jays stepped up.

They stayed even on the boards with Kentucky. If I would have told you a few months ago that would happen, I’m 100% you would have slapped me. Seriously. They won the turnover margin, by 1. They out-swiped the Cats (9-7). They made more 3-pointers than UK. They limited Jodie Meeks, an All-American, to just 16 points in 30 minutes (8 points beneath his average) and Patrick Patterson to just 12 points and 7 rebounds in 25 minutes.

Unfortunately, it was in the areas that carried them so far this season that they experienced major setbacks against the Wildcats. The Jays shot 44.4% as a team this year from the field, good for 3rd best in the Valley and 126th best in Division I. Against the Wildcats Creighton put itself in a whole by shooting just 32% in the first half. And while the second 20 minutes saw them hit their season average (11-25 from the field), the Jays’ 37% paled in comparison to Kentucky’s 45% clip for the game.

And to be perfectly honest, Creighton wins on Monday if they hit some free throws late. The Jays shot 74.9% from the charity stripe this season, putting them in the top 20 nationwide in that category. Unfortunately for Altman and his players, Kentucky is a top 10 free throw shooting team, and the Wildcats didn’t miss a free shot in the second half (10-10 from the line).

Individually, many on Creighton’s roster gave their best efforts of the season. From a defensive standpoint, P’Allen Stinnett hasn’t played a better game as a Jay than he did on Monday. He accepted the challenge of trying to deny Meeks the ball all evening, and he gave everything he had on the defensive end of the court. Sure, Meeks score 16 points, but 7 of those came on the free throw line. It was difficult for him to run in the flow of Kentucky’s offense due to the pressure applied by Stinnett and guys like Josh Dotzler and Antoine Young for smaller lengths of time.

Justin Carter, who was overcome with emotion following the loss, gave Creighton fans a glimpse of what next season might be for him when he has the chance to slide to his natural small forward position. His 15 rebounds occurred because of determination and grit, which fueled his broad shoulders in battle against taller and in some cases stronger Wildcats. He had 7 offensive boards, which equaled the total rebounds for Kentucky’s Patterson. His pickpocket move of Meeks in the waning moments of the game set up one of the night’s most disheartening moments, but it was also pretty freaking outstanding defense.

Speaking of playing with determination and grit, enough can’t be said about Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker stepping their games up against UK. Lawson put up 12 points, 5 rebounds (all offensive, by the way), 2 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist in 24 minutes. Walker spelled him off the bench for 16 minutes and was perfect from the floor for 7 points and blocked a shot.

And Booker Woodfox. What can you say? With the missed free throws, the turnovers, and Kentucky’s timely baskets, Creighton still had a chance to win in the last few seconds. Woodfox got a decent shot attempt from 3-point range, as Altman used the same play that had allowed Woodfox a clean look for the game-winner at home against Southern Illinois this season. This time, just like that, our forward set a clean screen and Woodfox’s shot was on target. Just a tad long.

Seriously, I went home and watched it at least 5 or 6 times. It was perfectly on line. It was just a bit strong. The guy had just played 25 minutes of the hardest basketball of his life, undersized against his defender every time he caught the ball. He still went for 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds (one off his career high), drilled 3 3-pointers, and left commentators and fans breathless every time he had the ball in his hands.

Jays fans will be able to watch him shoot 3s one more time, but it was his last shot in a CU uniform that could have seriously injured thousands of people in the crowd. If his 3-pointer would have won the game against Kentucky, all bets were off as to how much damage some of the sections inside the Q would have sustained. It would have been epic.

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And there it is. The first real “would have” of this post. The Bluejays clawed. They tried to overcome a poor night shooting the basketball. They exerted a huge amount of effort and energy, feeding off a frenzied crowd. Yet it came down to a couple clutch plays, plays that didn’t go the Jays’ way. And on the car ride home, Mrs. Creighton Otter and I were left with “would have”s. But my wife, always the optimist and realist, had a few great ideas.

She wanted to record the game on DVD and send it to each of the returning players. She wants them to watch how well they played, how much effort they brought to the court, and how much focus they displayed. She wants to show them the individual victories collected during what was ultimately a loss. She wants them to build on those wins, using them to pave the way for the returning Jays during the long summer ahead. Lift the extra weight. Shoot the extra shots. Spend the extra time in the gym or on the treadmill.

Prepare to win.

NIT Second Round Preview: #4 Kentucky (21-13)

2009-03-23T06:45:00.000-05:00

The Pundits

“Jays look to have better fortunes against this year’s SEC foe” (OWH)
“Shatel: Jays have golden chance against storied Wildcats” (OWH)
“Kentucky wild for their cats” (OWH)
“Jays face 1-2 punch of Meeks, Patterson” (OWH)
“Jays relish battle with a big name” (OWH)
“Jays’ Woodfox works to shake shooting slump” (OWH)
“Morning News: Creighton Bluejays Edition” (A Sea of Blue)
“Gillispie says he ‘can’t control’ whether he’ll return to Cats” (Courier-Journal)
“Depth and range the Bluejay way” (Courier-Journal)

The Pick

Take a look at someone’s ticket stubs and you’re likely to catch at least a glimpse of what is important to a person. I stopped stuffing my stubs deep into my wallet years ago, but as a child and even into my teenage years my packrat behavior included savoring the little piece of history I received when walking through the turnstile at a game or concert and experiencing a fantastic event for a few hours.

During my formative Bluejay years, ticket stubs from various showdowns at the Civic would be strewn across my bedroom. In those days, the best of my memory, the Dynamic Duo and Ice and Matt Rock would have to hit the century mark in order to bestow free pizza pie piled high on the home fans. And even if my memory misrepresents that target score, it was much higher than 75. And while hitting a hondo happened a few times, more times than not I would just keep hold of the light blue and white stubs. They were the paper trail through my Creighton basketball seasons.

I have ticket stubs from the NCAA Tournament games in Chicago in March 2002. Numerous reminders from Arch Madness games (and championships). Not to mention stubs from some outrageous concerts and Cubs games. But if I’ve kept any, they are stored away in miscellaneous shoe boxes, sandwiches between yearbooks and old photos of high school proms.

At my work desk, I’ve even got some stuffed into my coffee-mug-turned-pen-holder, which over the past 5 years has been a refuge for random stubs rescued from my pants pockets a few days after the event. A ticket from former Mexican president Vicente Fox’s presentation at the Orpheum in November. A stub from last year’s Van Halen concert at the Qwest Center, a night with some musical legends whose heyday happened during those years of Harstad and Gallagher, too. A ticket from this year’s SIU home game and a stub from last year’s NIT win against Rhode Island, two examples of what can happen when a Jays team plays a full 40 minutes and doesn’t give up. There are a few throw-away stubs from some early games in the 2007-2008 season against the powerhouses Houston Baptist and Savannah State.

But tonight’s ticket might take the cake.

Take a picture, it will last longer.

As Piv noted in the World-Herald recently, Kentucky has played one true road game against a team from outside the “power” conferences in the past decade. As Panon pointed out yesterday at the bar, it was probably Memphis.

I’ve been struggling with how to weigh the importance of this game since the final buzzer rang against Bowling Green on Wednesday. And as much as I want to say ‘this is just another game’ or ‘anyone is beatable, we shouldn’t treat this any differently,’ I know it isn’t true. Truth is, this is Kentucky, a school that folks in Omaha could only think of seeing in person if they would have been placed in last year’s 1st and 2nd round games at The Phone Booth with Kansas and Wisconsin.

This is most likely a kind of stub I won’t see again in some time, and others in Omaha apparently feel the same way. There are 500 tickets left as of early Monday morning, and you can bet the ducats will have some added value as the clock creeps closer to 6 p.m. this evening. That’s when the biggest game in the Qwest Center’s relatively short history tips off, on national television, a showcase for Dana Altman’s program to take advantage of.

Whether they will or not is beside the point; all Jays fans have asked for is a shot at home against a team that for good reason would never think of making the trek from BCSLand to our humble home at The Phone Booth. It took some fortuitous bounces of the basketball these past few weeks to make it happen, and while I’m sure the Jays watched the Big Dance this weekend and wondered what might have been, this is the type of game that has eluded the Jays (both in the regular and post seasons) for the past few years.

And I, along with more than 17,000 fans, will have a stub to commemorate it. Win or lose, there’s something special about that.

Jays 68, Cats 65

Creighton 73, Bowling Green 71

2009-03-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

Worth the Wait

A lot can happen in 10 days. A college basketball team, and probably more likely its fans, can sit idly during spring break following one of its worst performances of the season and watch as college basketball pundits debate your efforts and qualities as a squad. Some like to call it a resume; with the fervor and intensity with which the information is argued about and vetted, it seems more like financial bailout legislation or some laws governing the search for weapons of mass destruction.

The way Jays fans talked and Vegas bookies laid odds on Monday and Tuesday, the only thing in the path of destruction was the Bowling Green Falcons. The Jays came in as a #1 seed in the NIT, double-digit favorites to “survive and advance” against BGSU and host any combination of Kentucky, UNLV, Nebraska, New Mexico, UAB, or Notre Dame in the next 10 days. This despite what had happened during the last 10 days which, as we all know, was nothing.

If it seems to happen every year, that’s because it does. The “it” is the slow start in Creighton’s first postseason game following the layoff between Arch Madness and either the Big or Little Dances. CU has made 14 postseason appearances under Dana Altman (10 of those first-round games in either the NCAA or NIT tournaments), and 12 times Creighton has trailed at the half. And it isn’t always because they were playing better teams; more often than not, they were rusty. That’s what happened against Bowling Green, and coupled with some deft shooting from the Falcons, it almost cost the Jays a chance at defending their #1 seed and home court advantage all the way to Madison Square Garden.

What does rusty look like at The Phone Booth? Try 0-11 from 3-point range in the first half. Try 34% from the field in the first 20 minutes. Conversely, check out the MAC champion Falcons. They hit 6 treys in the first half, shot 47% from the field, and with 8 minutes to play they held a 14-point lead. The effort was there from Altman’s Jays, but shots weren’t falling. A usually feisty crowd was neutered a bit by the neutral trappings of an NIT-sanctioned “home” game. And CU wasn’t exactly giving the fans anything to get overly excited about.

So Justin Carter decided he would get things going. His 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 11 minutes, coupled with solid play at the front of Creighton’s press, paved the way for some momentum to swing the way of the Bluejays. He had his hands full all night with the Falcons’ Nate Miller, who averages nearly 14 a game and went for 22 against CU. But he was the spark to start what P’Allen Stinnett and Antoine Young finished.

Two weeks ago, Stinnett played what I considered to be one of his least inspiring games of basketball in his two years as a Bluejay. I wasn’t sure how he or the other players would react after feeling like they were snubbed by the selection committee, but the sophomore unloaded one of his best all-around efforts against Bowling Green. He scored 6 points in the first half while picking his spots carefully, but Stinnett went for the kill a couple times in the second frame. He didn’t miss a shot from the field in the last 20 minutes, hit 8 of 9 free throws after attacking the rim, and dished 4 assists. Oh, and he committed just 1 second-half turnover. In all, Stinnett put up 18 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in 31 minutes. He spent a good chunk of time in the second half on the floor at the same time as Young, who will take the reins of the point guard position next season following Josh Dotzler’s graduation.

Young didn’t dish as many assists as Dotzler did (1 to 4, comparatively), but his 12 aggressive points and speedy defensive closeouts helped the Jays battle back from that double digit deficit. He was needed offensively because Booker Woodfox was ice cold, just 2-11 from the field. Creighton didn’t lead from the 17:56 mark of the first half until the 4:44 mark of the second half, and they eclipsed Bowling Green on the scoreboard at that time because of a Woodfox 3-pointer (he hit just 2-9 from long range).

But in the end, Booker got just enough help from Carter, Stinnett, Young, and the rest of his teammates to salt the game away. I was really impressed with Bowling Green’s energy and focus, but they couldn’t become the first #8 seed to upset a #1 in the years since the NCAA took over the NIT.

And with the win, Creighton will host Kentucky on Monday. You read that correctly. Kentucky. At the Qwest Center. As assistant coach Brian Fish said today on Big Sports 590, “not Western or Northern or Eastern Kentucky. Kentucky.” It might take awhile for Creighton fans to get over the name on the front of the jersey, but I’m sure the 15,000-plus who will be in attendance in a few days will let the Wildcats know what they think of the winningest program in college basketball history.

They won’t have to wait nearly two weeks to do it.

Blue Monday

2009-03-16T08:51:00.002-05:00

Jays Miss NCAA Field

After losing so badly in the semifinals of Arch Madness, fans of the Bluejays knew it would be an uphill battle for one of the at-large bids to this year's Big Dance.

I'm trying to not let the fact they didn't make it bother me. And I'm trying to forget that Arizona simply didn't win during the past month yet gets an at-large spot.

And I'm not, for any second, saying only the Jays should have been in instead of the Wildcats. Plenty of teams have a decent argument for that last at-large spot.

Don't believe me? Take a listen to Dick Vitale, below. Sure, he is a head wonk at ESPN, the television power that pretty much runs public perception of (and exposure to) college hoops. Painted as a homer for Duke and other major basketball powers, Vitale argues with Jay Bilas and some other talking heads about his perceived slight of "the little guys" like CU and Saint Mary's.

Oh, by the way, Creighton's a #1 seed in the NIT, which starts Wednesdsay at Qwest Center Omaha versus the Bowling Green Falcons.

Illinois State 73, Creighton 49

2009-03-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

Great Expectations

I’m slowly starting to feel like a normal human being again. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that is flexible with office hours, which at the beginning of each March translates to a 400-plus mile drive (each way) for a weekend full of hoops and camaraderie in St. Louis.

Throw in an ailing back, shared hotel rooms with a dozen close friends, temperatures in the upper 70s, and cold beer fresh from the city’s world-renowned brewery, and I’m sure you can conjure enough ideas about why I might not be 100% right now.

But perhaps the most damning and destructive of ingredients my group of friends and I were exposed to this past weekend was the emotional rollercoaster set in motion by the Bluejays’ basketball efforts.

That’s what happens when great expectations meet poor execution.

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The tone of this blog has been decidedly sunnier during the past month-plus of CU wins. With a 10-game win streak in tow to St. Louis, I don’t think it is a stretch to say Bluejay fans held great expectations – as they always do – for the team in the postseason tournament. But the sunniest part of the weekend, save for Booker Woodfox’s amazing shot against Wichita State (a shot that should have never been needed), was my Friday morning run from the Sheraton down Market street to the Arch.

At that point in time, the weekend was perfect. The bright sun beat down, shining off the enormous steel landmark, brought with it warm skies and smiling faces throughout downtown St. Louis. And while the weather would stay perfect for the length of our stay, Creighton’s month-long win streak would come to a gloomy end and cast a long, dark shadow on the team’s chances for playing in the NCAA tournament.

I already wrote a little bit about Creighton’s win over Wichita State while sitting in the Club Lounge of our hotel Saturday morning. With 16:41 to play the Jays held a 22-point lead (47-25). From that moment on, the Shox went on a 37-16 run. Heck, with 13 minutes left Josh Dotzler stole a pass near midcourt, was able to contort his body while lying on the ground, throw the ball behind his head to P’Allen Stinnett, who then finished with a Sportscenter-worthy dunk on the other end.

Save for Woodfox’s amazing game-winning shot that would be Jays fans’ final time to cheer in St. Louis. From that remarkable reaction by Dotzler and finish by Stinnett to the end of the game, Stinnett committed three turnovers, got a steal but missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity at the free throw line, and then committed another turnover with 13 seconds left and the Jays clinging to a 2-point lead. The sophomore, who in the first half was crashing the boards and playing pretty well, finished the game with 7 turnovers.

This shot, and Dotzler’s amazing pass, were about the only highlights in STL

Did the Jays survive? Sure. They could have coughed up a 22-point lead and lost the game (like Texas A&M did tonight in Oklahoma City), but instead gave more than 3,000 Jays fans in St. Louis a reason to breath a deep sigh of relief and prepare for a showdown against Illinois State on Saturday night. But in reality, the damage to Creighton’s chances in Arch Madness had been done during the last 10 minutes against WSU.

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During the past two seasons, no team has given the Jays fits quite like Tim Jankovich’s Redbirds. It has been detailed here and here and here and here. It was fitting then, I guess, that in order to advance to the title game of a testy MVC tournament CU would need to conquer Illinois State on a neutral court. Sure, the Jays had posted a win in the regular season finale against the Redbirds, but that was on senior day in front of a home crowd eager for a taste of the regular season title. And while the Gateway City was filled with Jays fans all weekend, this game wasn’t going to come down to crowd support; matchups would prevails.

Unfortunately for Dana Altman’s Bluejays, they couldn’t matchup against Illinois State’s 55% shooting from the field and an astounding 68% accuracy from 3-point range. The Jays shot 22% in the first half against ISU, making just 7 field goals (including just 1 3-pointer). The Redbirds, on the other hand, hit 13 shots (6 of which came from long range) and physically destroyed Creighton’s chances of hitting a few easy baskets to reverse the poor shooting efforts.

It is no secret that the matchups Creighton would be favored in were all on the other side of the bracket. But after an 11-game win streak and a share of the MVC regular season title, it felt like the Jays’ dreams of dancing in March came down to a game (and an opponent) they just weren’t prepared for. Again, I stress the fact that it really didn’t matter what Creighton would have done offensively — the Redbirds were absolutely unconscious from the field, led by Osiris Eldridge and Champ Oguchi. But you have to wonder if the great expectations of an Altman team playing in St. Louis, where Dana’s squads have done so much damage in the past decade, were too much of a distraction from the task at hand: surviving and advancing.

Well, they certainly didn’t survive the onslaught brought by Jankovich’s Redbirds on Saturday. And their ability to advance to the goal they all had at the beginning of the season is in serious jeopardy, too.

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In all honesty, I consider only 3 of Creighton’s 7 losses “bad” losses. Sure, losing a lead late at home against Northern Iowa felt bad at the time, but they won the league, too. And those two 2-point losses on the road in the same week of November conjured much consternation among Jays fans everywhere, but winning on the road is difficult and it was early in the season. That goes for the loss at Wichita; every team in the MVC is good for at least one road stinker each season against a team that they should beat.

No, Creighton has 3 losses that I feel extremely bad about, and 2 of them came at the hands of the Redbirds. I hate that we lost at home to Drake, but loss might have served a greater purpose: it was after that horrible effort that the Jays ripped off 11 straight wins. Still, it is a bad loss. But the 22-point loss in Normal back in January and this 24-point drubbing in the Arch Madness semifinals stick firmly into the claws of Bluejays everywhere.

Do the Jays deserve to be in the Big Dance? You can make a case either way. The computer numbers are good. Even with the loss in STL they are among the hottest teams in the nation. They win on the road at a higher percentage than most teams in the top 10 conferences. They beat New Mexico and Dayton at home and St. Joe’s on the road. They won the MVC title. But the losses to Illinois State stick out to me as daggers in the heart of a potential at-large bid. We weren’t competitive in either game, and unfortunately for CU the Redbirds are more akin to what potential opponents in the NCAA tournament would look and play like.

That doesn’t have any bearing on whether or not they’ll get in, but it has direct implications on whether they could do anything once they get to the dance. If they can’t figure out a way to beat teams like Illinois State, they’ll be making a mere cameo appearance in any postseason tournament in which they play. Poor execution trumps great expectations every time. Hopefully the Jays get a chance to revive those expectations on the national stage.

I guess if Booker’s shot went in, anything is possible.

Creighton 63, Wichita State 62

2009-03-07T09:12:00.003-06:00

The Morning After History

What can I possibly type here?

I mean, the Jays GAVE that game to WSU. Sure, the Shox made some big plays down the stretch, but Dana Altman's strategy to seemingly go into Four Corners mode with 9 minutes left to play was about 6 minutes too early.

Not that in 15 years anyone will remember that, though. All they'll remember is Booker Woodfox.

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We are at the Sheraton this weekend, in the shadow of the Scottrade Center, and we've of course run into a couple (read: hundreds) of Jays fans at our hotel. Two such Jays backers, a young husband and wife, brought along their 10-week old son, probably one of the youngest CU fans in St. Louis this weekend.

20 minutes after Booker's shot swished through and sent the Shox packing and the Jays advancing, I saw this young dad in the concourse. With bewilderment and sheer joy on our faces, I asked him how many years the game's ending took from his life.

After we both exchanged random answers, he put it the best way I can think of when trying to sum up Woodfox's shot (and his all-around play this year). While holding his baby, all dressed in blue, he said "One day we'll tell him he was at this game, and we'll try to share with him the legend of Booker Woodfox."

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For awhile, the only thing that seemed legendary about the game was the inevitable choking away of a 22-point lead. I'm sending this from the hotel lobby so I won't get into the game's specifics, but one of the folks in our traveling party put it best. He said he watched CU play the best basketball and worst basketball of its season in the same 40 minutes, and I think that's a fair assessment.

But in March, "survive and advance" becomes every team's battle cry.

Thanks to the Legend of Booker Woodfox, that's what they did.

Let the (Arch) Madness Begin!

2009-03-04T21:47:00.002-06:00

So, St. Louis is the second saddest city in the United States.

So says BusinessWeek. Mrs. Creighton Otter was perusing the ‘net a bit today and ran across a Top 10 list (is it really top? Shouldn’t it be more like worst?) that places the Gateway City right behind Portland, Oregon, and directly ahead of New Orleans and Detroit using a series of stats that make you feel sad even as you read the blubs.

Jays fans have experienced more joy and jubilation in STL than they have been depressed during the past decade. With Arch Madness championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007, Dana Altman and the rest of the Jays have staked Creighton’s claim as the Team To Beat seemingly year in and year out in the Valley’s postseason tournament.

And this year is probably no different. They are the hottest team in the MVC right now, having won 10 straight games (and 11 of their last 12) and catching the attention of the national sports media. Does that make the always-large target on their backs even bigger? They have the most difficult side of the bracket ahead of them, and they would be crazy to think that anything less than winning the tournament will safely get them into the NCAA tournament.

So, without further ado, this is how they’ll do it. If they don’t win the tournament I’ll be slightly depressed, at least for a little bit, but I’ll never feel like St. Louis is the saddest city in America. Regardless of the outcomes of the games, I’ve had some of the best times of my life in the shadow of the Arch.

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Creighton Otter
Game 1: Indiana State over Drake
Game 2: Missouri State over Wichita State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Indiana State
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Missouri State
Game 6: Illinois State over Evansville
Game 7: Northern Iowa over Bradley
Game 8: Creighton over Illinois State
Game 9: Creighton over Northern Iowa

Panon
Game 1: Indiana State over Drake
Game 2: Missouri State over Wichita State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Indiana State
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Missouri State
Game 6: Evansville over Illinois State
Game 7: Northern Iowa over Bradley
Game 8: Creighton over Evansville
Game 9: Creighton over Northern Iowa

Dance Cam Guy
Game 1: Drake over Indiana State
Game 2: Wichita State over Missouri State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Drake
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Wichita State
Game 6: Illinois State over Evansville
Game 7: Bradley over Northern Iowa
Game 8: Creighton over Illinois State
Game 9: Creighton over Bradley

We'll be posting updates all weekend live from St. Louis. I know a lot of you will be at Arch Madness, too, but for those of you who can't make it I hope you'll turn to BluejayBasketball.blogspot first for all your MVC tournament information needs.

GO JAYS. Hang A Banner.

Tasty Knowledge Nuggets

2009-03-04T06:31:00.000-06:00

Now that I’ve grabbed your attention (and either have your mouth watering with thoughts of delectable snacks of some sort or have grossed you out) with the title, it is time to offer some thanks and recognition to some of the hardest working members of the Creighton athletics department.

Players play the games. Coaches prepare them for the battles. But the unsung heroes of Jays games are Rob Anderson and the rest of the Sports Information staff at CU. Their responsibilities are extensive, their knowledge of the team and the college game Rainman-esque, and their efforts exhaustive and consistent.

If you want to riddle your mind with every possible statistic you can think of related to Creighton’s year in, year out quest for MVC championships, grab some of Rob’s game notes via www.GoCreighton.com some time. For obsessed fans like me, it is the ultimate resource for feeding my addiction to CU hoops.

So, in honor of Rob’s efforts and the work of the entire Sports Information staff, here are just a few of the tasty nuggets that can be found in the notes preceding this year’s Arch Madness tournament.

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Can You Forecast This?
Even though the games are played indoors at Scottrade Center, the weather in the St. Louis metro area may play a bigger factor that you’d expect. According to historical weather data found on www.almanac.com for St. Louis, consider the following information:

Creighton is 12-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high temperature that day was 49 degrees or warmer.
Creighton is 8-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high is 47 degrees or cooler.
Creighton is 0-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games and the high that day was exactly 48 degrees.
The forecast for this weekend is nothing short of brilliant. Weather.com expects it to be 64 degrees on Friday, 62 degrees on Saturday, and 53 degrees on championship Sunday.

What A Win Friday Would Mean
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...

Improve to 26-6 on the season, and win its 11th straight game.
Win its 13th straight game in the MVC Tournament when playing as the No. 2 seed.
Improve to 21-4 in MVC Tournament action since 1999.
Reach the semifinals for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons.
Improve to 16-11 in quarterfinal round action of the MVC Tournament.
Improve to 36-17 at the MVC Tournament all-time, tops in wins and winning percentage (.679) in the event’s history.
Give the Valley’s No. 2 seed a quarterfinal round win for the 11th straight year.
Head coach Dana Altman would improve to 21-7 in MVC Tournament games, extending his league record for tournament victories.

Creighton owns a 35-17 all-time record in MVC Tournament games. Creighton’s 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its .673 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops. Creighton is 15-11 in the quarterfinals, 10- 5 in the semifinals and 10-1 in the championship games.

Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 10 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Winthrop (8), Duke (7) and Creighton (6). Creighton’s 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).

Since the start of the 1998-99 season, Creighton owns 16-0 record on the first day of events they have played back-to-back games in. They are 14-2 during the second day of back-toback games, and 6-2 when playing on a third straight day.

Voted the preseason favorites in the MVC way back in October, Creighton lived up to those expectations this year with a regular-season title. Since 1985-86, the preseason poll has now accurately predicted the league’s regular-season champ 11 times out of 23 polls. In only nine of the previous 23 preseason polls was the preseason favorite the eventual Valley Tournament champion. However, the past three times that has happened, it’s been Creighton (2007, 2003, 1999). Only four previous times has the preseason favorite won both the regular-season and tournament titles (1988 Bradley; 1991 Creighton; 1997 Illinois State; 1998 Illinois State).

Creighton is one of just 12 teams in the top 52 of the RPI with at least 10 Division I wins away from home (thru 2/28). Joining Creighton on that list is powerhouses North Carolina, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Memphis, Xavier, Clemson, Florida State, Butler, Utah State and Gonzaga.

Creighton attracted 276,115 fans this season, a figure that is the most in the 102-year history of the MVC. The Jays are also on pace to set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton is averaging 16,242 fans currently (10th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.

Booker Woodfox has made 43-of-44 free-throw attempts away from home this season (97.7 percent), including 25-of-25 in MVC road games this year.

Creighton’s 10-game win streak is tied for third longest nationally.

Creighton currently has 25 wins, all against Division I opponents. According to Jerry Palm from http://www.collegerpi.com, every team in the last 15 years with at least 25 Division I wins from a top-10 conference has made the NCAA Tournament. The MVC is currently the ninth ranked conference. Overall, only four teams have missed the NCAA’s with 25 or more Division I wins in the last 15 years...Robert Morris last year, Akron and Vermont in 2007 and Butler in 2002.

Random Valley Tournament Facts…

Creighton is the only Valley school that has not appeared in the play-in round since that format began in 1997.
Creighton has not gone consecutive seasons without winning a Valley Tournament title since 1997-98. CU has won titles in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 in recent years.
Creighton is 7-1 in its last eight MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.

Random Valley Tournament Facts (about possible quarterfinal opponents)…

Creighton has scored exactly 70 points in all five previous MVC Tournament meetings with Wichita State, winning four of those contests.
Five of the previous six Bluejay teams to beat Missouri State in Springfield went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament that March. Creighton won in Springfield, 65-59, this year.

Creighton’s defense has been stellar in the second halves of its current 10-game win streak. The Jays have held opponents to 38.8 percent from the floor (109-281) after intermission and just 29.9 percent from three-point range (26-87) in those 10 triumphs.

In the past 10 games (all CU wins), Josh Dotzler has 40 assists, seven turnovers and 19 steals in 216 minutes. Despite being CU’s primary ballhandler, Dotzler owned just 18 turnovers in 18 MVC games this season, including 15 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He ranked sixth nationally with a 3.00 assist/turnover ratio (now 3.12) through games of last Thursday.

Creighton has made four or more three-pointers in 64 consecutive games, which ranks eighth nationally.

The rebound differential between Creighton and its opponent has stood at 10 or larger in 16 of the 31 games to date. The Jays have won the boards by 10 or more five times (going 4-1), but lost on the glass by double-digits on 11 occasions (going 7-4). In the 15 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 14-1. Creighton is 13-1 when winning the rebound battle this year, and 18-2 when they are -9 or better on the glass.

Creighton has shot 104-for-197 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 25 wins this season, good for 52.8 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 24-of-28 from 2-point range (85.7 percent), and the team shooting 34-of-81 (42.0 percent) from three-point range in that time range. On the other hand in the final seven minutes of its six losses, Creighton is 16-of-54 from the field (29.6 percent) and 5-of-26 from 3-point range (19.2 percent). Stinnett is 0-for-9 from the field in the last seven minutes of CU’s six losses this season.

Creighton has shot the ball well from the free throw line, moving up to ninth nationally with its 76.0 percent rate from the charity stripe. That’s even more impressive when you consider CU’s 525 free throw makes are also 10th nationally. Creighton and North Carolina are the only teams in the country to rank in the top-10 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.

Booker Woodfox is 83-of-163 (50.9 percent) from three-point range this season, best nationally. For his career, he is 139-of-295, which computes to 47.1 percent, just ahead of the school-record figure achieved by noted marksman Kyle Korver. The only previous player in CU history to shoot better than 44.5 percent from three-point range in their career was two-time MVC Player of the Year Korver, who made 45.3 percent from downtown while hitting 371-of-819 from long-range.

Booker Woodfox Wins Player of the Year

2009-03-03T14:46:00.003-06:00

Official Release from Missouri Valley Conference
OWH release by Steve Pivovar
Picture montage of Woodfox from http://www.omaha.com/

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That the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Year award is named for legend Larry Bird is quite a coincidence, considering the last two Creighton Bluejays to garner the award.

Like Kyle Korver before him (in both 2002 and 2003), Booker Woodfox knows no limits when shooting the basketball. And like Korver, Woodfox is by all accounts a consummate teammate and team-first student athlete.

The word "range" limits the lengths from which Woodfox can drill a 3;
Seriously, he's not even on the screen when he drops this bomb against St. Joe's.

But unlike Korver, who Jays fans felt grew up before their very eyes, and CU’s other POY winners Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher, Woodfox transferred to the Hilltop. In the only bittersweet context of Woodfox’s award-winning efforts this season, Jays fans were only blessed by his abilities and attitude for two seasons.

Booker’s statistics speak for themselves, yet we’ve dedicated much of this blog the past two years to regurgitating the eye-opening numbers he has posted as a Jay. Those numbers are detailed in the few links above.

I know it is clichéd, but what I’ll remember most from Woodfox’s time at CU, and especially his POY season this year, is the way he always carried himself well on the court and the sheer effort and focus with which he plays the game. Oh, and he is pretty clutch, too (see below).

One of Woodfox’s most memorable shots, a game-winner vs. ORU

The other All-Valley awards were given out today, and some will come out tomorrow, but I thought Booker’s well-deserved POY award was worthy of a lunchtime post. I’m sure you’ll agree.

Now keep it up a little while longer, Booker.

The Others

2009-03-03T00:18:00.005-06:00

Since 1999, the year Dana Altman’s regime at Creighton produced its first MVC tournament title, the Jays have played 24 games in St. Louis as part of Arch Madness. And in more than 60% of those games, Creighton’s leading scorer per game in the regular season led the Jays in the points column in the box score.

The names Rodney Buford, Ben Walker, Ryan Sears, Kyle Korver, and Nate Funk compose a venerable list of the most indispensable Bluejays to don the White and the Blue during Altman’s tenure on the Hilltop. Buford led the Jays in scoring during each of his four seasons. Korver and Funk each led the Jays in 3 of their years at CU. Walker and Sears seemingly split the scoring duties evenly during their four years together as Bluejays.

But who are the others? Who stepped up above and beyond their regular season statistics and displayed the determination and effort necessary to become X factors as the season started to wane and one bad game meant a team’s year could be finished?

Today we take a quick look at The Others; those whose play down the stretch in key games during some of the most memorable seasons under Altman’s watch helped the Jays cut down nets and hang banners.

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Ben Walker, 1998-1999

As a sophomore, Walker and fellow guard Sears conceded the spotlight to one man, Buford, the senior who almost single handedly helped Altman pull Creighton out of a Rick Johnson-induced coma. Buford never won an MVC Player of the Year award, losing to Rico Hill during his junior season and Marcus Wilson as a senior. For Jays fans, though, the votes shouldn’t have been close. Buford was The One who quickly brought the Jays back to the NCAA tournament – and respectability – again.

But down the stretch of the season and in the MVC tournament, Buford would need some help. All tournament runs require multiple men to step up and make plays, even though they’re tired and their opponents are seeing them for the third time in a season. The stakes are great, the competition is fierce and familiar, and it takes just a couple of mistakes to end a season. Those characteristics were no match for Walker.

For the season he averaged just over 9 points a game, and with Buford shut down in the quarterfinals against Illinois State, Walker posted a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). In the semifinals, Walker went for 23 points and pulled in another 5 boards. And in the Valley championship game, a win over Evansville (and Marcus Wilson … take that!), Walker added to Buford’s 20-plus point night with another double-double (18 points, 11 boards).

Then, two weeks later, Walker put up 16 points and 5 rebounds in an opening round upset of Louisville in the NCAA tournament and 15 points and 4 rebounds in a second round loss to Maryland. If you could Walker’s last game of the regular season, a feisty 14-point, 4-rebound effort against Wichita State, the sophomore averaged 16 points and more than 6 rebounds during the final 6 games of the 98-99 season.

Terrell Taylor, 2001-2002

The mercurial yet talented junior from Connecticut began his Creighton career the same season as Korver – early in their careers, it was evident they had the talent to be another 4-year, 1-2 punch for Altman as Walker and Sears had been before them. Korver was more consistent than Taylor, however, and his efforts more well-rounded both on and off the court. There was no questioning Taylor’s abilities, just his focus on doing what was needed to play for Altman and the Jays faithful.

In February 2002, a story came out in the local paper telling of a visit that Altman and Taylor had with Terrell’s mother. I don’t remember all the details, and I won’t say I do, but the gist of the resolution was this: Taylor could fall in line, or he could sit on the bench. So for the final few weeks of the season, at least, Taylor did more than fall in line; he took his teammates and CU fans on one of the wildest rides they’ve experienced.

It started on Ash Wednesday with 28 points at Drake, in a 95-91 road win in Des Moines. Then came double-digit point totals in 3 of the final 4 regular season games, as the Jays won a co-championship with Southern Illinois. And after scoring just 9 points in the quarterfinal round win in St. Louis, he poured in 19 points in 20 minutes of a semifinal win and 20 points in 26 minutes in the finals against SIU.

Those efforts were just a precursor, however, to the biggest day of his basketball career, and the most clear image of Creighton basketball for the general fan base of March Madness.

I never get sick of watching this. I'm sure Donovan does, though.

In what still remains the highlight of my 28 years of watching sports, Taylor hit 8 3-pointers, including the game-winner shown above, on his way to 28 points in 40 minutes of action in CU’s 83-82, double overtime victory over Florida in the NCAA tournament.

Forget that in his next outing, a virtual home game in the second round for Illinois in the United Center in Chicago, he scored just 10 points on 4-14 shooting. And forget, for a moment, that the March Madness of his effort against the Gators would be Bluejay fans’ lasting (and final) impression of him as a basketball player. While he didn’t finish his career at Creighton, he certainly left a legacy that, for at least one shining moment, is worth recalling year after year.

The last 10 games of his CU career saw him score 17.5 points per game and shoot 44% from 3-point range.

Larry House, 2002-2003

La Casa once stayed at my house in college; that’s another story, for another time. During his senior season, which coincided with Creighton’s 29-win campaign and season-long flirtation with a top 10 national ranking, House averaged 11 points per game as he admirably deflected at least a small amount of defensive attention teams were paying to Korver, the Valley’s Player of the Year in both 01-02 and 02-03.

House really kicked things into gear as he saw the final few games of his college career in front of him. He helped Altman, Red McManus, and the rest of the Bluejays past and present close the Civic Auditorium by scoring 28 points and grabbing 6 rebounds on Senior Night that March.

Then he scored 7 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in a 1-point win over Indiana State in the quarterfinals. He scored 12 points and pulled in 7 rebounds against Wichita State, in another 1-point tournament win. And in what arguably was the most fun game to be present for in my years of watching CU hoops, House (and his 20 points) brought the Salukis to their knees almost immediately in Creighton’s 80-56 championship game drubbing.

He even scored 11 points in The Game That Will Not Be Mentioned, which ended his career and Creighton’s magical season. His last 5 games as a Bluejay saw him score 16.7 ppg and average 5 rebounds a contest.

Jimmy Motz, 2004-2005

He is maybe the most unlikely of people on this list, just based on what his entire 04-05 season looked like under full inspection. Coming into the MVC tournament, Motz was averaging 5.9 ppg and was just one of a number of sub-double digit scorers Altman could bring off the bench at the forward position.

That was until Motz hit 75% of his field goals, including 71% from deep 3-point range, and helped Nate Funk and Johnny Mathies win Arch Madness and send the Jays back to the NCAA tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Motz hit 10 of his 14 3-pointers in St. Louis and averaged 12 points per game, more than double his season scoring average. The image of him pumping his fists after a dagger 3-pointer in the second half of the championship game against Missouri State might sound familiar: it graces the pregame Tunnel walk video for this season’s Bluejays home games.

Nick Porter, 2006-2007

From the moment Porter stepped on campus, albeit with a bum knee, it seemed all we heard about the beefy guard-forward was his ability to be the X Factor Altman was looking for. He had to sit out his first season with the Jays due to that knee, and then an injury to Funk and a late blossoming for Anthony Tolliver into an All-MVC player set the stage for all three men to share their senior seasons together.

Funk lost the Player of the Year award to Jamaal Tatum. Tolliver was a beast in the paint. And Porter was the third option, the 10.7 ppg player who could crash the boards and make free throws no matter the size and strength of who was pounding on him. And with just a few games left in his career, Porter turned in some of the most well-rounded efforts of his Creighton career.

On Senior Day, or the White Out Against Wichita, Porter put up 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists versus the Shockers. He didn’t have to take a lot of shots against Indiana State in the quarterfinals, as his 7 points and 6 rebounds came in just 24 minutes of play due to a 59-38 throttling of the Sycamores. But it was his last two games of that season’s Valley tournament that cemented his status as the X Factor Altman so desperately needed.

While Funk was busy dropping 33 points on a game but ultimately overpowered bunch of Missouri State Bears, Porter posted a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. And in the championship game win over #11 Southern Illinois, Porter beat the Salukis seemingly at their own strategy: his 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists each came under enormous physical and mental pressure, applied by the SIU defense and the weight of the situation. The Jays needed to win the tournament to get an NCAA bid, and to win the tournament they needed Porter to post a great game. He did, and they did.

He put up 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists against Nevada in Creighton’s overtime loss in the first round to Nevada in that year’s NCAA tournament, a noble final effort for a Bluejay who stepped up at the right time.

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Who will be the Bluejay or Bluejays to step up this postseason? Who will help deflect the attention from Booker Woodfox and P’Allen Stinnett? This year’s team is full of players who can score, defend, and make plays for teammates: who will do it with the pressure at its highest level?

Creighton 74, Illinois State 70

2009-03-01T17:03:00.001-06:00

Champions

The Creighton Bluejays are regular season champions of the Missouri Valley Conference.

I’ve never been able to write those words on this blog before. I started keeping this semi-regular report of Creighton basketball seasons when the 2004-2005 season tipped off, and this is Dana Altman’s first regular season title since the 2001-2002 season.

That both this and the previous titles were co-championships with Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois, respectively, matters little right now. This blog has celebrated two Arch Madness titles and NCAA tournament trips and plenty of regular season and NIT wins worth writing a few hundred words about. But for the first time, we get to share our thoughts not about what a regular season title would mean but what it does mean.

And the fact is, five weeks ago I didn’t think this would be the season when we would be able to share those kinds of thoughts. I’m glad I was wrong.

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We wanted to help stimulate the economy. That, and fill in gapping hole in our living room.

Following Christmas, Mrs. Creighton Otter and I took advantage of some of Warren Buffett’s generosity and picked up a new chair for our TV room. The space that had been chewed up by a perfectly decorated Christmas tree was begging for a permanent resident after said Xmas Tree hit the huge Tupperware container for the next 10 months.

The understated yet supremely comfortable corner chair needed some breaking in, so for the past few months I’ve written most of the entries in this blog while lounging in our latest addition to our furniture collection.

On the afternoon of January 24, though, no writing was taking place in the chair; just a lot of venting. My favorite in-laws in the world were in town that weekend to watch Drake visit the Qwest Center. The Jays had payback on their minds for the three losses the Bulldogs dealt to Creighton last season.

The particulars of that game were much like yesterday’s CU-Illinois State tilt; the 1:00 p.m. start, a little more than 17,100 people in the building, and a sunny yet bitterly cold day for Creighton hoops. However, the Jays stayed cold the entire game, shooting just 30% and letting a 6-point halftime lead dissipate into a 12-point loss. It remains Creighton’s most notable blemish on an otherwise solid season record. (One could argue that the loss at Wichita State is worse based solely on RPI figures, but that was on the road. I hate home losses more than anything.)

My family and I spent the hours immediately following that loss stewing back in the apartment living room, verbalizing our frustrations about anything and everything that seemingly was going wrong with this year’s Jays squad. At 5-4 in the conference at the halfway mark, it was time for a progress report. Needless to say, the grades wouldn’t have made a Creighton faculty member proud. I was busy again breaking in the new chair; this time, with decidedly negative emotion.

The conversation continued down the street, as we enjoyed a solid supper at the Brazenhead. As a few Guinness were poured, a few more frustrations foamed to the top of our conversation during the meal.

A 9-game win streak following two 2-point losses on the road in late November had allowed me to elevate my expectations that this team would be the one: the one to win a regular season title; the one to bring home another Arch Madness crown; the one to make a name for Creighton in the NCAA tournament. But as I stared at a baked potato on the plate, I figured those hopes were half-baked wishes now, at best. Sure, the Jays still had the team in the MVC best built for the tournament in St. Louis. But they couldn’t catch Northern Iowa atop the conference standings.

And then they did.

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I’m the first to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong about what this team had left in the tank for the second half of the MVC season. Wrong, too, was my assessment that we couldn’t catch Northern Iowa. However, I’m sure any of you would agree that it took some outside help for the last 5 weeks to go how they have.

The day after Creighton lost at home to Drake, UNI went to Springfield and took care of Missouri State on ESPNU, 78-69. That win put the Panthers 8-1 in MVC play, and they would go on to win their next three games. With an 11-1 conference record and all of the confidence in the world on their side, the Panthers played host on a Sunday afternoon to the Bluejays — a team that had won two home games and a roadie in Des Moines following the weekend of January 24-25 MVC play. We all know who won that afternoon.

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Since that CU win in Cedar Falls, the Panthers have gone 3-3. Creighton hasn’t lost. And they sit tied for a conference title. After the loss to Drake, the Jays have won 10 straight games. The 10th, and most critical/scary/anticipated/fulfilling, win came yesterday at home against Illinois State.

The afternoon, a day to honor the three seniors on this CU squad, was anti-climatic to a degree. The Panthers played the last game of the night in the Valley yesterday, whereas CU and the Redbirds tipped off from a raucous Phone Booth in the early afternoon. It would have been great for the UNI game to be taking place at the same time, with 17,000-plus Jays fans cheering or booing not only what was happening inside the Q but in Cedar Falls, too.

Scoreboard watching aside, it had to be calming for Creighton to know that no matter what happened in the other Valley games, a win would give them (at least part of) the title. What transpired yesterday afternoon was just a really good college basketball game, one with championship implications and a championship-type atmosphere.

The lead changed sides seven times. The Jays narrowly led the Redbirds in paint points (28-24), second-chance points (12-9), fast break points (12-7), and bench points (19-16). But in a game that featured a lopsided true rebounding advantage for Illinois State (37-26) and 10 made 3-pointers for the visitors, it was Creighton’s defense that paved the way for a win and, in turn, a regular season championship.

The Jays are in the top 50 nationwide in steals per game (8.2) and in the top 20 in total steals. Yesterday Creighton swiped 11 steals (including 7 by CU starters, with Booker Woodfox grabbing a career-high 3 himself) and forced 17 Redbird turnovers. The Jays, on the other hand, protected the ball and coughed the ball up just 8 times.

In the game’s most telling stat, CU outscored Illinois State 24-6 off of turnovers. In what is quickly becoming a hallmark of Altman’s team this season, the Jays force 16.3 turnovers per game, which puts them in the top one-third of Division 1 teams in causing opponents’ miscues.

Booker Woodfox scored 20 points, but only hit 1 of 3 3-pointers. His dazzling array of pull-up jump shots, leaners in the lane, and 5 free throws pushed his per-game scoring average to 15.9 for the season, putting him second in the Valley in scoring behind Shy Ely’s 18.3 points per game.

But while the Redbirds were paying loads of attention to the senior from Lewisville, Texas, they couldn’t stop P’Allen Stinnett. He, too, scored 20 points, on 6-8 shooting. Most importantly, he kept attacking the basket. He shot 10 free throws (making 7), just the third time all year he has gone to the charity stripe 10 or more times in a game. That’s something he’ll need to continue to do next week if the Jays want to win Arch Madness.

He and Woodfox each played 27 minutes, by far the most court time for any Jays on the afternoon. The Redbirds, on the other hand, continue to employ pretty much 6 players. But that’s alright: the Illinois State players had plenty of time to rest following the game, hearing from the outside of their locker room the thank-you speeches and post-game celebration of the seniors’ (hopefully) last home game and a conference title share.

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That Altman has been able to lead this team back from a 5-4 record while keeping his substitution strategies in place should not be lost on anyone. Many of the teams in this league seem to be stone-footed right now, tired from another brutal run through the Valley. Altman has 11 players averaging between 10 and 26 minutes of playing time per game. Everyone is getting a chance to be a difference maker, and that makes this team different than any other in the MVC.

So as I type this in our new chair, I can’t help but feel good about both the last 5 weeks and the next couple on tap for the Jays. They seemed poised to do what not a lot of us thought was possible back in late January. And they seem ready to do it their way.

This team, regardless of how long it took, looks broken in. And like our new chair, I’m really starting to feel comfortable about their chances to hang banners. They put one up with their win yesterday, and hopefully one week from now they’ll be hoisting another.

Gameday Pick ‘em #31: Illinois State (22-7; 11-6, 3rd in MVC)

2009-02-28T09:38:00.001-06:00

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.

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.

Those three bridged the gap from Altman’s last NCAA tournament team to what this season could be his next. But to do so Creighton is in the most difficult position possible; they must keep winning, with no letdowns. Listen to the “bracketologist” pundits all you want, but the fact remains that the only way Creighton will feel good about their chances to get into the Dance is to win this afternoon and then win three more games next week in St. Louis.

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…)

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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

Today In The Valley (Feb. 28)

2009-02-28T07:15:00.000-06:00

Indiana State (9-20; 6-11, 9th) vs. Missouri State (11-18; 3-14, 10th)
1:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

Well, at least one team knows exactly when they will be playing in the Missouri Valley Tournament. Missouri State is locked in as the #10 seed and will be playing on Thursday, no matter what happens today. The Bears looked like they were going to pull off a huge upset against Valley co-leader Creighton on Tuesday night, but fell short after holding an 11-point halftime lead.

Cuonzo Martin and Kyle Weems might know their plans for 8:30 p.m. next Thursday night, but Indiana State doesn’t know if they’ll join the Bears at that time or show up to the Scottrade Center a little earlier that evening.

The Sycamores enter today’s game after dropping their first game in their last 6 contests, a close loss on the road at Wichita. Tonight the Sycamore fans say farewell to just one senior, Jay Tunnell. He has been a guiding light through the second half of MVC play this season, and he is on quite a roll offensively for the Trees.

Both teams want to end their regular seasons on a high note, with both knowing their places to some degree for next week’s Arch Madness.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Northern Iowa (19-10; 13-4, t-1st) vs. Evansville (17-11; 8-9, t-5th)
7:30 p.m.
McLeod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa
MVC TV

By the time this one tips off, the Panthers will know exactly where they stand and what they need to do to win a conference title. With Creighton playing in the afternoon, the Panthers can actually watch the game if they so choose. A loss by the Jays and the Panthers know a win will earn them an outright conference crown. A win by the Jays puts the pressure on the Panthers to match a CU victory.

The Panthers come in losing three of five in conference play and four of six overall. It easily could have been five of six overall, but a gutsy performance in Normal in double overtime allowed UNI to escape with a win on Illinois State’s Senior Night. Adam Koch’s game winning put-back as time expired was the difference after 50 minutes of play. UNI will need to play their best against an experienced Evansville team in an arena where they have already lost three conference games.

The Purple Aces have guaranteed themselves a pass on the Thursday night action as they can finish no lower than a #6 seed, with a possible #4 within reach. When these two teams met in Indiana, Shy Ely went 2-15 from the field and scored a season-low 7 points, Evansville scored just 47 points, and they lost by 11. You can bet anything a senior like Ely won’t be that cold from the field again. Fellow senior Jason Holsinger, an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American, is saving his best for last and will shoot better than 1-7 like he did in their first meeting.

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

~ Panon

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Southern Illinois (12-17; 7-10, t-7th) vs. Wichita State (15-14; 8-9, t-5th)
7:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois

A trio of Salukis will be saluted for their efforts on Senior Day at SIU Arena. For Tony Boyle and Wesley Clemmons, it will be their final game at home. For Bryan Mullins, it will be a final chance for him to be saluted by the Saluki fans for his hard work in a career that ended prematurely due to a stress fracture.

Senior Bryan Mullins, an ESPN Academic All-American, has shown he has worked just as hard off the court as on it. While just two seniors remain on the active roster, those three guys have seen the highs and lows in the Missouri Valley conference -- from a Sweet 16 appearance to potentially playing on Thursday night St. Louis.

Coach Greggggggggg Marshall should be a close second in Valley Coach of the Year behind UNI’s Ben Jacobsen. After starting 0-6 in the conference the Shockers have gone 8-3. The Jays are the only team with a better record over that stretch, going 9-2 (UNI has also gone 8-3). The Shocker starters play a lot of minutes. The Salukis have a short bench. Whoever lasts longer will be able to pull this one out. The winner avoids Thursday. I guess you have to find a silver lining in a less than exciting season.

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

~ Panon

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Bradley (16-13; 9-8, 4th) vs. Drake (17-13; 7-10, t-7th)
7:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois

The Braves say goodbye to four seniors tonight in Peoria. They have avoided the play-in games for yet another season but will be stuck in a familiar place next Thursday when they play as either the #4 or #5 seed in the MVC postseason tournament.

It has been an up and down season for Bradley, but they are still in a decent position to make a run through Arch Madness. They’ve done it before from the 4-5 spot, and they’re good enough to possibly do it again.

The Bulldogs joins the Bears and Sycamores as teams that already have booked their reservations for Thursday night in St. Louis. It has been quite a precipitous downturn for last year’s regular season and tournament champion Bulldogs. But this Bulldog squad has been more up and down than a January Creighton team. A win over the Bluejays (in Omaha) and a home loss on Senior Night to a depleted Southern Illinois team just make you scratch your head.

Each team will be looking to take a win down to the tournament, but neither team will be 100% satisfied with their 2008-2009 season.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

“The Square,” by Panon

2009-02-27T06:45:00.000-06:00

What’s the big deal with regular season conference championships? Depending on who you ask, in today’s age of college basketball, the importance of regular season conference titles gets smaller and smaller. Thanks to the roll of cable TV, the pricey bidding war for the rights to air the NCAA tournament, and the publicity “Cinderella” teams get receive every year for their incredible David-and-Goliath stories, “people” forget who won titles during the regular season.

(“People,” for the sake of this argument, doesn’t mean “people who follow a particular team closely, die-hard fans. “People” means the general college basketball-consuming viewerscape.)

Dana Altman’s run of postseason appearances over the last 11 years is impressive enough to make many, many non-BCS programs jealous. Heck, it is enough to make most BCS schools green with envy, too.

Many pundits, from the local level to the highest reaches of national media and his own peers, have noted the incredible job he has done at Creighton during his tenure in Omaha. By and large, he brings in student athletes who are not only terrific basketball players but also have the character to match.

People want two things: a winning team, and a group of kids they can genuinely root for. Because he provides this for a city full of basketball fans, the program (including the university, the city of Omaha as a basketball supporter, and of course himself) has experienced increased levels of exposure during the past decade.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding: or in this case, the mini donuts. The crowds Altman’s team attracts to the Qwest Center night in and night out are remarkable. Looking back 6 years ago, when I was graduating from Creighton, we in the first iteration of Altman’s Army were ecstatic if some of the end zone seats in the upper bowl were full and the Civic drew around 6,000 or 7,000 for a game. That was, of course, at the beginning of the magical 2002-2003 season, which changed the face of CU hoops in the basketball mainstream seemingly for good.

But since critics get paid to criticize, and they have to find something to complain about regarding Altman’s time on the Hilltop, what is the one glaring fault they find with Dana’s regime? His lack of regular season conference titles.

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It took Dana Altman 7 seasons to capture his first regular season Valley title: He went from 7-19 and tied for 9th in the conference in 1994-1995 to 24-8 and the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in 2000-2001. He went from making the NIT (1997-1998) to being invited to the Big Dance (7 times, including 5 straight trips from 1998 to 2003).

Not only were fans getting into Bluejay basketball again, they were becoming accustomed to traveling to Arch Madness in St. Louis every year. Why? Because Altman’s teams seemed deadliest when given the mission to win 3 games in 3 days for a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Altman’s only true regular season champion (00-01) actually was the only team during his tenure to garner an at-large bid to the Big Dance; that squad lost in the semifinals of Arch Madness. To get to the premier postseason tournament, Altman and the Jays have won 6 of the last 10 MVC postseason conference tournaments.

A new era of Bluejay basketball had begun. Not only were Jays fans expecting winning teams year in and year out, they were expecting NCAA tournament bids (whether it be at-large or by winning in St. Louis). Fans, media, and I’m sure the coaching staff and players themselves continue to set the bar higher and higher for Creighton’s basketball program. After making 7 NCAA tournament appearances (and receiving 4 NIT bids) in the past decade and being considered one of the best non-BCS programs in the country, the logical next step is to snag a few wins in the Big Dance. Altman’s teams have won 2 games in the tournament (vs. Louisville in 1999 and vs. Florida in 2002) and suffered their fair amount of heartbreaking losses, but the overall record in the NCAA tournament does not live up to some fans’ expectations.

But do these expectations for future postseason success (a Gonzaga- or George Mason-like run, for instance) outweigh hope for regular season championships? Do regular season crowns really matter?

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Dana has recruited a lot of talented players while at Creighton. Most have gone on to be professionals in something other than sports. Why do they come to CU? Yes, the academics are important, as is the atmosphere of the arena on game night. Large crowds are important, but winning trumps all. And the ultimate sign of success in college basketball is playing in the NCAA tournament.

What does winning mean? A majority of a team’s games? An MVC title? An Arch Madness title? Year in and year out, with the ways teams change and rosters turn over due to graduation, winning might not mean the same thing to different teams. But everyone wants to play in the NCAA tournament. That is the end goal for every college hoops team.

The lone senior on this year’s Jays squad to have not played in the NCAA tournament is Booker Woodfox. You can bet that every man on the team, from his fellow seniors Josh Dotzler and Dustin Sitzmann to freshman redshirt Josh Jones, want to get Booker (as well as themselves) a chance to participate in March Madness.

And this where I pull some logic from an old math teacher from back in the day. A square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. Just follow me here. Making the NCAA tournament (the square) can be accomplished by winning the regular season MVC title (the rectangle) — the regular season Valley champ has made the NCAA tournament each year since 1993. But winning the regular season crown (the rectangle) does not guarantee you a spot in the NCAA tournament (the square).

A square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. The Big Dance can be made winning the regular season title, but winning the regular season title doesn’t mean you will automatically make the tournament.

Dana is the Dean of the Valley, yet his most high-profile success stories focus on exciting sweeps in St. Louis. He has an outright title in his pocket (00-01) and another shared regular season championship the next season (01-02). In 2002 they won both the regular season crown and Arch Madness, but in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2007 Altman’s Jays had to win 3 games in 3 days to assure themselves a spot in the Big Dance. It has become a rite of spring, watching the Jays storm the court in St. Louis. Why else would fans flock there every March instead of spending spring break on the beach?

But is relying on this relative crap shoot — Brian Fish talked at great lengths last night during the Creighton Sports Hour on Big Sports 590 about the amount of luck that needs to go a team’s way to win in Arch Madness — a realistic expectation for fans? If the end goal is the square, why get so worked up about the rectangle?

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Dana Altman’s 15 years at Creighton ranks 16th longest nationally for one coach at a single school. Let’s compare him to another Dean of a conference, someone who has been at his program for 14 years.

While Dana has secured his 11th straight season of 20 or more wins, this coach has accomplished that feat in 10 of his team’s last 12 seasons.

Altman has posted 13 straight seasons of 10 or more conference wins; this coach has done it 10 of the past 12 seasons.

High expectations are part of this coach’s school and fan base as well. Dana has managed two regular season conference titles while at Creighton but an astonishing 6 Valley tournament titles. This coach has four regular season titles but just two conference tournament titles.

Their fan bases love these coaches. But naturally, people still want more from them, regardless of what they’ve done already. They don’t have to worry about job security; rather, the schools often worry about them leaving for other challenges. After a 24-hour stint down south, we’ve seen Altman make his commitment to Omaha; this coach has had many opportunities to leave but, like Dana, like’s the state he grew up in.

Do fans want more regular season conference titles from both (rectangles)? Yes. But will they take NCAA tournament appearances (squares) instead, no matter how they get there? I do, and I will. And more tournament wins, of course! While Dana’s last regular season conference title came in 2002, this coach hasn’t won one since 2001. Why’s he still around? Well this coach has been to one Final Four since his last regular season conference title. No, it’s not Jim Larranaga. This coach has been to the tournament every year for the past 11 years, and his team is a lock to make it an even dozen this season. This coach is considered one of the best in the country.

Who is this coach?

Tom Izzo of Michigan State. That’s right, with all the success the Spartans have had, they haven’t won a regular season title since 2001 and a conference tournament title since 2000. Obviously, there are two major differences (among dozens of others): Izzo coaches at a BCS school with the resources of a small military; and he has turned those resources into a 2000 National Championship and four trips to the Final Four since 1999.

I am in no way, shape, or form suggesting that Altman and Izzo share anything more in common than just heavy expectations and a drought in conference titles. And while those are an important measuring stick for coaches and programs, I’m sure Sparty and the rest of the Izzone focus more on Tom’s postseason success than on the lack of Big 10 hardware adorning the already-cramped trophy cases in the Breslin Center.

The Spartans, like the Jays, are in the heat of a conference race themselves. With three games to go Izzo’s Michigan State team is one game ahead of Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers with 3 games to play. Their magic number is 3 as they try to bring a Big Ten basketball crown back to East Lansing, which would be their first in 8 years.

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The Tale of the Tape

Regardless of whether or not we agree on what is more important — a regular season MVC title or just making to the NCAA tournament any way possible — we can agree that the landscape facing these two coaches is completely different. Sure, Izzo and his players and the rest of the MSU program want to win a regular season Big 10 crown and a Big 10 tourney title. But they don’t have to sweat out a postseason birth right now.

Altman’s Jays are not in the tournament right now; don’t “eat the cheese” being set out in front of you right now by local media and web-based “bracketologists.” And barring a tournament win in St. Louis they most likely won’t make the NCAA tournament (again, don’t believe the hype right now that they are any closer to the good side of the bubble).

Relying on the rectangle won’t work this year, even though it would be great to hang a banner. To capture the square the Jays will need to play as well or better next week in Arch Madness than they’ve played during their current 9-game win streak. Whether that is fair makes no difference. And whether that lessens the successes of this season does not matter, either.

We are not Michigan State, and Dana is not Tom Izzo. Dana would not sit face-to-face with Ron Burgundy. Dana probably wouldn’t call out Erin Andrews on national television. We face the same struggles but in much different situations. And whether that makes the expectations unfair for Altman’s teams year in and year out is not important. They are there. Now go get the square any way you have to.

Lunchtime Look at the Valley

2009-02-26T11:53:00.000-06:00

Evansville hung on for the win last night at home against Bradley. Southern Illinois hung on, too, albeit to a scarce road win at Drake. And with those two outcomes in the books, things are shaping up a bit more clearly for fans of the Missouri Valley Conference regarding next week’s Arch Madness event in St. Louis.

Let’s take a look this lunch hour at what is set in stone for next week’s tournament (please note that all of these seed projections are from www.MVC-Sports.com:

Drake is back where they belong. OK, that’s probably not fair. The Bulldogs don’t belong in that spot, per se, but it does suit them based on what MVC fans outside of Des Moines have come to expect from DU.

With Saturday’s MVC games the last of the regular season, Drake will finish with either the #7 or #8 seed in the Valley tournament. After winning last year’s regular season and postseason crowns, the Bulldogs return to the play-in round. It is a familiar spot: DU kicked off the 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, and 1999 Arch Madness tournaments on the first day of action.

Do you think Drake and Indiana State just split hotel rooms? Kevin McKenna has his Sycamores on a hot streak during the second half of conference play. While the Trees are just 6-11 in MVC play, they won 5 straight until Tuesday’s loss at Wichita.

Still, Indiana State hasn’t avoided the play-in games since 2001, the year they upset the Bluejays in the MVC semifinals after winning the #4-#5 game. That’s right; the ISU faithful will need to get to St. Louis sometime Thursday for the 8th straight season if they want to guarantee themselves the chance to watch the Sycs participate in Arch Madness.

However, unlike in some years past, I’m sure neither UNI nor Creighton want to see Indiana State staring them down after a first-round win. That’s how well Coach Mac has his guys playing right now, their last tough road loss notwithstanding.

Missouri State will join Drake and Indiana State Thursday in the Gateway City. It is a situation unfamiliar to many of the MSU fans that support the school, most likely. The last time the Bears balled it up on the first day of the tournament was in 2001, the year after playing for a title against CU in the 2000 tournament finals.

In fact, Cuonzo Martin’s first trip to St. Louis as head coach of the Bears comes with the Bears locked into the 10th seed in the tournament, regardless of what happens this weekend. But look at it in a positive light, Bears fans: nowhere to go from here but upward and onward!

Leaving the play-in parade are the Purple Aces. For the first time since 2003, Evansville fans can take their time making the trek from Indiana to St. Louis. Thanks in large part to inspired play from seniors Shy Ely, Jason Holsinger, and Nate Garner down the stretch, the Aces will stay out of the opening round no matter what happens when they visit Northern Iowa on Saturday night.

With the extra day, I wonder if Pieter van Tongeren will take some time to visit the Arch.

Bradley fans probably have a routine revolving around the 2:35 p.m. quarterfinal game. And they should probably stick to that routine yet again this year, as the Braves are guaranteed a spot as either the #4 or #5 seed in next week’s tournament.

This is familiar territory for BU fans and coach Jim Les; 2009 marks the fourth straight Arch Madness featuring the Bradley Braves in the #4-#5 game. It is the spot from which the 2005-2006 Braves advanced to the Sweet 16. Most recently, it is the spot that featured a rematch from last year’s final regular season game for the Braves (a 111-110 double overtime loss at Creighton) … also a loss for the Braves.

Illinois State fans can take their time leaving Normal for St. Louis. No matter what happens during their trip to Omaha this weekend (for the most important game The Phone Booth has hosted since it opened in 2003), the Redbirds are destined for the last game of the night next Friday.

Osiris will have plenty of time to get the O-Hawk trimmed and looking good for the MVC TV cameras, because the earliest the Redbirds will tip off as the #3 seed in the quarterfinals will be 8:35 p.m. Will ISU fans leave work early on Friday and get down in plenty of time to pregame a bit, or will they flock to St. Louis Thursday night to start the revelry even earlier? Hopefully the students will pace themselves; an 8:35 p.m. start time can play tricks on the (not so sober) mind.

Southern Illinois and Wichita State square off Saturday for all the marbles. OK, that statement might have been true in seasons past, when both the Salukis and Shockers were jockeying for position at the top of the MVC standings. This year, the statement holds some truth, albeit not exactly the kind of position both programs expect to fight for each year.

The Shox travel to Carbondale looking to turn their 0-6 MVC start into a play-in game bye. The Salukis are hoping to pull off a win on Senior Day and somehow squeeze into either the #5 or #6 seed. Either way, it is simple for both teams: the loser of this weekend’s game will play on Thursday night. And no team has ever won the Arch Madness title after starting play on the first day of the tournament.

But if it could happen any year, something tells me it would be this one. And that, my friends, is sheer madness indeed.

Creighton 65, Missouri State 59

2009-02-25T20:17:00.001-06:00

Surviving the Trap

February might be the shortest month of the year, but for college hoops fans it is a 28- (sometimes 29- ) day period packed tightly with meaningful hoops.

There are so many seasons within the season. So many streaks and slumps. Creighton’s in the midst of its second 9-game winning streak of the season, but that doesn’t mean things have been firing on all cylinders for each and every player. The mark of a good team is being able to have more than one go-to guy; having any number of players on a team that can make a big shot when needed, or grab a needed rebound, or just exert some hustle to gain the team an extra possession.

Last night’s win on the road against Missouri State, in a trap game to the tenth degree, was the tale of two role players who stepped up and did all of the above. And because of that, the Jays have a title chance on Saturday.

Witter Fights Back

Back in December, on Creighton’s first night in Las Vegas, Cavel Witter dropped a very point guard-like night on the Bulldogs: 9 assists, 5 steals, 6 rebounds, and 6 points (3-11 from the field) in 26 minutes. And while the Jays’ coaches were trying him at the off guard spot in some situations, Witter was primarily backing up Josh Dotzler at the point.

After that game Cavel continued to score — for awhile. But after it became clear to the coaches in practice that Antoine Young needed to start seeing more minutes as Valley play picked up, the freshman from Bellevue West slid into the lineup and took some of ‘Vel’s minutes at the point. Trying to adjust to the off guard spot proved a bit more difficult than the crowd imagined, I’m sure, at least when judging the success by points scored (a Dana Altman no-no, I know, but what else is a shooting guard supposed to do, right?).

From December 10 to January 10 he scored 9 or more points in 9 of 10 games (averaging 11.3 ppg). In his next 10 games, he hit double figures just once (and he took 12 shots to score 13 points … in the season-altering loss at home versus Drake). Everyone knows he can score, including Witter himself, but firing himself out of the slump became a month-long ordeal.

Until last week against Evansville. With their backs against the wall and trying feverishly to protect the home court, Dana Altman turned to Witter to take charge late in the game against the Purple Aces. He hit 7 of 8 free throws, played 23 minutes (his most court time in almost a month of games), and scored 15 points in a 5-point Jays win.

But he saved his best for the (second to) last game of the regular season. Dotzler couldn’t get past any defenders, let alone get clean looks against MSU. He also picked up some early fouls. Young rushed a couple of shots and needed some help on the court with leading the offense. Enter Witter, who in 23 minutes scored 11 points (5-8 from the field; just his 2nd above-50% shooting night since January 10) and dished an astounding 6 assists (4 in the second half) as he helped slay the Bears’ upset attempt.

In one sequence, he waited at the top of the key for a screen, slipped underneath to take the ball hard to the paint, drew contact from a MSU post player, finished the shot and drew a foul. Visibly excited and exerting a palpable amount of energy (maybe from some bottled-up frustration regarding the last month of play), he let out a primal scream and fluttered his jersey rapidly toward the student section. The embroidered “CREIGHTON” across his chest was the attention of his efforts, and it summed up nicely all that we hear as the public about Witter’s attitude. Throughout his tough winter he has kept working, kept playing for the team. Last night he saved the team.

Harriman Helps Out … Yet Again

Casey Harriman played 7 minutes in the first half last night. Didn’t notice it? Neither did I. He, like many of the Jays, was a non-factor in the first stanza against Missouri State. But he kept plugging away, much like his friend Cavel has this past month. And it paid off in the best of possible ways for both Harriman and his teammates.

In 10 second-half minutes, Harriman poured in three huge 3-pointers and a free throw. 10 points. 2 rebounds. 17 minutes of pristine play, an effort Altman needed from a man who redshirted during Creighton’s last late-season run to the postseason.

Harriman was one point off his season and career high for points. And while I can’t remember how meaningful this buckets felt at the time of this year’s win against Oral Roberts (when he had 10 points), I do recall how much more comfortable and relaxed he seemed on the floor during his great night against Evansville a few weeks ago (when he put up 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal).

But that was in a blowout, on a night when a lot of different guys chipped in offensively. Last night was a dog fight, and Casey fought like the bulldog that he his. Maybe it was the loud bark he voiced after his teammates repeatedly let Bear after Bear find the basket. Or maybe it was the quiet confidence he displayed when launching three of the biggest 3-pointers he’s taken this season (heck, in his short career). Either way, on a night when things seemed doomed for the Jays, he gave his team the energy needed to climb back from a double-digit deficit in the second half and claim the win.

A win that now puts Creighton’s first regular season championship in its own hands this Saturday at home, on Senior Day, in front of a national television audience, against Illinois State. Win that and you get to hang a banner. And if the Jays do just that, and they celebrate at the center of First National Bank Court inside a sold-out Phone Booth, you can bet Witter and Harriman will be doing so with a little extra pep in their steps. Without them, and their hard work all season, what is possible this weekend wouldn’t be just that … possible.

Today In The Valley (Feb. 25)

2009-02-25T06:07:00.001-06:00

Evansville (16-11; 7-9, t-6th) vs. Bradley (16-12; 9-7, 4th)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, you’ve got an entire city — heck, a Bluejay Nation of fans — pulling for you. You are Creighton’s second favorite MVC team right now.

Obviously, CU has to take care of business against Illinois State on Saturday. That’s a scary proposition, considering the last four outcomes for the Jays against the Redbirds (hint: CU got throttled in all four games). But if Creighton can hold serve on Senior Day and the Purple Aces can travel to Cedar Falls and pick up a win, the Valley crown will be Creighton’s and only Creighton’s.

Tonight, though, the Aces celebrate their own Senior Night. And it will be an emotional one. Jason Holsinger, Shy Ely, and Nate Garner will wave goodbye to the Aces faithful. Those three players are the top 3 scorers on their team, the only such combination in the Valley this season.

Holsinger and Ely are first and second, respectively, in scoring among active players in the MVC. And they’ve been playing more and more like seniors wrapping up their careers. Ely has poured in four straight 20-plus point games while Holsinger has had three straight of his own. While Evansville has lost four of five senior games, they are 21 of 30 in all their years at the Division 1 level.

Bradley is looking to clinch the 4th seed for next week's tournament with a win. MVC Newcomer of the Week Chris Roberts scored a team-high 18 points in their BracketBuster win over Loyola of Chicago. They'll need a similar type of game against the Purple Aces, who are always tough at home.

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

~ Panon

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Drake (17-12; 7-9, t-6th) vs. Southern Illinois (11-17; 6-10, 8th)
7:30 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
MVC TV

Drake might be the hardest team in the MVC to figure out on a nightly basis. We know they have two proven all-Valley performers in Josh Young and Jonathan Cox. Other than that, however, it is a mystery to whether they’re going to beat the top team in the Valley on the road (they’ve won at CU and at UNI) or get blown out at home by some of the better teams in the league (vs. Illinois State and, to a degree, vs. CU). They are on a two-game win streak, including their BracketBuster win over Austin Peay, and can still finish as high as 4th in the conference.

Unfortunately for Saluki fans, Chris Lowery’s team isn’t hard to figure out at all. They’re running on fumes at this point. While they can still finish 5th in the league, they seem destined for a date with the play-in games next Thursday. How far the mighty have fallen, right?

They’ve lost 4 games in a row, and 6 of their last 7. Last weekend’s BracketBuster loss notwithstanding, it looks like Super Frosh Kevin Dillard is running out of gas — he has shot over 33% in just 1 of SIU’s previous 5 games. And Carlton Fay has been nowhere to be found during vast stretches of play in the second half of SIU’s conference slate.

Early in January, Drake’s win in Carbondale was seen as a sign that the Bulldogs might pick up where they left off in conference play last season. But with a wilting roster and a squad full of freshmen, the Salukis seem like sure marks for a Senior Night that promises to be emotional for Cox and some of the other upperclassmen Bulldogs.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Gameday Pick ‘em #30: Missouri State (11-17; 3-13, 10th in MVC)

2009-02-24T06:17:00.000-06:00

The Pundits

“Jays put victory in rearview mirror” (OWH)
“Woodfox works and wows them” (OWH)
“Bears capture dramatic victory” (News-Leader)

The Picks

I catch some grief every once and awhile (OK, quite a lot) from Panon, Mr. and Mrs. Dance Cam Guy, and my wife because of my overly cautious worries regarding Creighton’s play. Translation: I get way too worked up over what I deem to be completely unsafe and surmountable leads late in games.

You know why? Because I think the Jays’ losses stick further into the recesses of my mind than do the wins. Is that sad and a bit twisted? Probably. Does that make for some restless post-loss drives home from downtown. Sure thing. Does that keep me on my toes for games like tonight’s? I’d like to think so.

Say what you will about their close losses, their sometimes stifling defense, and their obvious home court advantage (at least for this Senior Night game): Missouri State is, of all the teams CU should sweep in conference play this year, the team that matches up worst against the Bluejays. Again, just my opinion, but they are not deep (CU is). They post the worst scoring margin in MVC games. They shoot the worst in conference play, and allow their opponents to shoot the best. They are in the lower half of the Valley in 3-point shooting and 3-point defense. They are dead last in steals and have a negative turnover margin. About the only category in which they lead CU is rebounding margin (by a net of 5.2 rpg).

Still, this game scares me. You know why? Because I feel like I’ve seen it before … pretty recently, in fact.

(Un) Lucky #17

My lucky number is 17. Late in the 2006-2007 season, a year during which Creighton was a couple of plays away from taking on Memphis in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, the 17th conference game was the cause of much consternation among the Jays’ faithful fans.

Headed into the final week of the season, Dana Altman’s team was still mathematically alive for a MVC crown. They were all set to host Wichita State on Senior Day at The Phone Booth on national television (ESPN2) the final weekend of the season; all they had to do was hit the road and play an Illinois State team that was under .500 in conference play.

Sound familiar?

Creighton led by 10 at halftime. They looked poised to put away the Redbirds, until a freshman by the name of Osiris Eldridge scored all of his 18 points in the second half. That output, combined with CU going 1-12 from 3-point range in the second 20 minutes, led to a 40-20 second half for ISU and a 10-point loss for the Jays.

Altman’s Jays rallied to beat the Shox during a White Out, but that loss to Illinois State cemented Creighton’s place as a #2 seed in St. Louis the following week and, more importantly, would have been the final nail in the coffin of CU’s at-large chances for an NCAA birth (had they not won Arch Madness that year, which they most certainly did).

Booker Woodfox and Josh Dotzler can’t let that happen again. Dotzler should remember the game well; he was there, playing (probably injured) 17 minutes and committing 3 turnovers. He missed his only 2 3-point shots (both in the fateful second half) and watched as Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver suffered what would be their second-to-last loss of their CU careers.

This year’s Missouri State squad is akin to that Illinois State bunch. They have a few freshmen, Kyle Weems most notably, who have performed well in their previous game against CU. They have a date with the Thursday play-in round in St. Louis, a kiss of death for a team’s hopes for an Arch Madness title. And with Illinois State hosting Northern Iowa tonight in Normal, you can bet there will be more than a few Jays fans (and probably some Jays themselves) looking over their shoulders and trying to sneak a peek at the scoreboard at the JQH Arena.

Don’t worry about any other game but the one on the court in front of you. Leave no doubt about who the best team in the MVC is right now. MSU has just 3 conference wins all year, none against the top half of the league.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Antoine Young (13)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (15)
Panon: P’Allen Stinnett (17)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (18)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (21)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 11
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 9
Panon: Jays by 7
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 17
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 16

Today In The Valley (Feb. 24)

2009-02-24T00:09:00.001-06:00

Illinois State (22-6; 11-5, 2nd) vs. Northern Iowa (18-10; 12-4, t-1st)
7:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois

There is a lot riding on Senior Night in Normal for both teams on the court (as well as a few playing in a couple other MVC cities this week). The Panthers hit the road with a quickly fading one-game lead over the Redbirds, and UNI is tied with Creighton for first place in the Valley with 2 games to go. The race for the regular season crown starts tonight for these three teams.

Northern Iowa is coming off its first 3-game losing streak of the season, falling to Siena on the road during BracketBuster Weekend by a score of 81-75. Their last-season stroll to mediocrity started with a home loss to CU earlier this month, and the Panthers have lost 4 of their last 5 games. They’ve simply allowed the Jays and Redbirds to make things interesting for the final week of the season.

Illinois State has been a different story. After a strong non-conference performance, as weak as it was schedule-wise, they tripped up a bit in the beginning of league play, losing to the likes of Indiana State and Wichita State in January. Tim Jankovich’s team has been able to turn it around when it needed to, winning five of their last six conference games in spite of some turmoil taking its toll on the Redbird roster.

Both teams control their own destiny for the rest of the season, where the team that wins out will be at least co-champion of the Valley. What an exciting time to be a MVC fan!

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Wichita State (14-14; 7-9, t-5th) vs. Indiana State (9-19; 6-10, t-8th)
7:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

Raise your hands if, after the first couple of weeks in conference play, you honestly thought these two teams would each have a shot of bypassing the play-in games next Thursday. Bueller? Bueller?

With teams 5-9 separated by nothing but merely the short length of time it takes Booker Woodfox to get his shot off, the possibilities for these two teams’ finales for the regular season range anywhere between 5th place (and a 4-5 game next Friday afternoon), 6th place (the late-night cap in the Scottrade Center next Friday evening), or in either of the two first-round games.

Indiana State owns two of the best road wins in MVC play: at Northern Iowa to start conference play and in Normal over the Redbirds just a few weeks ago. Wichita has done most of their MVC damage at home, with just one of their 7 conference wins coming on the road. Good thing they’re in the round tonight at Koch Arena.

If Jay Tunnell and the other Sycamore Snipers can keep hitting from long range they’ll have a fighter’s chance tonight. But if the athleticism of the Shox gets in their way on the boards and cutting through the lane, it could be a tough end to the Trees’ win streak.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Creighton 76, George Mason 63

2009-02-22T21:09:00.001-06:00

Saturday Night Live

Three months ago, the Creighton Bluejays suffered through a week that might come to spell at-large doom for their chances of making the NCAA tournament barring a 3-win run through Arch Madness. In 2-point road losses against Arkansas-Little Rock and Nebraska, the Jays demonstrated some tell tale signs that they were akin to the not-ready-for-primetime players.

They just couldn’t put away two teams they should have beat. The loss against UALR featured their biggest lead in the season against a team to which they would eventually lose (16 points); the defeat in Lincoln featured their largest lead at halftime in a game they would eventually drop (13).

No more of that, at least not in recent weeks. They Creighton Bluejays are officially “on the bubble,” under “bubble watch,” and any other suds-related monikers that the dubious pundits from places like ESPN and CBS Sports confer on college hoops teams this time of year.

They are winning road games in which they blow out opponents (Southern Illinois). Starting at the front end of this streak, they took care of some home games against teams in the bottom half of the conference (vs. Indiana State; vs. Missouri State). They went on the road and won back to back games against a pesky Drake team and then league-leader Northern Iowa. And they survived contested efforts from Bradley and Evansville, two teams that left 100% effort on the floor in their visits to Omaha.

Three months after losing two games that are bad blemishes on their resume, the Jays have hit their stride. And last night at The Phone Booth, they had the crowd rolling in the aisles. With the lights of ESPNU shining bright off the Qwest Center floor and the TV cameras filming, it felt like Saturday Night Live.

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As we all know, the Jays are an ensemble cast. No single player averages more than 26 minutes per game, and 11 Bluejays average 10 minutes or more per game for the season. It took a few months but Dana Altman has clearly defined the roles and combinations his players now execute, and the chemistry on the court is palpable.

But if this is a talented cast of players who can all steal a scene or two here and there, then Booker Woodfox is the star of the show. His 22 points were magnificent; a dazzling array of jab-step jump shots, stagger-screen 3-pointers, and quick-release rips through the nylon nets. He missed two shots all night, hit 5 of his 6 3-point shots (now leading the nation with a 51.3% shooting percentage from long range), and threw a beautiful alley-oop pass to P’Allen Stinnett (in the video below).

Woodfox and Stinnett = perfect timing

The big guys continue to contribute. Kenny Lawson (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 monster blocked shots) and Kenton Walker (7 points and 7 rebounds) keep getting better. Oh, and Antoine Young didn’t miss a shot last night. Speaking of getting better, right? Three months ago he wasn’t even on the radar for the Jays; now he is spelling Josh Dotzler at the point and bringing an air of quiet improvement (and a touch of offense) to Creighton’s lead guard position.

And just because you aren’t filling a stat sheet doesn’t mean you’re not doing your part. Justin Carter had an off-night offensively (1-5 from the field) but exhibited the energy and effort that CU fans have grown accustomed to during this 8-game win streak. Casey Harriman, Kaleb Korver, and Cavel Witter each came off the bench to score just a few points each but make some key plays both offensively and defensively.

And Stinnett, who didn’t have his best game offensively either (2-9 from the field), still grabbed 5 rebounds and dished a couple of assists. Twice during CU’s 8-game win streak Stinnett didn’t score in double figures; in both games (each 5-point efforts; at UNI being the other) he made other plays to help his team win.

This ensemble was ready for the glamour and the spotlight on Saturday night. And as they travel to Springfield on Tuesday and then head home for a Saturday matinee to close out the MVC regular season, they finally look like the MVC leaders many prognosticators picked them to be at the start of the year.

Gameday Pick ‘em #29: George Mason (18-8; 11-5, t-2nd in CAA)

2009-02-21T11:58:00.000-06:00

The Pundits

“Jays, Patriots set for title race diversion” (OWH)
“George Mason relies on defense” (OWH)
“Struggles can’t sink Witter’s confidence” (OWH)
“George Mason at Creighton” (Washington Post)

The Picks

George, I feel like I’ve known you forever! Remember that time, early in your Final Four season, that Creighton beat you down on your home floor? That’s when we first met.

I turned my basketball attention to you after I watched as our team collapsed down the stretch that season, after Funk busted up a shoulder and Mullins tangled up with Dotzler and we limped to the end of the MVC season. After we played an NIT game at home that left everyone fuming.

You carried the torch for non-BCS schools everywhere as you collected the mascot heads of some of the biggest basketball factories in the country en route to a Final Four. It was a run that made CU fans think the unthinkable was possible.

We invited you to play in Omaha the next season, where you garnered applause during team introductions usually reserved for only the home team. We beat you by 2 points over Thanksgiving Weekend, during a season that many CU fans thought would be capped off by multiple NCAA tournament wins.

Welcome back to Omaha, George. A few weeks back, when this matchup was first announced, I wasn’t too thrilled. Not because I don’t like you, George, but because it seemed a tough matchup for a Jays team in the midst of some midseason struggles. But now? It is still a tough game for CU, but the Jays’ prospects have changed mightily during a 7-game win streak.

We are both playing for league titles now. Both teams sport RPIs in the 50s. It is truly the type of game that ESPN BracketBuster weekend was invented to showcase. Forget that the game is only on ESPNU tonight; it is an 8:30 p.m. start that will go up only against Oklahoma-Texas in terms of college hoops on at that time of night on the Family of Networks.

Forget Butler (slumping a bit) vs. Davidson (Curry-less for the past few games). Turn your eyes away from a possible stinker on the road for Northern Iowa (slumping even more than Butler) at Siena (a solid squad). For all intents and purposes, the CU-GMU game is the game to follow on a day full of intriguing mid-major matchups.

It is nice to have you back, George. We look forward to taking local product Justin Carter out to Virginia next season, when we hope to bring an all-time record of 3-0 against you with us.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (19)
Panon: P’Allen Stinnett (19)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Woodfox (16)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (16)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12
Panon: Jays by 9
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 9
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8

Today In The Valley (Feb. 21)

2009-02-21T11:14:00.001-06:00

BracketBusters Saturday!

Indiana State (8-19; t-8th in MVC) vs. Toledo (5-21; 4th in MAC West)
1:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

This one should be a real-edge-of-your-seat, nonstop action basketball brawl (end sarcasm). OK, I might be stretching things a bit there.

This non-televised BracketBuster game will feature two mid-major teams looking to make something out of severely disappointing season. The two powerhouses have a combined 13 wins this year, are both in the bottom tier of their respective conferences.

Toledo was able to stop their seven game losing streak this week with a victory over Ball State, and Indiana State has had a few upsets that CU fans have been very excited about in the last few weeks.

If you are getting some chores done around the house and you can convince Cox to pick up www.ESPN360.com, then you may take a peek here and there to see how the Trees (10-point favorites at home) are holding up, but besides that, vacuuming may be more exciting.

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Siena (21-6; 1st in MAAC) vs. Northern Iowa (18-9; t-1st in MVC)
2:00 p.m.
Times Union Arena; Albany, New York
ESPN2

The Panthers are in for a tough game this afternoon. Not only are they taking on the Siena Saints on the road, they are also dealing with inconsistent play in losing three of four Valley games.

Will the slide continue today? Or will they make adjustments and regain the tough defense and balanced basketball that put them on top of the Valley? They’ve already shown a knack for winning road games; they’ll need a pre-slump effort to get that done today and snag a big BracketBuster win for the Valley.

~ Panon

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Wichita State (13-14; t-5th in MVC) vs. Cleveland State (20-8; (3rd in Horizon)
2:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

Here’s a shocker for the Shockers: Greggggggggg Marshall’s mad about something again. Ticked off at another perceived slight, this time by the folks that throw together the BracketBuster match-ups. His quote a few weeks ago, when the game against Cleveland State was announced:

“It doesn’t make sense to me why we’re playing Cleveland State,” he said Tuesday at news conference at Koch Arena. I don’t remember losing anything in Cleveland, but I do have to go back there next year. I was hoping for a warm destination or a warmer destination. I was also hoping for, if not that, an area that we recruit. I have never recruited Cleveland. We’ll just have to deal with it and play the Vikings when they arrive here in late February.”

Jeez, Gregggggggg. You’re such a gracious host. In all seriousness, though, the Shox will put their newfound home court winning ways to the test against a Vikings squad that is in the top 80 RPI-wise and has a road win over the (always overrated) Syracuse Orangemen.

WSU has lost just 3 games this season at home, and you can expect Marshall’s shoulder chip to carry over into the Koch Arena crowd.

~ Creighton Otter

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Evansville (15-11; t-5th in MVC) vs. Miami (Ohio) (t-2nd in MAC East)
2:30 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana
ESPNU

In the second of three games on the Family of Networks today, the Purple Aces will host a rare men's and women's doubleheader (with the Lady Aces’ game to follow).

If the men play like they did in Omaha earlier this week, with the exception of a little more defense, they should be in good shape to come away with a home win on BracketBuster weekend. The Roberts Stadium crowd should provide enough assistance against a good Red Hawks team.

~ Panon

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Loyola (Chicago) (14-15; t-7th in Horizon) vs. Bradley (15-12; 4th in MVC)
3:00 p.m.
Gentile Center; Chicago, Illinois

This will not be the first meeting between these two BracketBuster opponents, as the in-state rivals will meet for the 45th time this afternoon (Bradley holds a 26-19 advantage in the series).

The Braves have been on the horizon quite a bit this season, as the game with the Ramblers will be their fourth Horizon opponent this season. This game will be a good game for the Braves as they gear up for the final week of conference play and try to at least stay in the 4-spot for the MVC tournament.

The Ramblers will be entering the game on a 2-game winning steak, including a huge win over then #15 Butler. Loyola has proven to be someone to watch out for come the Horizon League tournament, and they will be eager to get that automatic bid.

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Tennessee-Martin (19-6; 1st in Ohio Valley) vs. Missouri State (10-17; 10th in MVC)
6:00 p.m.
Skyhawk Center; Martin, Tennessee

Tennessee-Martin is good. Missouri State, not so much.

But the real reason to tune into this game (not on ESPN, as it won’t be on the Family of Networks) in any way possible is as simple as two words: Lester Hudson.

He is simply one of the most prolific players in college basketball over the past two seasons. In his third college basketball game he became the first men's player in Division I history to record a quadruple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in a 116-74 win over Central Baptist College.

The game is awfully fluid for Lester Hudson

But basketball is easy compared with his off-the-court struggles in the past. Read about them here.

He averages 27.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.5 spg, shoots 46% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. And he’s an 87% free throw shooter.

~ Creighton Otter

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Illinois-Chicago (13-14; t-7th in Horizon) vs. Southern Illinois (11-16; t-8th in MVC)
7:00 p.m.
UIC Pavilion; Chicago, Illinois

The Salukis are in survival mode today, just as they’ve been ever since losing Bryan Mullins to a stress fracture. SIU travels to Chicago with just 8 players suited up to see any meaningful minutes.

The Flames feature Josh Mayo, a terrific guard who averages 16.7 ppg and has put together a remarkable 4-year career at UIC. He scored 27 points in a win earlier this season against Northern Iowa, and 22 points in a 6-point loss at Redbird Arena vs. Illinois State.

~ Panon

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Drake (16-12; t-5th in MVC) vs. Austin Peay (15-11; 3rd in Ohio Valley)
7:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa

The Bulldogs go just about as far as Josh Young and Jonathan Cox take them game in and game out. Austin Peay’s Wes Channels and Drake Reed are the same way.

(And yes, I think it is hilarious that the Bulldogs are hosting a team with a kid named “Drake” on their squad.)

Young, a 6-1 guard, averages nearly 16 ppg and draws a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Channels, a 6-3 perimeter player, averages 17 ppg and causes much consternation for opponents, as well.

Cox, a 6-8 forward, pours in 12 ppg and grabs 8 rebounds per contest. He can step out and shoot the 3-pointer, as well. Reed, a 6-5 forward, averages a team-high 22 ppg and also grabs 7.7 rpg. He shoots 46% from 3-point range.

~ Creighton Otter

Today In The Valley (Feb. 20)

2009-02-20T11:05:00.000-06:00

Niagara (21-7; 12-4 in MAAC) vs. Illinois State (22-5; 11-5 in MVC)
7:00 p.m.
Gallagher Arena; Lewiston, NY
ESPN2

Niagara just suffered their first loss in 8 games, but they come home to a sold out “Taps” Gallagher Arena to host Illinois State in the first televised game of BracketBusters weekend. Oh, did I mention they’re forecasting white out conditions for this sell out?

Illinois State is in a very tight Missouri Valley Conference race at the moment, sitting one game out of first place. But you can bet Tim Jankovich knows that this game could have some positive impact on a possible (but likely improbable) at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. With a very sad non-conference schedule under their belt, the Redbirds will need all the help they can get if they fall short in St. Louis.

Niagara will not be an easy opponent, and the Purple Eagle faithful have been looking forward to this game for a while. Should be a fun game to watch, as both teams have some great athletes they would love to show off on national television. Niagara boasts a similar scoring spread to the Redbirds, with 4 players in double figures and two more averaging slightly more than 7 points per game.

~ Dance Cam Guy

Creighton 89, Evansville 84

2009-02-18T22:59:00.001-06:00

Sounds Like Madness

After climbing the stairs from the bottom of the lower bowl to the Qwest Center concourse hallway following an intense, nail-biter against Evansville, I heard a familiar sound.

No, it wasn’t the incessant whistle blowing from the (clueless) referees that controlled the game (in the most annoying way possible) all night long (seriously, from like the second or third possession of the game).

And no, it wasn’t the roars from a crowd of more than 16,000 Jays fans, a crowd that put up with inconsistent calls from the refs and some phenomenal individual performances from a few Purple Aces.

The sound I heard was a clap and chant – clap / clap / C U! / clap / clap / C U! – echoing through the concourse in a way that only seems to happen every March, in St. Louis. It was fitting because Creighton’s 5-point win over the Aces was reminiscent of so many efforts in Arch Madness that happen each and every year. And at the end of each season, for about the past 10 years, more times than not Creighton fans have streamed out of their seats and into the concourses of the Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade Center and unleashed the same clap and chant.

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Let’s get the Aces out of the deck first. Jason Holsinger (30 points) and Shy Ely (26) combined for more than half of Evansville’s 84 points. Two totally different players – Holsinger is a gunslinger unafraid to take any shot on the court, the further the better; Ely is long, lanky, and a potent scorer from anywhere inside the 3-point arc – but the same results: a tough matchup for the Jays last night.

But the other Aces were just as focused, if not as deadly offensively. Marty Simmons had his team energized and focused on pulling off the upset; for 39 minutes and 25 seconds, it looked like they could do it too. But in the end, the Jays just had too much depth and were solid yet again from the free throw line.

Still, kudos to UE. They’ve been riding seniors, Ely, Holsinger, and Nate Garner (8 points and 9 rebounds) all season, but they’ve suffered some close losses and are now in a three-way tie for 5th in the MVC with two games to go.

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But back to our guys. The Jays have won 7 straight and are positioning themselves for a great late-season run heading into St. Louis in a few weeks. After a mid-January swoon of sorts, Dana Altman’s team is firing on all cylinders (at least offensively) and following tonight’s last-second loss by Northern Iowa against Drake is in position to win the MVC regular season title. Raise your hand if you honestly thought this was possible with 10 days left in the season?

How are they doing it?

Things seem to be spreading out nicely for the Jays on the offensive end of the court. Altman’s rotations and substitution structure seems to be playing out in a way that is beneficial for the combinations of players on the court and for the ultimate goal of keeping everyone fresh and focused through the stretch run.

5 players in double figures, 2 more within one hoop of double figures vs. Evansville.
5 players in double figures, 1 more within one basket of double figures at SIU.
5 players in double figures, 1 more within a basket of double figures vs. Bradley.
2 players in double figures, 3 more within one hoop of double figures at Northern Iowa.
2 players in double figures, 2 more within a basket of double figures at Drake.
4 players in double figures against Missouri State.
4 players in double figures against Indiana State.

As we’ve seen during this streak, it isn’t just Booker Woodfox and P’Allen Stinnett carrying Creighton. And down the stretch against Evansville, the two tiniest guys in White and Blue came through the tough plays.

Antoine Young missed his first 6 shots of the game yet finished with a career-high 15 points (in just 16 minutes). He scored in a number of ways – some nice drives to the paint, a 3-pointer, and 2 clutch free throws in the final minutes – and put an exclamation point on the win with a two-handed dunk as time expired.

Cavel Witter, Young’s partner on the perimeter, also had a team-high 15 points. In his previous 6 games he scored 18 points. In those 6 games he took only 10 free throws; last night against UE he was 7-8 from the free throw line. Creighton’s been on this 7-game run without many good nights from Witter, who remains tied with Justin Carter and Kenny Lawson for the third best scoring average on the team (8.5 ppg).

Those two younger lead guards stepped in on a night when Josh Dotzler attempted 6 shots from the field (his second highest total this season), including 3 3-pointers (the most this season; he missed them all), and fouled out near the end of the second half. Still, he had 4 assists and just 1 turnover. That pushes his numbers to 32 assists and 4 turnovers during the 7-game win streak (that’s an 8-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, right?). For the season Dotzler posts a 3.16-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for 5th best in the nation.

So some people might look at his missed shots as being a negative last night, but I’m fine with them. We have enough guys who can score (see above); teams need to at least think Josh might shoot the ball. By attempting some shots from the perimeter it hopefully will keep teams from creeping up closer to Woodfox and Stinnett on the outside of the offense, or maybe even open up some passing lanes.

Speaking of Stinnett, he once again played a controlled, balanced game. I hate to sound surprised, but the way the Aces were bodying him up and pushing him around led me to believe he might revert to some past frustrations. But whether it is the new undershirt or just a new attitude toward that type of play, he picked his spots and provided some nice attempts for his teammates.

11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in a team-high 31 minutes (on a bum knee) is a great, if not outstanding, night for Stinnett. Better still, though, is that he has 2 or more assists in 8 of his last 9 games; like I’ve said in the past couple of recap blog posts, he will always be a focal point for opposing defenses. If he can continue to find the open man and make smart decisions with the ball, this team will continue to roll. Book it.

Speaking of unselfish play, Casey Harriman was on the positive end of some nice assists from Dotzler, Witter, and Kaleb Korver on his three 3-point baskets. From the beginning of 2009 to the middle of January Harriman struggled with his outside shot, going 0-6 in those two weeks. But since the loss at Wichita State, a game during which Altman rewarded his hustle and rebounding effort during a lost cause for the rest of the team, he has made 10 of 20 3-pointers, rediscovering the stroke that made him a crowd favorite as a freshman last season. He has really settled into his role on this team nicely.

---

Speaking of nicely, that’s how I’m going to treat Josh Young and the rest of the Drake Bulldogs when we see them in St. Louis in a few weeks. They were able to go into Cedar Falls and pull out a win against the Panthers at Northern Iowa tonight. Down 1 with 5 seconds to play, Jordan Egelseder missed 2 free throws for UNI.

Sound familiar, Panther fans? I’m sure Booker Woodfox and the rest of the Jays don’t feel bad that poor shooting at the line cost you a home game.

With 2 conference games left Creighton and UNI are tied at the top of the MVC standings. That’s nice.

Today In The Valley (Feb. 18)

2009-02-18T06:19:00.000-06:00

Northern Iowa (18-8; 12-3, 1st) vs. Drake (15-12; 6-9, t-7th)
7:00 p.m.
McCleod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa

The Drake Bulldogs won't have to look far to find motivation for this game. They could consult a map, as UNI is one of their in-state rivals and one of Iowa’s Big Four college basketball programs.

They could look at the standings, as the Panthers are in first place and a Bulldog win mean taking down the top squad in the Valley. Meanwhile, Drake’s currently in 7th place in the MVC and trying to make a late push to stay out of the Thursday night play-in games in a few weeks. They need a win to try and keep pace with an Evansville team that lost last night and Wichita St., a squad that is currently one game ahead of DU.

Finally, they can look for revenge. Northern Iowa embarrassed Drake on national television one month ago, going into the Knapp Center and catching the Bulldogs sleeping in an 81-59 win.

The Panthers have lost a bit of their swagger during the past week or so, though. They come into tonight’s game the losers of 2 of their past 3. The trap game I mentioned last week came true in the form of a road loss in Wichita. A few weeks ago UNI seemed well on their way to a MVC crown; now they have two tough games remaining after tonight (at Illinois State; vs. Evansville) they must win with both Creighton and Illinois State breathing down their backs.

DU coach Mark Phelps has had his ups and downs in his first season in Des Moines. Lately it has been more down than up, though; he comes in losing 5 of 6 since Drake’s win in Omaha. That game lit a fire under the Bluejays, but the Bulldogs have seen theirs extinguished. Right now they're standing in 7th and tied in the loss column with Evansville. Their remaining Valley games are hosting Southern Illinois and at Bradley. There's still time, although it is running out, to make a run and play Friday in St. Louis.

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

~ Panon

---

Southern Illinois (11-15; 6-9, t-7th) vs. Indiana State (7-19; 5-10, 9th)
7:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois

Indiana St. is riding a three-game win streak coming into Carbondale. Coach McKenna has his team playing its best ball late in the season. Maybe it's something he learned from Dana Altman? On the other end of the spectrum, the Salukis are struggling without senior Bryan Mullins. They have lost three of four and have slipped into a tie for 7th in the Valley and a half a game back of Evansville after the Purple Aces’ loss in Omaha last night.

During their win streak, the Sycamores won a dramatic game at Illinois State, held serve at home versus the Drake Bulldogs, and pulled out a roadie at Missouri State. In Springfield, Harry Marshall had 16 of his 19 points in the second half to lead them to victory, their first in Springfield since 1976. Senior Jay Tunnell has put on a shooting display as of late. In the two games against ISU and Drake, he combined for 53 points on 19-23 shooting, and a blazing 13-15 from 3-point land. Even Booker Woodfox has to be impressed with those numbers. The Sycamores’ last win in Carbondale was in February 2006, a win that snapped the Salukis 33-game home win streak.

Southern Illinois is coming off a big loss at home against Creighton. Their largest crowd of the season, 9,081, witnessed the shellacking. How will they respond? This young team could go in either of two directions. Will they put it behind them, move on, and finish the year strong? Or will they throw in the towel, consider the year over, and look forward to next year? A typical Chris Lowry team won't throw in the towel. Well, this isn't a typical Chris Lowry team. There are new and young players. There's a depleted roster due to transfers, injuries, and quitters. Will he find enough offense to pull out a win?

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

~ Panon

---

Illinois State (21-5; 10-5, 3rd) vs. Wichita State (13-13; 7-8, 5th)
7:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois

Greggggg Marshall takes his Surprising Shox on the road tonight to test their mettle (and their 7-2 record in the past 9 games) against the Illinois State Redbirds, one of their victims during their ascension from the bottom of the Valley to a possible top-6 seed in Arch Madness.

After starting conference play 0-6, the Shox beat the league’s 2nd-place teams in back-to-back games at Koch Arena (74-61 vs. Creighton on 1/17/09 and 64-58 vs. Illinois State on 1/21/09). They followed that with a last-second win versus Evansville (the heartbreak kids of this year’s MVC season), and have won 4 of their past 6 games.

They have only one conference win on the road, however, and tonight travel to Redbird Arena to face an ISU team that has lost only one conference game at home (Indiana State’s miraculous comeback in overtime). The Redbirds have had some adversity to overcome the past 10 days, with the loss to the Sycamores and the subsequent loss and the reinstatement of starting point guard Lloyd Phillips to “undisclosed personal reasons.” They blew a 20-plus point lead on the road at Evansville and had to rely on an Osiris Eldridge charge … errr, I mean … no call on a jump shot to clinch the victory in the waning seconds.

They responded to that near-miss with a thorough thrashing of Drake in Des Moines on Sunday in front of an ESPNU audience that just one week earlier had seen them give away a game against the visiting Trees. And with a road game this weekend for Bracket Buster Saturday, followed by two final MVC games against teams they currently trail in the standings (at home vs. UNI, on the road at CU), this seems like a possible trap game for the ‘Birds.

But I just don’t see it happening against a WSU that has yet to go to any of the toughest places to play on the road in conference and pick up a win.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Gameday Pick ‘em #28: Evansville (15-10; 7-8, t-5th in MVC)

2009-02-17T06:58:00.002-06:00

The Pundits

“Improved inside play propels Jays” (OWH)
“Bluejays' focus on 'dangerous' Aces” (OWH)
“Aces face uphill battle tonight” (Courier Press)

The Picks

Creighton hasn’t lost to Evansville in Omaha since the 1998-1999 season, when the Purple Aces won the MVC and got an at-large bid (and a #11 seed) to the NCAA Tournament. That’s 9 consecutive years of entertaining Evansville without suffering a loss at either the Civic or the Qwest.

I’m not about to go back and revisit each of those 9 straight home wins versus the Aces, but I’ll venture out on a limb to sound the following warning: this is the most important home game against Evansville the Jays have played in the past decade.

I’m not speaking in hyperbolic tones. Ask Dana Altman. Ask the players. Heck, ask whomever you’re watching the game with tonight. It is as simple as this: to have a realistic chance to win the conference title in the regular season, the Jays simply cannot lose during the next 11 days.

Sounds easy enough, right? It’s Evansville … how hard could it be?

Well, the Aces boast a starting lineup that contains exactly what you need to pull off a late-season upset on the road: experienced playmakers and guards who have seen everything the Valley has to offer during their years in the conference. Oh, and one of those seniors is Shy Ely, arguably the best player in the MVC (and the conference’s leading scorer).

Sure, they have only won two MVC road games (against a listless Indiana State team before the Sycs turned on the jets toward the end of the season and on a last-second 3-pointer from half court at Drake). And sure, the Jays completely shut them down in Evansville a few weeks ago. But do not sleep on the Aces.

(This entire pep talk is invalid if Creighton comes out playing like they have the past 6 games. If that happens, this will be another typical CU slaughter against the Aces.)

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: P’Allen Stinnett (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (19)
Panon: Woodfox (16)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kenton Walker (18)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Kenny Lawson (16)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 13
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
Panon: Jays by 17
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 17
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 25

Today In The Valley (Feb. 17)

2009-02-17T05:06:00.000-06:00

Bradley (14-12; 8-7, 4th) vs. Missouri State (10-16; 3-12, 10th)
7:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois

Bradley will be playing for the past, present, and future tonight as they host the Bears. The Braves, who snapped a four game losing skid on Saturday with a victory over Evansville, will be looking to capture their 500th Missouri Valley Conference victory. By defeating MSU they will inch closer to closing out the season on a positive note and securing a top-6 seed at Arch Madness.

Missouri State, on the other hand, will hope some fans show up for their game on Thursday, March 5th, in the Gateway City. After a heartbreaking loss on Valentine’s Day to Indiana State, a game in which MSU held a 1-point lead with under a minute to play, the Bears will look to rebound against the Braves. Pride must drive their effort, as the Bears have dropped 5 of their past 6 games and are gasping for air as the season dwindles away.

Can Cuonzo Martin get his kids ready to play spoiler against a stronger, deeper, and more athletic bunch of Braves? The defensive intensity will be there for the Bears, but will that be enough for MSU to pull out a road win this late into the year?

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

Creighton 82, Southern Illinois 60

2009-02-15T12:03:00.000-06:00

My Bloody Valentine

I’m faced with a stinging question, one I honestly didn’t think would need to be answered for awhile. Is beating Southern Illinois in Carbondale worthy of more time, more energy, and a higher word count than anything else we put in this blog?

Bruce Weber wasn’t in SIU Arena yesterday. Kyle Korver wasn’t there, either (although someone who looks a little like the former two-time MVC POY made a rousing appearance). Piv mentioned before the game that Justin Carter’s flowing locks are reminiscent of those of former Bluejay tormentors Jammal Tatum and Randal Falker, but neither of those two were in the house yesterday either. Kent Williams was on the sidelines for another Missouri State loss, and not on the court on which he torched the Bluejays for a few years and made Dana Altman’s life miserable for at least a day or two.

The names and faces upon which the CU-SIU rivalry is built have changed. But while those on the court actually playing the games are different, the ghosts of previous trips to Carbondale are engrained in the collective consciousness of Creighton fans everywhere. Since sweeping the Salukis in SIU Arena during the 2000-2001 season, CU hadn’t left Carbondale victorious in 7 seasons. Except for the debacle in the second half of the 05-06 season, the games had been painfully close: the 7 losses came by an average of 6-plus points.

But not yesterday. Not only was the game not close, but it could have been much worse had CU seemingly not lost interest in batting around the wounded, sad little Saluki pups. Unlike their last meeting, the Jays didn’t need to rely on any crazy turn of events in the final minutes to pull out a heart-stopping win. Rather, the only recent CU-SIU game this resembled was the infamous 2003 Arch Madness title game. The halftime score that evening? 42-16 CU. Yesterday’s spread at intermission? 42-19.

Making Up for Lost Time

I talked with my dad right after the game, and was interested to hear his thoughts following the beat down. I caught some good-natured grief from friends I watched the game with when I kept voicing my frustration in the second half at how the Jays were not piling on SIU. I thought maybe I was being too vengeful on Valentine’s Day. But the first words out of my dad’s mouth were “we should have beat them by 30 or more.” He was frustrated, too! Arguably the nicest guy I know on Earth wanted MORE!

Does yesterday’s win make up for the last 7 road games, not to mention the other losses Altman’s teams endured in Omaha at the hands of Weber, Matt Painter, and Chris Lowery’s SIU squads? Not in the slightest. Is it special? Sure. Following no other win this season did I or Mrs. Creighton Otter receive text messages or phone calls from our fellow CU alumni praising the effort on national television of our beloved Bluejays. Say what you will about this season’s CU team: they are the team that stopped the skid against Southern Illinois. And they did it playing the way Jays fans — no matter how casual or die-hard they are in following the White and the Blue — are accustomed to seeing their Jays play. In fact, following the game Lowery said the same thing. "They're rolling right now," Lowery said. "Dana has them playing very hard, and he's gotten them back to where they're playing Creighton basketball."

What does “Creighton basketball” look like right now? Let’s examine the Jays’ current 6-game win streak through the lens of player development.

The Five Spot

Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker (aka the California Connection) continue to improve as the season heads toward an apex. Not only have they each recorded career-highs in points during the past month, but the last few weeks have seen them combine for some great 40-minute efforts.

Against SIU they partnered to put up 24 points and grab 14 rebounds in 40 minutes. Walker didn’t miss from the field (5-5) and Lawson had 9 rebounds in just 19 minutes. It was similar to their 21-12 combo against Bradley last Wednesday. During the win streak, Walker is averaging 8.3 ppg and Lawson 8.2 ppg. On the boards, Walker’s at 4.5 rpg and Lawson 6.2 rpg during the 6-game winning streak.

Add it all up and you get almost 17 points and more than 10 rebounds per 40 minutes of combined play per game from the California Connection. That’s better than any other post player in the MVC, and a key reason why CU has come on strong since the end of January.

Guard Play on Point

Following the 14-point win against Bradley I wrote about the unselfishness from Josh Dotzler, P’Allen Stinnett, and the rest of the Jays during their win streak. Stinnett has 14 assists to 11 turnovers during the stretch, shooting 53% from the field and 35% from behind the arc on a bum knee. Against SIU he chose his spots carefully, going for 11 points and dishing 2 assists while not committing a turnover in 22 minutes. He took one bad shot; other than that he was cool, calm, and collected in a place that doesn’t exactly bring out the best in opponents.

Oh, and Antoine Young had a career-high 5 assists to just 1 turnover in 19 minutes. Add that to yet another stout performance from Booker Woodfox (15 points in 21 minutes) and a crowd-silencing performance from Kaleb Korver (14 points on 4 3-pointers and an offensive rebound/pull-up jumper, and you’ve got a great backcourt performance from the entire CU roster.

We’ve seen this Creighton team get hot for a few weeks in a row; they already own a 9-game winning streak earlier this season. And now they’ve picked the best time of the year to put together cohesive play. Taking into consideration the past two weeks of MVC games, they are currently the best team in the Valley. But because of a spotty January that won’t mean much unless they are the best team in the Valley at the end of the first week of March.

The quest continues. There are bigger games this season than this win in Carbondale, regardless of what it feels like the day after.

Today In The Valley (Feb. 15)

2009-02-15T09:34:00.001-06:00

Drake (15-11; 6-8, 7th) vs. Illinois State (20-5; 9-5, 3rd)
6:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
ESPNU

Coaches will tell you that neither they nor their teams can worry about what other schools in their conference do; we can only worry about ourselves and our effort, they say.

That might be true, but don’t tell that to the fan bases of these two schools (or any others in the Valley, for that matter). One perk of playing in the MVC ESPNU game on Sunday night is knowing what the rest of the Valley did during the weekend. And in a year featuring plenty of twists and turns among the conference’s teams, it leaves Bulldog and Redbird fans more than curious as to how their schools’ fortunes will play out following another crazy conference weekend.

The home court means so much in college hoops, as evidenced by Drake giving a little more than one point to ISU per Vegas. The Bulldogs pushed the Redbirds to the edge in Normal, dropping in defeat 65-61. Unfortunately for Josh Young and Bucky Cox, that loss started a downward spiral that finds DU 2-7 in their last 9 games.

Illinois State lost their point guard earlier in the week, then went out and lost a 26-point lead against Evansville. The mark of a solid team is bouncing back from difficulty, and Tim Jankovich’s Redbirds did just that (thanks to their most valuable player). After blowing a two-dozen point lead on the road in Evansville, Osiris Eldridge hit the game-winning bucket as time expired against the Purple Aces, allowing Illinois State to pick up a critical road win.

The Redbirds weren’t very deep before last week’s roster turnover, with Lloyd Phillips taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team, and now must replace their starting point guard (and also one of the MVC players who logged the most minutes per game). It will be critical for Drake to pressure the basketball for the full length of the court, as whomever plays point for ISU won’t be extremely comfortable doing so.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Gameday Pick ‘em #27: Southern Illinois (11-14; 6-8, t-6th)

2009-02-14T11:13:00.001-06:00

The Pundits

“Jays aim to loosen Salukis’ big leash” (OWH)
“Dawgs look to Dillard” (The Southern)
“Justin Carter’s locks resemble old Bluejay foes” (OWH)

The Picks

It is Valentine’s Day, yet there is no love lost between Creighton and Southern Illinois. That these rivals would be pitted against one another on the national day of romance and love makes a mockery of what Cupid himself stands for.

I’ll put it this way: there will be some kids slinging some painful ammunition toward our Bluejays today in Carbondale, but it won’t be arrows with love attached to them.

But let’s be painfully honest: this is Creighton’s best chance to win in Carbondale for what has seemed like decades. CU hasn’t beaten the Dawgs in their home kennel since 2001. And while they’ve been close too many times to count, they are actually favored by Las Vegas headed into this afternoon’s nationally televised rivalry game.

SIU continues to fight injury problems and growing pains, issues that has left Chris Lowery’s team just 8 strong right now. CU has the deepest bench in the MVC, in comparison, and will most likely look to take the ball strong and pick up fouls on the foul Egyptian Dogs.

Hopefully the Jays can rally around one another and pull out the victory. The crimson that will surround them on their trip is not the traditional red hue associated with the day of love; rather, a darker shade reminiscent of the boiling blood shared amongst these two fan bases toward each of the programs.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (13)
Dance Cam Guy: P’Allen Stinnett (22)
Panon: Stinnett (16)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (15)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (18)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 5
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 2
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 12
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8

Today In The Valley (Feb. 14)

2009-02-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

Bradley (13-12; 7-7, t-4th) vs. Evansville (15-9; 7-7, t-4th)
1:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois

Coming of a tough road loss is always a difficult task, especially in the Valley. Ideally a team would want to bounce back with a home game, and that’s what the Braves are looking to do this afternoon in Peoria.

Bradley played a tough Creighton team on Wednesday night in Omaha and looked to have a solid chance at the upset; they led at halftime (thanks in part to a crazy half court shot at the buzzer by Sam Maniscalco) and halfway through the second half. But Dana Altman earned his pay check once again as he rallied the Jays to a victory 79-65, giving the Braves their fourth loss in a row.

The Purple Aces also had a shot at the upset in their last game, albeit in a much different turn of events. They were down 26 points to Illinois State at home, and things were looking vaguely familiar to their 30-point loss earlier this season against the Redbirds. The Purple Aces were able to rally back but still fall short for a 2-point loss at home, thanks to some heroics by the O-Hawk.

These teams are tied for 4th place in the MVC and trying their hardest to stay out of the Thursday night games in St. Louis.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Missouri State (10-15; 3-11, 10th) vs. Indiana State (6-19; 4-10, 9th)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
MVC TV

A two game losing streak has the MSU Bears in last place in the Valley. The bad part about this two game losing streak is that it happened at home.

Missouri State has always been known as a tough place to play, where the crowd is almost as intense as the Bears defense on the floor. And let us not forget the always intimidating Sign Guy. But with so many injuries this season as well as opening a new gym, the aura isn’t quite there right now.

Indiana State has been quite a story this year. They have spent the majority of the season in the basement of the Valley, but all of their wins have come over two of the top three MVC teams. Translation: the Sycamores can beat anyone on any given day. After a triumph over Illinois State at Redbird Arena in an overtime thriller last Sunday, the Trees beat Drake at home on Wednesday.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Wichita State (12-13; 6-8, t-6th) vs. Northern Iowa (18-7; 12-2, 1st)
7:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

Two words for Northern Iowa: Trap Game.

A Saturday night tip-off in front of 10,000-plus Black and Gold clad rabid Shox fans? Check.

A home team coming off a crazy last-second win in their last game? Check.

A home team that has some size to counter a big frontline for the Panthers? Check.

A home team that after losing their first 6 MVC games has gone 6-2 since, including 5-0 at home? Check.

Northern Iowa beat the pants off of Chris Lowery and his 8-player roster midweek, but that was at home following their second conference loss of the season. Expect the trip to Kansas to be a bit more difficult than their sweep of SIU.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Creighton 79, Bradley 65

2009-02-12T23:22:00.000-06:00

Perfect Vision

I’m lucky. I know that.

I’ve been blessed with a few things in life. One of which is great eye sight. A lot of my family and friends wear glasses and contacts; I don’t think I could touch my eyes if you paid me.

Growing up, my first experience with the term “20-20 vision” didn’t come at a trip to the optometrists’’ office. It came in the late 1980s, when Tony Barone’s Bluejays strung together back-to-back-to-back 20-win seasons. It began in 1988-89 with a 20-11 effort, continued in 1989-90 with a record of 21-12, and culminated in 1990-91 with a 24-8 season that included a win in the NCAA Tournament.

The vision of the Creighton Basketball program started to fade a bit following that 20-20-20 run. The next four seasons found the Jays winning a total of 31 games. But in my freshman year of college I once again witnessed a 20-win season, with another win in the Big Dance serving as icing on the cake.

Fast forward 10 more years to last night, when the Jays posted a 14-point victory against the Bradley Braves: a win that placed 20 “Ws” in the win column for yet another season, a streak that has continued since Rodney Buford’s senior season.

How remarkable is Creighton’s 20-win season streak? Consider their company among the only other 6 schools in the country to win 20 or more games in each of the last 10 seasons: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, and Syracuse. Some of those teams have national championships. Others (schools similar in conference situation and financial capabilities) have deep NCAA Tournament runs that have distinguished the schools as upper-echelon “mid-major” colleges in the eyes of the college basketball viewing public.

Last night’s win, the 20th of CU’s season, was a mirror image of so many other conquests during the past decade of the Jays’ dominance in the MVC. It was by no means a beautiful display of basketball from beginning to end; at times, the Jays are as frustrating as they are exciting. But they did it as a team: five players scored in double figures; they had 19 assists on 27 made field goals; they outrebounded the opponent; they forced more turnovers and swiped more steals than the opponent; and they knocked down some critical 3-pointers when their challengers made a run at turning the momentum.

Let's take a quick look at some of the details that led to this streak-continuing conquest for Creighton.

Inside the Box Score

Josh Dotzler holds the record for most assists by a Bluejay in a game at the Qwest Center (10 last season vs. St. Joseph’s), and he almost matched that number last night. The senior leader had 9 assists and just 1 turnover in 24 minutes of play, and he added 2 steals.

Dotzler has been amazing in the past couple of weeks. He has averaged 5 assists (25 total during 5-game win streak) and 2.6 steals (13 total) per game while playing 23.6 minutes per contest. Oh, and he has committed only 2 turnovers during Creighton’s 5-game winning streak.

He is 2nd in the nation in steal percentage; he garners a steal on 6.2% of the possessions during which he is on the floor. He is 5th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1-to-1), 16th in total steals, and 24th in steals per game. His 60 steals so far this season give him the 7th filthiest season of swipes in CU history, and if he continues at a 2.3 spg pace he will edge Ryan Sears’ senior season for the 2nd best season of steals in CU history (73). Sears’ junior season leads the way, when the Ankeny Bulldog had 80 swipes. Plus, Dotzler has a great chance to finish 2nd on CU’s all-time list for steals in a career.
Creighton’s frontcourt played arguably its most complete game of the season last night. The California Connection combined for 21 points and 12 rebounds, as both Kenny Lawson (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Kenton Walker (11 points and 6 boards) were in double figures. Walker added 3 blocks and Lawson 1 and a steal. And while Casey Harriman had a tough night (after stringing together some really good efforts in his previous month’s worth of games), Justin Carter continued his flourishing play (10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals in 27 minutes).
Booker Woodfox is starting to look more and more like the “December Booker” Dana Altman and the coaching staff are longing to see again. He torched Bradley for 18 points in 22 minutes.

He had just 9 points against UNI, but including that sub-10 point effort he is still at his 16 ppg average during Creighton’s 5-game win streak. Over that stretch he is pouring in 3-point buckets at a 54% clip, and he is still yet to log a 30-plus minute game this season. He’s battled leg injuries this season, but he should be fresh enough down the homestretch of the year to pace the Jays with his explosive offensive efforts.
P’Allen Stinnett’s knee is probably bothering him enough that driving hard to the basket and trying to score in traffic doesn’t seem like an inviting proposition. But he has adjusted his game and is picking his spots more carefully on the offensive end. Against the Braves Stinnett had another efficient night, scoring 15 points on just 8 field goals (5-8 from the field; 3-5 from 3-point range) while dishing 3 assists and snagging 2 steals in a team-high 28 minutes of play.

Stinnett is averaging 13 points per game in MVC play, a number equal to that of Osiris Eldridge and Theron Wilson and better than fellow sophomores Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Josh Parker, Sam Manisalco, and Carlton Fay. More impressive to me, though, is his inclusion among mostly frontcourt players on the top 15 list for field goal percentage; he is currently 14th, at 46.3%.

Stinnett has been noticeably more generous with the basketball, too. In his last 7 games he is averaging 2.85 assists. In the first 18 games of the season he dished an average of 1.22 dimes per contest. That’s right: in his first 18 games he had 22 assists; in the last 7 games he has 20 helps. As long as he’s on the floor CU’s opponents will key on him defensively. And Altman’s offense has enough options now to make teams pay when P passes the rock.
Kaleb Korver made a 2-point field goal. It was pretty fresh. You might have heard about it here. Below is the video of Kaleb Jordan … errrr,…. Korver’s streak-busting bucket.

Quite the way to break a slump from inside the arc

What the video doesn’t show, and what doesn’t appear in the box score, is a critical effort play by young Korver. He dove on a loose ball during the Bradley offensive possession preceding his nifty drive to the lane, forcing a jump ball and stifling any real attempt by the Braves at staging a late comeback.

Gameday Pick ‘em #26: Bradley (13-11; 7-6, t-4th in MVC)

2009-02-11T10:05:00.002-06:00

The Pundits

“Streaks are a sign of CU’s consistency” (OWH)
“Filling seats an iffy deal for students” (OWH)
“BU ready to fight in quest to get it right” (Peoria Journal Star)
“Preview Capsule: Bradley at Creighton” (Peoria Journal Star)

The Picks

Tonight’s game starts 30 minutes later than a normal weeknight tip-off at the Qwest Center, which should leave plenty of time for fans to lug their iron stomachs from the parking lots and into The Phone Booth. They’ll be needed, no doubt, because tonight’s game could be hard for fans of either team to digest. And I’m not talking about the Omaha Steaks Burgers or the mini donuts available throughout the concourse.

Creighton is the only team so far this MVC season to score more than 70 points against Bradley, and the Braves feature the statistically stingiest defense in the Valley. The Jays have struggled at times this season against swarming, physical defenses. Plus, the Braves are fighting for their MVC lives in some respect: they’ve lost 3 in a row and 5 of their last 7. After starting MVC play 4-0, they’ve gone 3-6 and sit in the all-too-familiar 4/5 seed right now if the season were to end today.

Still, the Jays are favored by just about 10 points, and it is easy to see why. They are the conference’s best offense, statistically. UNI might boast better balance among their starting 5 scoring-wise, and Illinois State has the two high-powered weapons in Osiris and Champ, but CU is the deepest, most balanced total roster in the MVC. In the past four games (all wins) the Jays are averaging 76 points while allowing just an average of 63.

I wouldn’t expect to see another double-overtime, 111-110 epic tonight at the Cardiac Q. But I would be surprised to see this game come down to the final few possessions. Jim Les and the Braves will need to overcome 10 straight losses in Omaha; in fact, CU has won 15 of the last 18 in the series.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: P’Allen Stinnett (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Booker Woodfox (18)
Panon: Woodfox (17)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Woodfox (16)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (15)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 6
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 11
Panon: Jays by 14
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 5
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15

Today In The Valley (Feb. 11)

2009-02-11T06:29:00.000-06:00

Indiana State (5-19; 3-10, 9th) vs. Drake (15-10; 6-7, 6th)
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

As a Creighton fan, I would like to start by thanking our old friend Kevin McKenna for the Sycamores’ amazing win at Illinois State over the weekend. What a solid comeback from 12 points down with 3 minutes to play. That win allowed Creighton to sit all alone in second place for the time being. So thanks, coach.

Now on to the battle tonight between the Sycs and Bulldogs. As mentioned above, ISU is coming off an amazing overtime victory against a very talented and athletic Illinois State club in Redbird Arena. Thanks in part to the effort of Jay Tunnell, who was named Missouri Valley Player of the Week, ISU was able to crawl back into the game and defeat the Redbirds 75-73 on a Harry Marshall jumper at the buzzer. Tunnell finished the game with a career high 28 points, including 8 3-pointers.

ISU will need to keep that momentum going as they look to even the conference series against DU. The Bulldogs were able to snap a three game losing skid as they dropped the Bradley Braves 68-54 on Saturday night. Drake shot an impressive 58.8% from the floor in the second half to pull away from the Braves for the victory. With Drake now in a bit of survival mode, as WSU was able to pull out the win last night, they will need to play tough to stay out of the Thursday night bracket in St. Louis. As most of us are aware, no team has ever played on Thursday and won the tournament.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

---

Evansville (15-8; 7-6, t-4th) vs. Illinois State (19-5; 8-5, 3rd)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

Evansville comes in the winners of three of their last four. There's still a lot of basketball left to play in the conference season but a win tonight and Evansville will be in at least a tie for third place in the conference standings. More than two-thirds of the way through the Valley schedule and Evansville is yet to defeat a team ahead of them in the standings. It's not going to get any easier the rest of the way: including tonight, their remaining games are against Illinois State, UNI, Creighton, and Bradley (x2).

The Redbirds are a prime example of showing what happens when you are not ready to play every night in conference play. For the second time this season they were defeated by Indiana State, most recently Sunday night in overtime at Redbird Arena on national television. Tonight they fly into Roberts Stadium without the services of starting point guard Lloyd Phillips. Phillips is taking a leave of absence from the team and won't make the trip. He leads the team in assists and is third on the team in scoring. They'll need to put Saturday's loss behind them quickly, as the Purple Aces have just a pair of losses at home this season.

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

~ Panon

---

Northern Iowa (17-7; 11-2, 1st) vs. Southern Illinois (11-13; 6-7, t-6th)
7:00 p.m.
McCleod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa

Ben Jacobsen and his Panthers are in a bit of unfamiliar territory. For the first time in the 2009 calendar year he'll be regrouping his team after a conference loss. It's a bit of deja vu for the Panthers because after that first defeat, they took on (and beat) SIU (on the road) then reeled off 11 straight wins.

The top shooting team was held under 30% shooting against Creighton’s 2-3 match-up zone in their 77-71 loss to CU. Did Dana provide the other MVC teams with a blueprint for beating UNI? It will be surprising if the Panthers shot under 30% again in the foreseeable future. On your home floor where players are so familiar with the surroundings, you don't expect that to happen. But a tough defensive squad can contribute to those woes. That's something Southern Illinois will bring to this contest.

The Salukis have split their two games without Bryan Mullins. Justin Bocot, their new starter, took a game to get acclimated to that roll and then scored exploded for 28 points in his second start. The Panthers will need to slow him down before the Jays head to SIU Saturday and face him and the rest of the Saluki pups with a ton of confidence.

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

~ Panon

Tuesday Morning Math with Panon

2009-02-10T09:45:00.003-06:00

This morning, Steve Pivovar wrote an article in the Omaha World-Herald detailing Creighton's waxing and waning student section attendance at men's hoops games. It is here.

The purpose of this post isn't to bash on the students. At the end of the article, Piv points out the overall attendance at The Phonebooth and its place among the other palaces of college hoops. Consider for a moment the top 15 schools in average attendance at this point of the season:

1. Kentucky, 22,655
2. North Carolina, 20,922
3. Tennessee, 20,783
4. Syracuse, 19,650
5. Louisville, 19,337
6. Memphis, 17,562
7. Wisconsin, 17,230
8. Maryland, 16,790
9. Kansas, 16,363
10. Creighton, 16,043
11. Arkansas, 15,593
12. Marquette, 15,431
13. Illinois, 15,305
14. Ohio State, 14,803
15. Indiana, 13,933

That, might friends, is a might fine list to be a part of. But let's not settle for 10th best.

What would it take to pass the fans at The Phog for 9th place?

On Wikipedia the Phog's capacity is 16,300. They're pretty much maxed out.

CU has 13 games in the books at 208,559 (16,043 * 13).

To average 16,364 for the season they'll need to average 17,408 these last four games.

16,364 (average to get) * 17 (# of home games) = 278,188 total attendance

278,188 (total attendance) - 208,599 (people that have already come) = 69,629 (people that must come the rest of the year)

69,629 / 4 (remaining home games) = 17,407.25 so 17,408 per game for the last 4 home tilts.

That's quite a few people, considering capacity is around 17,500. It should't be a problem for BracketBuster and Senior Day (vs. Illinois State, 1 p.m., ESPN2), but we'll see about the others.

Creighton 77, Northern Iowa 71

2009-02-10T06:22:00.001-06:00

Con“text”

Mrs. Creighton Otter spent the past weekend in Chicago, where warm winds and old college friends kept her company until late Sunday evening. She wasn’t able to tune into the ESPN Full Court transmission of Travis Justice and Nick Bahe’s broadcast of the CU-UNI game, and was busy stretching her legs (and the family credit card) on the Magnificent Mile. (We’re in an economic downturn, people! Who else is going to step up and stimulate the economy?!?)

My wife is as big a Jays fan as I, yet she is a realist and helps keep me as close to level-headed during basketball season as humanly possible. Indebted as I am to her for this and many other of her wonderful qualities, I could think of no better way to keep her informed of the game than the timeless method of text messaging.

Seriously. What did we ever do without texting? How else did we hold passive aggressive conversations? How else did we hone our typing skills in a way that utilized tiny keys and completely bucked the traditional “asdf … jkl;” home-row key system? I didn’t have time to answer those rhetorical questions on Sunday; I was too busy texting score updates and random musing to my beautiful wife.

Looking back at those messages, as well as the box score, I can imagine how the thoughts were rushing through her head while on Rush Street. The key to understanding is the context, I guess.

“31-30 Jays at half.”

Mrs. Creighton Otter’s response to that text was something like, “wow that’s great!” And it was, don’t get me wrong. But how did it happen? The Jays got outrebounded by 6 in the first 20 minutes, committed 7 turnovers to Northern Iowa’s 5, and the Panthers were 10-11 from the free throw line (while the Jays were just 3-4). Plus, both teams were 2-9 from 3-point range. P’Allen Stinnett, Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, Casey Harriman, and Josh Dotzler all went scoreless in the first frame, too.

The answer lies in the inside efforts of Kenny Lawson (12 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes), the renewed outside shot of Kaleb Korver (2 3-pointers in the half), and the steady play of Justin Carter (6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal). Add to that concoction a 22-10 advantage in points scored in the paint, and the Jays outshot UNI 43% to 32% in the first half.

“Jays up 11 with 8 to play.”

The Panthers pounced on the Jays to start the second half; actually, it was just one UNI player. Adam Koch was outstanding again for Northern Iowa, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss. He went on his own little 5-0 run to start the second stanza, with a layup and a 3-point play situation, as UNI opened its largest lead of the game. In fact he scored the first 7 UNI points in the second half.

But from the 19:13 mark (after Koch’s and-one situation) to the 8:14 mark, CU went on a 27-12 run ignited by Carter. After turning the ball over to start the half, Carter blocked a shot, hit a 3-pointer, had another block that led to a Woodfox 3-pointer, assisted on another Woodfox jumper, assisted on a layup by Kenton Walker — took a breather — and then came back on the court to grab a defensive rebound, knock down a couple of free throws after strong move to the hoop, and then capped off the run with two extremely athletic, strong drives to the basket.

Meanwhile, the Panthers were in a precarious situation; they couldn’t hit the side of the McCleod Center. After it didn’t look like the league’s best shooting team couldn’t have a worse half offensively from the field than the first 20 minutes, they did just that — to the tune of 26.5% from the field in the second 20.

“Up 5 with 5 to go.”

That’s right. Just as a home team should, UNI battled back by doing the only thing that was going right for them on Sunday — going to the free throw line. Amidst a couple of 3-pointers by Ali Farokmanesh, the Panthers hit 5 free throws and cut CU’s lead to 5 at the 5-minute mark. And then came a series of plays that I couldn’t capture via text message fast enough; they had to wait until the ride home from the airport Sunday night.

Wife: How’d Josh play?

Me: Funny you should ask. He had both the best and worst shots of the day … in the same possession.

Wife: Whaaa?

Me: Yep. UNI missed a free throw, and with the lead at 5 the Jays looked to kill some clock (aside: my wife hates this). With the shot clock winding down and just about 3 minutes left, Josh misses badly on a 3-pointer; so badly, in fact, the ball comes screaming off the front of the rim and right back to him for an offensive board.

Wife: Nice.

Me: Um, yeah. So after they take the clock down under the 3-minute mark, Dotzler’s left with the ball wide open again. And he shoots another 3. And he drills it.

Wife: [insert a look that was one part quizzical, one part relief, one part humor, and one part disbelief].

Me: I know.

Josh's 3-pointer touched off a smiliar celebration on the CU bench

“Jays win”

After Dotzler’s clutch 3, P’Allen and Cavel hit some free throws for really their only points of the game. Carter missed two free throws that would have allowed him a new career scoring high, but he had to settle for another outstanding stat line of 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in 29 minutes.

Again, if you look at most of the stats you’ll be left with the same look Mrs. Creighton Otter displayed after hearing of Josh’s 3-pointer. The Jays got killed on the glass to the tune of a 49-29 rebounding margin. UNI shot 30-32 from the free-throw line. While CU got to the line 33 times for the game, the majority of those trips happened in the last 8 minutes when the Panthers were trying to claw their way back.

It is all about context, though, and Creighton’s 2-3 matchup zone was enough to send UNI into an extended cold streak from the field — in fact, the 29% shooting effort was Northern Iowa’s worst of the season. Stats don’t always tell the full story — that’s what context is for — and the only number that matters right now is 4. The Jays have won 4 straight, sit all alone in 2nd place in the MVC, and are 2 games back of UNI with 4 conference games to play.

OMG.

Today In The Valley (Feb. 10)

2009-02-10T05:41:00.000-06:00

Wichita State (11-13; 5-8, 8th) vs. Missouri State (10-14; 3-10, t-9th)
7:00 p.m.
Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas

The Shox currently sit two games ahead of the Bears for 8th place in the MVC, but one of MSU’s three conference wins came against WSU in Springfield. Chris Cooks recorded a double-double that day, built strongly on a career-high 23 points.

Cooks has three double-doubles this season, but only two of them are of the points-rebounds variety. Right before he was injured, back on December 20, he scored 13 points, dished 10 assists, and grabbed 6 rebounds against Norfolk State. And while Cooks makes things go for Cuonzo Martin’s Bears, and while he has scored in double figures in his past 3 games, MSU only won one of those contests (against Evansville last week). Cooks shot 55% from the floor that night, as opposed to his 33% shooting in the two losses (at Creighton, vs. SIU).

WSU can ill afford a repeat performance by Cooks and the rest of the Bears. But one thing the Shox do pretty well (and fairly consistently) is guard folks. Still, many of the WSU players say the rock bottom of their season was the loss to MSU, a team that at the time was winless in conference play just like the Shockers. Since then, though, the Shox have won 5 of 7 games against the likes of Creighton, Illinois State, Drake, Indiana State, and Evansville. Their previous game found them losing to the Purple Aces, though, a team that plays a similar defensive style to the Bears.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Today In The Valley (Feb. 8)

2009-02-08T13:11:00.001-06:00

Illinois State (19-4; 8-4, t-2nd) vs. Indiana State (4-19; 2-10, 10th)
6:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois
ESPNU

Illinois State didn’t lose a non-conference game. Then, they lost to Indiana State in Terre Haute. That’s news, of course, because the Sycamores have only won two conference games overall.

I wouldn’t imagine them pulling this one out.

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

Gameday Pick ‘em #25: Northern Iowa (18-6; 11-1, 1st in MVC)

2009-02-08T00:05:00.000-06:00

The Pundits

“Coach, players say wins over CU, SIU fuel streak” (OWH)
“Stinnett says players’ workout habits have done ‘a total 180’” (OWH)

The Picks

The following are just a few statements or thoughts that, during the course of recent Creighton basketball history, I’m not sure I ever thought I’d write:

I thought Drake, last season’s MVC regular season and tournament champions, would be better during their title defense.
There is a player — any player — in the Missouri Valley Conference who wears a Mohawk.
I sure miss Evansville’s sleeves.
Southern Illinois might finish the regular season at or below .500.
Dana Altman doesn’t call the backcourt handoff play between our post player attempting to set a screen and a guard turning with the ball and trying to make a play nearly enough anymore.
Creighton is an underdog for their fifth straight trip to Cedar Falls to play league-leading Northern Iowa.

The last time Vegas favored the Jays during a trip to central Iowa to take on the Panthers was in 2003-2004, when Creighton’s undefeated season and national ranking went to the wayside thanks to freshman Brooks McKeown and the rest of the sharpshooting gents in Purple and Yellow.

That was the last time UNI beat Creighton. Unless you count what happened a few weeks ago, when Ben Jacobsen’s well-coached and extremely balanced bunch of Panthers came to The Phone Booth and staked an early claim to what now looks like an impressive run to the front of the MVC regular season title chase.

Fine. You got me. I’ll be the first to admit that while I knew the Jays wouldn’t have an easy time laying claim to the MVC title just because they were the preseason pick (such an event rarely occurs), I didn’t expect to see the Fancy Felines licking their chops both at home and on the road this far into the Valley play.

And while I am thoroughly impressed by both the statistical equilibrium struck by the many important players who log minutes for UNI, I am by no means overwhelmed with haunting images of past Panther victories (unlike, for instance, the ghastly glances to the past I have to make every time the Jays get ready to take on SIU).

A few weeks ago I didn’t think I would say this, but I like our team better than theirs. Call it beating up on teams in the bottom half of the MVC if you must, but I think CU has made some strides in the departments of energy and effort in the past 10 days. Couple that with our ability to score in bunches when we’re on and play really good defense when we want to, and I like our chances with them two out of three times.

Unfortunately, beating them two out of three times might be what it takes for the Jays to go dancing this year. Again, something I wouldn’t have dreamt writing in the past couple of seasons.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (18)
Panon: Woodfox (19)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: P'Allen Stinnett (15)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Woodfox (20)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 3
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 9
Panon: Panthers by 4
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 2
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 5

Today In The Valley (Feb. 7)

2009-02-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

Missouri State (10-13; 3-9, 9th) vs. (Southern Illinois 10-13; 5-7; t-6th)
3:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
ESPN2

This morning’s Springfield News-Leader article sums up the season for Southern Illinois so far with one word: miserable. It is an accurate assessment of the recent woes of one of the MVC’s premier programs, a proclamation made even more truthful with this week’s diagnosis of lead guard Bryan Mullins with a stress fracture.

And now the SIU Salukis are in a roster situation that MSU’s Cuonzo Martin is more than familiar with. For the better part of the season, Martin’s Bears have dealt with short benches and injured star players. Now about as healthy has they’ve been all season, it is Missouri State that will look to feast on a road opponent licking its wounds.

In their last game, MSU beat Evansville thanks in large part to double-doubles from Chris Cooks (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Kyle Weems (10 and 10). For Weems, it was his second double-double of the week, a fact that for Martin helps sell the future of his program. While Cooks will graduate at the end of the season, youngsters like Weems and Cardell McFarland, as well as transfer Will Creekmore, are gaining valuable experience as Martin looks to resurrect the proud MSU program.

Speaking of proud programs, I’m sure no one in the Valley is truly feeling sorry for SIU. They have, along with Creighton, owned the MVC for the better part of the last 10 years. They are down to 8 players on the bench, and are led by likely Freshman of the Year Kevin Dillard (12.7 ppg, 3.8 apg). And with a roster full of younger players, today’s ESPN2 road game in front of a White Out in the new JQH Arena might be a lot to handle. SIU already lost one White Out game on the road.

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

~ Creighton Otter

---

Drake (14-10; 5-7, t-6th) vs. Bradley (13-10; 7-5, 4th)
7:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
MVC TV

Both of these teams come to tonight’s game reeling a bit. Bradley had UNI exactly where they and the rest of the Valley wanted them Tuesday night but couldn’t seal the deal. BU has lost four of their past six games. Drake had a solid first half against Creighton Wednesday night but gave up 51 second-half points and lost; that’s six losses in the last seven games.

Bradley is sitting about where they were last season; they are in sole possession of 4th place in the MVC with six conference games left to play. Drake has come back to Earth following last year’s magical run through the Valley and into the NCAA tournament. In a few weeks, the Bulldogs will honor not last year’s team but the one DU squad that puts all others to shame: the 1969 Final Four squad.

Bradley has suffered through two tough losses; how well can Jim Les keep them from hanging their heads? And will Josh Young break out of his 3-point shooting slump to right the ship for Drake? There seems to be a lot more questions than answers for both teams as they head into the final weeks of Valley play.

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

~ Creighton otter

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Evansville (14-8; 6-6, 5th) vs. Wichita State (11-12; 5-7, t-6th)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

Two-thirds of the way through conference play, the calendar has flipped to February, and each game down the stretch becomes a little more important.

While Jays fans have been focused on the race at the top of the Valley, the next tier of teams are battling in a race that is just as intriguing. Evansville stands alone in the fifth spot at 6-6. Behind them is a trio of teams at 5-7 battling for the sixth seed and the opportunity to start their MVC tournament on Friday, and not in the dreaded Thursday night play-in games. Joining Wichita State in that group are Drake and Southern Illinois.

Evansville is coming off a tough loss on the road to Missouri State. Senior Nate Garner has two 20-point efforts in his last two games. He scored 20 in a road win at Drake and a career-high 24 against the Bears. Shy Ely stills leads the Valley in scoring, and he is looking to become the first Purple Ace to be tops in that category for a season. He will be the focus of the Shox defense.

WSU will go for the season sweep of this series today. They pulled off a 51-50 win in Wichita on a Toure Murry 3-pointer. After losing their first six conference games, the win against the Jays sparked a run during which the Shox have won five of six MVC showdowns. Gregg Marshall has to be pleased with the results of his team as of late, especially the Black and Gold picking up their first road win of the season in the previous game.

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

~ Panon

Creighton 79, Drake 68

2009-02-05T07:25:00.000-06:00

Everything in its right place

Finally. After last season’s overtime loss at home, a hard-fought but ultimately unsuccessful road trip, a stomach-gnawing loss in Arch Madness, and this year’s complete stink bomb at the Qwest Center a few weeks ago, Creighton picked itself up off the ground and revisited its winning ways in Des Moines.

A couple quick thoughts following the game last night…

10 to 2

The first half found Creighton offering Drake plenty of opportunities to get the home crowd in the game, as well as convert on some CU mistakes. In 20 minutes the Jays turned the basketball over 10 times, mistakes that Mark Phelps’ team was able to turn into 12 first-half points.

Dana Altman and the coaching staff no doubt imparted some strongly worded wisdom at halftime about caring for the basketball, and the Jays responded. CU committed just 2 turnovers in the second half, forced 8 by the Bulldogs, and outscored DU 10-2 off of those errors.

Take a look at Josh Dotzler’s numbers as a point guard last night and it makes you shake your head. In 26 minutes (and in between 5 personal fouls), Dotzler dished 6 assists, swiped 4 steals, and committed ZERO turnovers.

11-1

Justin Carter, who led the Jays with 7 rebounds against the Bulldogs, mentioned in postgame interviews how he and his teammates and the coaches had talked about the fact that going into last night’s game CU was 10-1 when they outrebounded their opposition. Make that 11-1. CU won the battle on the glass 36-26.

The Jays are plus-15 on the boards during the past three games, and they outrebounded their opponents in three consecutive games. That hasn’t happened since outboarding Nebraska, Mississippi Valley State, Saint Joseph’s, and Dayton earlier this season.

Additionally, these past three games mark the first time since last February that CU has won the rebounding battle in back-to-back-to-back MVC contests.

Double-digit road win

Coming into last night, CU hadn’t won consecutive MVC road games by 10 points or more since the sensational 2002-2003 season. Thanks in part to a 51-point second half and increased defensive pressure in the second stanza, the Jays outscored DU by 12 in the final 20 minutes and won by 11 points.

And aside from Booker Woodfox’s 23-point outburst (his first 20-point game since going for 20 in the loss at Wichita State) and P’Allen Stinnett’s 17 points (15 in the second half), all but one Jay who played (Dustin Sitzmann) contributed points to the cause.

Carter added 9 hard-fought points to go with his team-high 7 boards. Antoine Young spelled Dotzler for 14 minutes and scored 7 points, including some clutch free throws down the stretch. Kenny Lawson added 6 points in only 10 minutes (due to foul trouble). Kaleb Korver hit his first shot in two weeks. Cavel Witter also hit a 3-pointer, his first since the last Drake game. Casey Harriman and Kenton Walker played hard on defense and hit the boards, and each scored right at their season averages.

Woodfox back on?

Booker’s battle with some nagging injuries has been well documented this season. Since missing the Bradley game on January 10, he has been shooting 42% from the field. Before he sat out against the Braves, Booker was firing at a nearly 51% clip from the floor. Woodfox’s effort is always evident, but last night the results matched for the first time what Jays fans had become accustom to seeing from the senior sharpshooter during the first half of the season.

Booker was 9-17 from the field, including 5-8 from 3-point range. It was the first time in his 11 MVC games that he made 5 or more long-range shots. He did it 4 times in non-conference play. He is currently 6th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (48.5%), 25th in 3-pointers made (65), and 96th in total points (374; 16.3 ppg).

When Booker is on point, it is imperative that the Jays get him the ball. Last night they did just that, with Stinnett and Dotzler combining for 5 of their shared 9 assists off of Woodfox’s shots.

Mr. 300 (not to be confused with Mr. 3,000, played by the late, great Bernie Mac)

I can’t forget a tip of the cap to Altman, who last night won his 300th game at Creighton. That’s 383 total wins in his head coaching career, during which he has averaged more than 19 wins per season for 20 years. He is just the second coach in MVC history to bowl a perfect game at a Valley school; Henry Iba was the first to accomplish the feat (at Oklahoma State).

While the ultimate goal of any fan is to have his or her team make the NCAA Tournament, Altman’s 300th win got this season’s squad closer to continuing a couple of impressive streaks. Currently sitting at 18-6, just 2 more conference wins will extend the 10-plus conference win streak as well as the 20-win season streak. And the Jays seem well on their way to postseason play, another familiar feat Altman has brought to the Hilltop.

Still, he has just 4 weeks to get this team ready for the 3-day grind that is Arch Madness, likely to be Creighton’s only chance at going back to the Big Dance this season.

Gameday Pick ‘em #24: Drake (14-9; 5-6, t-6th in MVC)

2009-02-04T05:55:00.000-06:00

The Pundits

“Only Henry Iba has more wins at a Valley school” (OWH)
“Creighton motivated to end slide in series” (DM Register)
“All signs are pointing to a big future for Young” (OWH)
“George Mason set to play Jays in BracketBuster” (OWH)

The Picks

I could sit here are rehash all of the disappointment and frustration that I and the rest of the Bluejay faithful felt nearly two weeks ago, when Drake came to Omaha and for the fourth straight time against Creighton.

Instead, I’ll try to keep fresh in my mind the recent improvements made by the Jays in the other two games of the recent home stand as I prepare for tonight’s CU-DU game. Sure, the two wins came against the cellar-dwellers in the MVC, Missouri State and Indiana State, and sure, there were more than a few minutes in each contest when the home team looked more like the squad playing on the road. But, all things considered, in the context of this bizzaro Valley conference season, the Jays’ ability to outrebound MSU and the Sycs while getting some inspired defensive effort leave me with a smile on my face heading into tonight’s game at the Knapp Center.

And let’s be honest. Will the Jays shoot 30% from the field again? Will they launch 33 3-pointers again and only make 30% of them? Will Drake’s Craig Stanely go for a double-double again? I’d like to think the answer to all of these questions is a resounding no. The Jays will need maximum effort to beat the Bulldogs on the boards, but it is possible. And CU will need to be patient and let Justin Carter and Antoine Young try to make something happen with dribble penetration to avoid getting locked into a 3-point shooting contest with Josh Young and Bucky Cox. And they’ll need to get back on defense and talk, to avoid the miscommunication and lost defensive assignments that plagued the Jays just 11 days ago.

There will no doubt be a large contingent of Creighton fans making the short trip to Des Moines this afternoon. They’re driving across I-80 because they remember a time not too long ago when Jays fans called the Knapp Center “Qwest Center East.” They realize that the Bulldogs have dropped 5 of their last 6 games – the lone win coming in Omaha, of course. Here’s hoping those same fans have a fun drive back from Des Moines.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (15)
Dance Cam Guy: Kenny Lawson (19)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Kenton Walker (13)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (16)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8
Panon: Jays by 6
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 14
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 3

Today In The Valley (Feb. 4)

2009-02-04T00:45:00.000-06:00

Southern Illinois (10-12; 5-6, t-6th) vs. Illinois State (18-4; 7-4, t-2nd)
7:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois
MVC TV

Tonight, Chris Lowery will get a chance to show why he gets paid the big bucks. The Salukis host in-state rival Illinois State. What makes C-Lo's job more difficult tonight than the last meeting when the Redbirds were victorious in Normal? Coaching without floor leader Bryan Mullins on the court.

Mr. Mullins. What more can this guy do? He has only missed two games his entire career. He recently joined Ryan Sears as the only two members in Valley history with 500 assists and 250 steals. After missing the 2008 post-season NIT because a stress fracture in his left leg, he now has the same injury in his right foot. Exit Mr. Mullins, enter Justin Bocot, who will be inserted into the starting lineup. Bocot, along with Kevin Dillard and Ryan Hare, will get even more of a chance now to show the rest of the Valley what is in store for the next couple of years in the SIU backcourt.

While many fans will be at Pub II in Normal or Buffalo Wild Wings in Bloomington for a viewing party, the Redbirds will be trying to maintain a tight hold on the second spot in the Valley. After the I-74 rivalry game over the weekend, a 69-65 win over Bradley, they will need to get up for another big in-state game against SIU in the Dawg Pound. They've lost four straight road games and will try to change their luck in this rematch from 11 days ago.

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

~ Panon

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Missouri State (9-13; 2-9, t-9th) vs. Evansville (14-7; 6-5, 5th)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri

Someone forgot to tell Vegas that the Missouri State Bears are 2-9 in the Valley and coming off a double-digit defeat in Omaha.

Someone better tell Shy Ely and the rest of the Aces that the Bears are giving 3 points as of Tuesday evening. Riding back to back wins and hoping to sweep the season series against MSU, Ely and his teammates look like they are hitting a stride. Plus, this trip to Missouri is the only thing standing between Marty Simmons’ team and a two-game home stand.

But someone should also clue them into the fact that they’ve only won two road games all season, and that MSU’s only two MVC wins were on the shiny new court in the JQH Arena.

Cuonzo Martin’s Bears play pretty solid defense, but they’ll have to pull out everything in their bag of tricks to stop Ely. They have precedent, however: in that overtime loss in Evansville a few weeks ago, MSU held the Valley’s leading scorer to just 9 points – his second lowest single-game scoring effort of the season thus far.

Conversely, the Aces will need to keep an eye on Chris Cooks, the Bears’ top offensive threat. They didn’t see much of Cooks in the last meeting, though: it was his first game back from a concussion injury that kept him out of the start of MVC play.

Which one of the role players for each of these two teams will step up and snatch a win for his squad? Ely’s supporting cast has been good as of late, so I’ll give the nod to the Aces.

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

~ Creighton Otter

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Indiana State (4-18; 2-9, t-9th) vs. Wichita State (10-12; 4-7, 8th)
7:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

Indiana State’s last game was a throwback to commemorate the success of the legendary 1979 team, which was able to make a magical run to the NCAA Finals. With the powder blue uniforms, some of the Sycamores resembled one legendary Larry Bird with the way the 3-pointers were falling in the first half against league leading UNI, shooting 64%. Unfortunately, the Sycamores came back to 2009 in the second half and played like a team in last place in the Valley. They shot 20% from behind the arc and were only able to put up 20 points in the second half. The poor closing stanza left the Sycamore faithful with another tough loss, this time to the tune of 61-57.

Wichita State ,on the other hand, was able to return to its winning ways after a bit of a hiccup against Bradley on the road. WSU showed the Valley faithful on Saturday afternoon that they are a force to be reckoned with this year (at least at home), as they embarrassed a sluggish Drake Bulldog squad 63-47 on FSN Midwest. This win made it four out of their last five Valley games for a Shocker squad trying to make something out of what a lot of fans thought was a season going nowhere.

Both of these teams are playing to stay out of the Thursday round of the MVC, although that seems pretty unlikely right now for the Sycs. After looking at the current standings, the Shockers definitely need this one more than the Sycamores, as they at least have a slim chance of avoiding the dreaded play-in round. I like the Sycamores to take a bit of frustration out on Gregggggg and the gang.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

Today In The Valley (Feb. 3)

2009-02-03T08:36:00.000-06:00

Bradley (13-9; 7-4, t-2nd) vs. Northern Iowa (16-6; 10-1, 1st)
7:00 p.m.
Carver Arena; Peoria, Illinois

I was able to watch Northern Iowa’s game at Indiana State on Saturday via Fox Sports, and I thought for a minute (actually, 20 minutes of game time) they were going to drop their second game to the Sycs this season.

The Trees came out red het from behind the 3-point line and built an early first half lead that sent them into the break up by 7. And then it happened. ISU started playing like a team in last place, and UNI started playing like the league leader. Ben Jacobsen’s team was able to cause turnover after turnover and convert them into easy buckets. Slowly but surely, the Panthers clawed away at the lead and ended up with a 61-57 victory.

Like Drake last season, this year’s UNI squad just finds a way to win. They’ve posted 10 straight victories since their conference opening loss to the Sycamores. They have two tough tests this week, though, as they host Creighton on Sunday afternoon and travel to Peoria for a game tonight against Bradley.

The Braves put more than a scare into the UNI faithful two weeks ago; BU led the home team by 6 at the break and opened up a 10-point second half lead. Still, Northern Iowa was able to cut the deficit and then explode past the Braves for the win in the last few minutes of the game.

After two wins following that loss in Cedar Falls, Bradley is coming off a tough loss to rival Illinois State, 69-65. They are looking to separate themselves from the second place log jam, where they sit with the Redbirds and Bluejays.

All of the Valley teams, and especially the Jays and ‘birds, will be rooting for the Braves to knock the Panthers down a notch tonight and put some teams in striking distance of the league leaders. This game should be a good matchup, and the outcome will most likely be determined by the pace established between the two teams. Will Jacobsen be able to adjust to Bradley’s speed on defense, or will the patience and physical toughness of the Panthers be too much for the Braves to overcome?

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

Creighton 75, Missouri State 51

2009-02-02T12:29:00.002-06:00

Lunchtime Bluejay Bites

I won’t make any stupid metaphors about how yesterday was “super” for the Jays and CU fans. Aside from the first few frustrating minutes of the games, the Jays did exactly what they should: stomp on bottom-four team in the MVC at The Phone Booth in February.

And with that, here are a couple of quick lunchtime thoughts about yesterday’s game while still trying to figure out who thinks of punching a koala bear that is wearing glasses and drinking coffee. Comedy genius!

Scream if you love the Jays, Dummy!

Jump in Confidence for Juco J.C.

In first 19 games of the year, he scored in double figures just 4 times. Yet, he was one basket short 9 other times. He has been in double figures in 3 of his last 4 games, including a solid 12-point effort against Missouri State. He had 7 steals in the first 9 MVC games; he has 6 steals in his last 2 games, including 2 against MSU. He also recorded 7 rebounds, a stat in which he leads the Bluejays for the season (5.0 per game).

With Booker Woodfox scoring yet battling a nagging injury, P’Allen Stinnett trying to fight through a knee injury to maintain a focal point for opposing defenses, and Cavel Witter struggling to score in his past few games, CU needs consistent play from Carter. Altman’s junior college transfers have a history of coming along in the last one-third of their first seasons of action, and Carter is looking to do down the stretch what Woodfox and Witter did last year for Jays. The last two games of this homestand have no doubt helped that transformation.

P’s Prognosis

P’Allen played just 17 minutes against the Bears, scoring 12 points and dishing 3 assists. There is no doubt that if Stinnett’s knee doesn’t hold up the Jays will be forced to change some of the offensive schemes they’ll throw at opponents. And while Stinnett doesn’t seem to be driving to the lane quite as much in the past few games (albeit because of the knee, I’m sure), his 3-point shot has improved so much from last season to this year that even if he has to be confined to a limited role on the perimeter he should be able to continue to change games with his play.

Plus, his hops looked just fine on the alley oop he received from Woodfox in the second half against MSU. The real issue, though, will be on the defensive end. You can bet coaches in the MVC will isolate P’s defensive assignment in the CU man-to-man defense and ask him to run through a ton of picks, move laterally guarding a bunch of back cuts and motion, and be as active as possible on the bum leg. Communication on the defensive end will be key between Stinnett and his teammates to keep him fresh and avoid losing containment on P’s assignment, who is usually one of the opponents’ best offensive threats.

Balanced Bluejays

Sunday’s effort was also noteworthy due to the unselfish play and good court vision displayed by most of the Jays. CU recorded 19 assists (3rd highest total this season), but no player had more than 3. In fact, Antoine Young, Kaleb Korver, Stinnett, and Woodfox had 3 apiece. Carter, Josh Dotzler, and Kenny Lawson had 2 dimes each.

Four Jays tallied double-figure point totals, led by a career-high 15 points for Kenton Walker. He was trailed closely by Stinnett and Carter’s 12 each, while Woodfox chipped in 11 points. What’s more, everyone except for Dustin Sitzmann (who played a season-high 6 minutes) and Korver scored.

The Jays even won the battle of the boards, and everyone pitched in to pick the glass as well. Dotzler and Sitzmann were the only two Jays to not grab a carom, and Lawson (8) and Carter (7) led the way.

Our Own Fabulous Freshman

Three Missouri State Bears scored in double figures on Sunday; two of them were freshmen. True frosh Cardell McFarland had 14 points, while redshirt rookie Kyle Weems recorded his first double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds).

Those are just two freshmen who are making their presence felt game in and game out in conference play. There are two newbies (SIU’s Kevin Dillard and WSU’s Toure Murry) in the top 10 of scorers in MVC games. UNI’s Johnny Moran is also in the top 25 of scoring for conference games. Indiana State’s Carl Richard and MSU’s Weems are in the top 10 in rebounding in Valley games. Evansville combo guard Kaylon Williams is in the top 20 in rebounding, leads the MVC in assists per conference game, is 3rd in steals per MVC contest, and is in the top 5 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Throw in BU’s Eddren McCain, SIU’s Ryan Hare and Anthony Booker, and even Indiana State’s sharpshooting Jordan Printy, and the conference is bursting at the seams with freshmen who continue to contribute a lot to their teams in all phases of the game.

Antoine Young is Creighton’s contribution to this great class of frosh. Since getting “the talk” prior to the Jays’ road game at Bradley, the young Young is averaging 8.4 points per game while seeing an average of 19 minutes of action per contest. From mid-December to that Jan. 10 game in Peoria, Young didn’t play more than 9 minutes in a game (a stretch of 5 games). In the past 7 MVC games (again, dating back to the day Dana Altman said he would make Young a bigger part of the lineup rotation), the freshman from Bellevue West has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and has proven his ability to guard man-to-man very well (even though he doesn’t have a steal since that trip to Bradley).

His contributions had been limited through the first half of the year due to a roster loaded with experience at the guard position. But one has to wonder whether Altman and his staff looked around the league and saw something that maybe they should be emulating a bit more: the rise of the young gun. Antoine sure has a burgeoning fan club in the first few rows of section 123; as he continues to impress in increased minutes that will no doubt grow to parts far and away in Bluejay Nation.

Gameday Pick ‘em #23: Missouri State (9-12; 2-8, 9th in MVC)

2009-02-01T10:33:00.001-06:00

The Pundits

“P’Allen Stinnett questionable for Sunday” (OWH)
“Bluejays face turning point against Bears” (OWH)
“Martin’s greatest victory” (Springfield News-Leader)
“Tough test at Creighton” (Springfield News-Leader)

The Picks

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, let’s analyze the MSU-CU game as if it were a battle on the gridiron.

Justin Carter, 6-4, 200 lbs., played both basketball and football at Compton College from 2006-2007, which followed a high school career in which Carter was team MVP as a senior and second-team all-area. He set the Watkins Mill High School single-season (1,488 yards) and single-game (313 yards) rushing records. Plus, his favorite sport team is the New Orleans Saints.
Casey Harriman was a two-time all-state wide receiver at Battle Creek-Ida Grove.
Kaleb Korver was a three-year letterman in both basketball and football at Pella High.
Shane Laurie played two years of football at Kickapoo high school, playing quarterback on varsity his junior year and free safety his junior and senior seasons.
At 6-4, 220 lbs., Chris Cooks was an all-county wide receiver for Idabel High in Oklahoma.
Dustin Sitzmann’s favorite sports team, besides CU basketball, is Notre Dame football.

There you have it. Jays win in a walk.

Seriously, though, Missouri State leads the Valley in rebounding margin in conference games (plus-3.3); Creighton is dead last (minus-4.3). Overall for the season, the Bears lead the MVC in scoring defense and are second in turnover margin. And in conference play, MSU is second in the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio.

They are a tough defensive team that has been on the wrong end of some close losses. Still, they are just now getting healthy and offensively they struggle to compete in most games. The difference for them might be emerging transfer Will Creekmore, a post player who started his career at Boston University. Between Creekmore and freshman Kyle Weems, the California Connection of Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker will have their hands full.

Who will step up for the Jays with P’Allen possibly riding this one out on the pine? If it is one of the CU post players, that would bode well for the final margin. But if Creighton continues to rely on outside shots and doesn’t take advantage of its great free throw shooting (against a team that fouls a lot), it could be another close MVC game for the Jays.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Booker Woodfox (15)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (18)
Panon: Woodfox (17)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Carter (17)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Carter (16)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 7
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 13
Panon: Jays by 14
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 12
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 10

Today In The Valley (Jan. 31)

2009-01-31T11:50:00.001-06:00

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)

2009-01-29T05:57:00.000-06:00

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

2009-01-28T07:06:00.001-06:00

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)

2009-01-28T06:54:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-27T07:47:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-27T06:32:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-25T12:35:00.002-06:00

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)

2009-01-25T11:07:00.001-06:00

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)

2009-01-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

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)

2009-01-24T09:57:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-23T05:55:00.000-06:00

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

2009-01-21T21:38:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-21T00:06:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-20T00:25:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-19T07:24:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-18T00:18:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

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)

2009-01-17T06:46:00.001-06:00

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)

2009-01-15T23:01:00.001-06:00

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.

Gameday Pick ‘em #17: Southern Illinois (7-9; 2-3)

2009-01-14T07:37:00.001-06:00

The Pundits

“Bluejays say flying united is best route” (OWH)
“Southern might be down but not out” (OWH)
“Dawgs hope the worst part is over” (The Southern)
“Guards lead way into Omaha” (The Southern)

The Picks

There are a few sure-fire ways to get any die-hard Jays fan riled up. Many of those tactics involve muttering the names of recent Southern Illinois Saluki players. From February 2002, when Mike Sanzere blew a whistle (and the call) on Super Bowl Sunday at the Civic Auditorium, until last February at the Phone Booth, Creighton has gone 5-12 against SIU (including 8 straight from February 2004 to March 2007). Granted, the Jays have seemingly won when it mattered most — 3 of those 5 wins were for championships at Arch Madness — but that doesn’t change the fact that for the better part of a decade the Salukis have had Dana Altman and his team’s number.

Did things change last season? While CU dropped a 4-point game in Carbondale (after posting a double digit lead in the second half), P’Allen Stinnett and the boys railed SIU during a “White Out” game last February. It left Jays fans with many lasting images, including the following two highlights from Stinnett and a Phantom Flipping Off of the officials by head Dawg Chris Lowery.

P'Allen vs. the Salukis, #1

P'Allen vs. the Salukis, #2

The names Kent Williams, Jermaine Dearman, Darren Brooks, Brad Korn, Stetson Hairston, Jamaal Tatum, Tony Young, Randal Falker, Matt Shaw, and Mullins are enough to make a CU fan want to vomit. And while Mullins is still around, C-Lo’s team is relatively unknown to the majority of the 15,000-plus Jays fans that will brave chilly temperatures tonight and venture to the Qwest Center for arguably the most popular home game of the Bluejays season each and every year.

The Salukis are really young, save for familiar faces Mullins, Tony Boyle, and Wesley Clemmons. So are we; only one player (Josh Dotzler) has played more than two games against SIU in his career. These players are new to the rivalry, as well, and would like to capitalize on the solid performance registered in the last game against SIU.

The names may have changed, and the position of these two teams in the standings might not be the same as in past showdowns, but those facts mean nothing today. It is SIU Gameday, and you can bet players and fans have a little extra pep in their step as they wait through the day for tonight’s big game.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Justin Carter (12)
Dance Cam Guy: Kenny Lawson (20)
Panon: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Witter (20)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Antoine Young (15)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 4
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 8
Panon: Jays by 10
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 7
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 12

Today In The Valley (Jan. 14)

2009-01-14T00:30:00.000-06:00

Illinois State (14-2; 3-2) vs. Drake (13-4; 4-1)
7:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois

What a week it has been for the Redbirds. Riding high after their win over a solid Creighton club, they took their undefeated show on the road to visit hated rival Bradley. The sellout crowd was a bit much for the Redbirds to handle, as they fell 56-52 to the Braves.

But that was a rivalry game, where records are often thrown out of the window. Now they could clear their heads, and the distraction of an undefeated season was out the window. They could focus on the conference title and brush aside the lowly Sycamores of Indiana State. Or not. T

he Sycamores were able to shock Illinois State as well as the rest of the Valley with an overtime victory in Terre Haute, 75-70. After seeing Champ Oguchi at less than full strength for a few games and then having Big O come down with a bad cold the day of the game against the Trees, times are getting a bit tough in Normal; the Redbirds fell from their perch down to a three way tie for second place in the MVC.

Drake, on the other hand, has been on a bit of a hot streak. The Bulldogs have won their last four games, placing them at the top of the league (with Northern Iowa and Bradley). After trailing the majority of the game on Sunday night, the Bulldog reserves were able to will their way to a victory over Triple G and the gang.

Tonight’s game will feature a Drake squad steeped in numerous defensive looks and consistent offensive execution against an Illinois State team loaded with talented shooters who can guard and rebound at every position. You can bet the ‘Birds are a bit ticked at the ‘Dogs for the beating Drake administered on national television last March in St. Louis, and you can imagine that Josh Young and Bucky Cox don’t really care. This should be a good one.

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Missouri State (7-9; 0-5) vs. Wichita State (6-10; 0-5)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri

The good news: one of these two teams will finally earn a win in MVC play after tonight’s “showdown” between the Bears and the Shockers. The bad news: fans of both schools will need to tune in or show up in person to watch the teams try to overcome glaring weaknesses in order to start heading in the right direction.

Missouri State plays solid defense, but they continue to suffer from an inexplicable amount of injuries to key starters as well as bench players. Oh, and their best player is working back into form after suffering head injuries a month ago. They score the fewest amount of points per game among Valley teams.

Wichita State can’t really shoot, either. I know that is being overly simplistic, but let’s not sugarcoat it. They’re 8th in the league in scoring. Greggggg Marshall can’t seem to find a lineup that works night in and night out, so the game of musical chairs continues deep into another midlands winter.

Both teams are among the league leaders in points allowed per game defensively, yet one can’t get stops when it needs them most (WSU) and the other just allowed Northern Iowa to shoot more than 80% in one half (MSU).

This game seems to scream “toss up” in the worst sense of the term. I can’t imagine the crowd in Springfield’s new digs will be very large tonight, but here’s hoping the home team gets a win and rewards Cuonzo Martin with his first MVC win as head coach. That’s about all there is to cheer for in this one.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Today In The Valley (Jan. 13)

2009-01-13T11:22:00.000-06:00

Indiana State (4-12; 2-3) vs. Bradley (10-6; 4-1)
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

One team just snagged its second huge MVC win over the weekend. The other squad dropped their first conference, perhaps starting the “MVC Shuffle” a bit early. They meet in Indiana for a Tuesday night tussle.

Indiana State showed some real guts and fight on Saturday night as they were able to take down the explosive and athletic Illinois State Redbirds in overtime. That win could be used by Kevin McKenna as a huge confidence builder for his young Sycs in the topsy-turvy Missouri Valley Conference, but it came at a cost: Harry Marshall is questionable with a hamstring injury suffered in the extra period of play against ISU.

It is an injury that will make knocking off first-place Bradley a tougher challenge as the Trees look to become a team to reckon with. Everyone always says that college basketball is a great game because anyone can win on any given night. Year after year, teams in the MVC drop games that no one in their right mind would predict. Creighton losing to UNI at The Phone Booth and Indiana State defeating Illinois State are just two more shockers that have become the norm for this ever-deepening conference.

Then you have games that you know will be good matchups and that either team could win. That is what we had Saturday night when Creighton traveled to Peoria and played an amazing team game to steal one away from the Braves. This game was played right after Bradley was able to knock off then-undefeated and hated rival Illinois State, and they were riding high.

The loss on Saturday dropped Bradley into a three way tie for first place in the Valley, and they will need to rekindle the sharp execution on both ends they displayed before the loss to CU to beat the Sycamores. This game, a road tilt for the Braves, will be decided by balance: will the sluggish Sycamores of the early part of the season play a complete 40 minutes on both ends of the floor? Will the Braves go back to being the team pounding its collective chest after beating the Redbirds with stifling defense, or will we see Jim Les’ squad that was unable to stop a Booker-less Creighton?

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Evansville (11-4; 3-2) vs. Northern Iowa (10-6; 4-1)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana

The Purple Aces are perfect at Roberts Stadium so far this season. At 10-0, they’ve handled every challenge on their home turf so far. Tuesday night’s matchup will be a good litmus test for Evansville.

Will they be able to handle one of the best teams in the Valley through 5 games (Northern Iowa is tied with Drake for the longest current win streak in Valley play, winning 4 straight after dropping their opener), or will they fall to.500 in MVC play?

After breaking out to a 9-point lead midway through the first half, a 15-2 SIU run spanning both halves was enough for the Salukis to hold off the Purple Aces in Carbondale. Shy Ely scored 22 and continues to lead the Valley in scoring. He’ll be a tough matchup for the Panthers. On the perimeter, the UNI guards (Moran, Ahelegbe, and Farokhmanesh) are all listed at 6-2 or under. One of them will try and contain Ely.

UNI has shown it can handle tough environments in winning at SIU Arena and Qwest Center Omaha. Now, will they be able to win in a stadium not known as a rowdy environment? This game will also set the tone for a streak where Ben Jacobsen’s Panthers hit the road for five of their next seven games. If Coach Jacobsen’s team can keep taking care of business on the road, the comparisons between this year’s UNI squad and last year’s Drake team will be more and more frequent.

Besides, it is hard to lose when you shoot 81.8% in a half of basketball, as they did in their win over Missouri St.

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

~ Panon

Creighton 73, Bradley 64

2009-01-12T21:02:00.000-06:00

Blue Bombers

Sorry this took so long; I just finished watching Creighton’s road win in Peoria. Seriously.

Saturday evening, a group of friends and I went out to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday, an event that had been put off and rescheduled for any number of reasons too many times. So, instead of fretting about the Jays game in the comfort of my own home (or The Stadium Club downtown), Panon, Dance Cam Guy, and I were left to stretch our necks and stare into the distance looking at a television across the dining room at Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the Old Market.

Actually, our table was located on the second floor of the building, in what is known as the Sake Bombers Lounge. The entire level is bathed in glowing red lights; not the kind of atmosphere you want when peering at a TV screen featuring the bright red and white jersey of the Bradley Braves. Between Creighton’s recent play and the laundry list of scenarios stacked against the Jays — Booker Woodfox missing the game due to injury, Bradley just having knocked off in-state (and previously undefeated) rival Illinois State, and BU themselves being unbeaten in MVC play — the red aura surrounding our table felt apropos. We were going to lose.

But between servings of edamame and Crunchy Blue roll, and as the sake bombs started to flow, one thing was clearly evident from following the shaky video on Cox Channel 2; the Jays seemed intent to play physical, hardnosed basketball from the very beginning. We tried to keep one collective eye on the TV and the other focused on the table and the great conversations going on, and strategic trips to the restroom (to catch a closer glimpse at the score) were clutch.

And as the final second ticked off the clock at Carver Arena, and as the Jays continued to make free throw after free throw to ice any comeback attempt from the Braves, everyone around the table let slip some grins and smiles, as if to say, “WOW. I didn’t see that coming, but I shouldn’t be surprised.” But we all were, especially considering the way the Jays won and where they picked up the victory.

---

It was merely coincidence that we caught parts of the game while sitting in a lounge with “bombers” in the title; Creighton has lived by the long-range shot all season. 34.4% of their points come from 3-point baskets, a percentage that ranks 37th in the nation. They also score 23.3% of their points from free throws, good for 47th in the country. They get only 42.3% of their scoring from the field, ranking 335th among all Division I teams. To beat Bradley on the road, one would think, the Jays would need to be pouring it in from outside. And while they did make 8 3-pointers for the game (and shot 47% from long range), it was the concerted effort to score inside and draw contact that allowed Creighton to control the tempo for most of the game.

Without Woodfox in the lineup and with the Jays looking to avoid a 3-game losing streak, Dana Altman reached into the coaching bag of tricks for some pregame prep work. The Visionary of the Valley, as dubbed by Peoria Journal Star writer Dave Reynolds, pushed the right buttons and had his players ready to compete and contribute — each and every one of them. Ten Jays saw action, and each of them played at least 10 minutes. Antoine Young, arguably Creighton’s best on-the-ball defender (although just a freshman) saw his most extensive minutes in an MVC game so far and took advantage of the opportunity: he scored a career-high 13 points (including his first 2 3-pointers of the year), dished 2 assists, swiped 2 steals, and grabbed a rebound in 21 minutes of play.

Four Bluejays scored in double figures, led by Cavel Witter’s 14 points. Justin Carter went for 9 points and handed out 4 assists (to just 1 turnover, which have been problematic for him lately). The California Connection combined for 16 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. And even though he didn’t score, Chad Millard continued to elevate his game defensively: he joined Kenny Lawson and Kenton Walker with 2 blocked shots and grabbed 2 rebounds in 14 minutes of play.

So the Jays got on the plane in Peoria headed home with a win earned the right way — through teamwork, unselfish play, and focused attention on doing the tough, difficult things needed night in and night out to win games. With 2 of their next 3 games on the road, the Jays will need to adopt these traits and consistently perform as they did at Bradley in order to permanently bounce back from losses to Illinois State and (league-leading) Northern Iowa. It starts Wednesday against Southern Illinois, a team that has made NCAA tournament trips doing exactly what the Jays now must emulate: playing hard-nosed defense, getting timely scoring from the perimeter, and puffing out their chest and treating every game as if it is the most important game on their schedule.

For all intents and purposes, the home game against SIU is just that.

Today In The Valley (Jan. 11)

2009-01-11T11:08:00.002-06:00

Drake (12-4; 3-1) vs. Wichita State (6-9; 0-4)
6:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
ESPNU

Gregggggg Marshall and the Shox are in a bad place right now, record-wise, and I’m not so sure that a road trip to Drake is how they want to right the ship. However, based on the craziness of this weekend’s Valley results, I wouldn’t be half surprised to see the Shockers pull out a W in Des Moines.

OK, that’s not really true. I would still be surprised. For years, WSU owned this head-to-head matchup. From the 2002-2003 season until last season, Drake only beat the Shox twice. As part of their magical run last year, the Bulldogs swept WSU (as they did a few other teams in the MVC) and they have continued to play at a high level this season. The same can’t be said for the Black and Gold.

Marshall’s team come into tonight’s nationally televised game (still) looking for their first conference win. They lost their last game (at home) to a Southern Illinois team that was winless at the time. Their next game is on the road (not good) against Missouri State, a team that is 0-5 in MVC play after last night’s loss. If Jonathan Cox and Josh Young have their way tonight, WSU will need to win a showdown of 0-fer teams on Wednesday when they travel to Springfield.

WSU must persevere, and they can look to Cox as a great example. Bucky needs 6 points to reach 1,000 for his career (and 9 rebounds to reach a tie for 10th on the all-time Drake list). Those are amazing numbers for a guy who didn’t play a major role in his team’s offense until his junior season.

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

~ Creighton Otter

Gameday Pick’em #17: Bradley (10-5; 4-0)

2009-01-10T14:08:00.000-06:00

The Pundits

“Jays seek rebound on the road” (OWH)
“Sitzmann plays important role for Jays” (OWH video)
“BU to receive test of newfound status” (Peoria Journal Star)

The Picks

The news has gone from bad to worse following Tuesday’s loss at home against Northern Iowa. Watching the UNI game, it was easy to see that CU’s leading scorer Booker Woodfox was hurting; he turned an ankle on New Year’s Eve against Indiana State. But he is now questionable for tonight’s game at Bradley.

Oh, yeah. The worse part; Bradley’s 4-0 and tonight’s game is at Carver Arena, a place that’s been a house of horrors of sorts lately for the Jays. The Braves are playing like the kind of team that wins close games, especially at home: no one statistic overwhelms a casual observer when looking at their season so far, but they play with grit, determination, and teamwork. As with any basketball team, those traits seem to be magnified when playing in front of the home crowd. Alas, the quandary facing the Jays.

They’ll be without their top scorer (Woodfox) on the road in a hostile arena after dropping a blowout (vs. Illinois State) and a nailbiter in which they had a lead late and lost (UNI). The quick trip to Peoria could serve as a break of sorts, a way for the Jays to collect themselves and put in a focused effort away from Omaha. Or, this situation could prove to be heaping more pressure on a relatively inexperienced team that may be without its most savvy offensive star.

Thinking about this game makes my head hurt. I, much like any other sane CU fan, don’t want to turn in for a game that gets out of control – much like last year’s effort at Bradley. The Braves are a different team that in years past; they don’t shoot 3’s exceptionally well, for one example. But unless Creighton can get consistent scoring in the paint tonight and talk to one another on defense, the trip to Carver will prove a challenge that this team is just not tough enough to shoot their way out of.

Leading Scorer

Creighton Otter: Chad Millard (12)
Panon: Kenny Lawson (15)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (17)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Cavel Witter (11)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: P’Allen Stinnett (22)

Margin

Creighton Otter: Jays by 3
Panon: Braves by 7
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 7
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 1
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 2

Today In The Valley (Jan. 10)

2009-01-10T14:02:00.002-06:00

Indiana State (3-12; 1-3) vs. Illinois State (14-1; 3-1)
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana

Illinois State will continue their road trip tonight as they head to Terre Haute to face the Sycamores of Indiana State. The Redbirds are coming off their first loss of the season, dropping a game to in-state rival Bradley last Tuesday 56-52. This is not necessarily a good thing for Indiana State; the Sycs will now have the most athletic team in the conference coming into their house with a huge chip on their shoulder. This game was already one of those that most Valley fans look at and thought, “Blow out!” With Osiris Eldridge and the ‘Bird ticked off, that prediction looks even better.

The Sycamores are also coming off a loss, as they were unable to handle the Bulldogs from Drake. Indiana State has played fairly well at home this season, and they can only get better as this season goes on. They’ll need to do so soon, though, as the Redbirds and Bradley Braves are two formidable opponents in the Sycs’ next two games. Indiana State will be a big underdog in this matchup, but I don’t see Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich, who recently finished 9th in the collegeinsider.com mid season coach of the year award, and the rest of the Redbirds taking anyone lightly the rest of the MVC season (especially on the road).

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

~ Dance Cam Guy

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Northern Iowa (9-6; 3-1) vs. Missouri State (7-8; 0-4)
7:00 p.m.
McLeod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa
MVC TV

Nearly a quarter of the way through the Valley schedule, UNI has put itself into pretty good position. Just think, one half of basketball (that first half against Indiana State, during which they were down 21 points at the break on their way to a double overtime loss) pretty much separates the Panthers from a perfect Valley record. But they can’t take tonight’s game against the Bears lightly without risking a home loss that would somewhat neutralize their road wins at Creighton and Southern Illinois. Plus, they’ve got two tough road games (at Evansville and Drake) on tap after they host MSU.

But let’s not get carried away; first, the game at hand. Ben Jacobsen’s squad needs to avoid a letdown. They got a career-high 22 points from Johnny Moran, one of the talented freshmen guards in the Valley, in their win in Omaha Tuesday. One way to avoid a lull? Being able to count on solid contributions from the perimeter night in and night out from a red-shirt sophomore (Kwadzo Ahelegbe), a freshman (Moran), and a JUCO transfer (Ali Farokhmanesh).

The Bears nearly pulled out a win at Evansville on Wednesday before falling in overtime. They’ll be hoping to end a 5-game skid (their first in four years). The news doesn’t get better for the Bears; just as they get Chris Cooks and Shane Laurie back from concussion-related symptoms, they will now be without the other Laurie – Spencer – for up to two weeks with a broken non-shooting hand.

As the weather gets colder UNI is just getting warmer. Coach Cuonzo Martin and his Bears will have their work cut out for them to pull out their first MVC win in a hostile road environment such as the McLeod Center.

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

~ Panon

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Southern Illinois (6-9; 1-3) vs. Evansville (11-3; 3-1)
7:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois

Two teams on the opposite site of the spectrum meet in Carbondale tonight in a matchup that should be better than the records indicate.

Evansville comes into SIU Arena without a win in their last seven trips to Little Egypt. The Purple Aces are off to their best start since the 1999-2000 team was 13-3 (maybe you’ve heard that on this blog for the past few weeks). In their last game, they survived a scare at home against Missouri State, holding on for a 66-61 win in overtime. While Evansville is 10-0 at home, they’re just 1-3 on the road.

Meanwhile, the Salukis finally got a MVC win after starting the conference season 0-3. They went to Wichita and notched a victory against the 0-fer Shockers. And now they are back home, in front of a boisterous Dawg Pound that will be full of students returning from break, hosting an EU squad that doesn’t play exceptionally well on the road.

What to watch: SIU senior Bryan Mullins against EU freshman Kaylon Williams. Since Valley play started Williams has averaged 7 rebounds and 7 assists a game. Overall, he’s second to Mullins in the Valley in assists (5.9 apg vs. 4.6 apg) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0:1), behind Mullins (3.1:1) and Creighton’s Josh Dotzler (2.6:1).

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

~ Panon