Creighton

State of '08: The Two-Program States

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:33:15 -0700

What is the top D1 basketball program in each state.. and which program is the worst? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a state by state ranking based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up first today: The seven 2-program states.. followed by individual state articles. Note that 8 states have either one or no teams (Alaska). For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

TWO PROGRAM STATES

DELAWARE - The "First State" starts off our cross-country journey..

Delaware - The First State was one of the hardest to rank. While Delaware was a top mid-major program at the turn of the century.. the Hens hit some lean years culminating in an embarrassing 2007 (5 wins). But UDel edges out their counterpart in large part due to being in a far superior conference (CAA vs MEAC).

Delaware State - From 2005 to 2007, the Hornets were easily the better team.. making the Tourney in 2005 and winning 20 games in 2006. This was an amazing run considering how awful the team was earlier in the decade.

MONTANA - Did you even know Montana had two teams?

Montana - Despite having virtually the same success last year (232 RPI vs 236th), the Grizzlies get the nod here based on long-term success and overall statute. Montana made the big dance in 2005 & 2006.

Montana State - The last season that Montana State was significantly better than their rivals was in 2002.. yet Montana managed to sneak into the NCAA Tournament that year and steal State's thunder.

NEBRASKA - Score one for the "mid-majors"..

Creighton - A no-brainer here.. Creighton has been one of the top 40 programs or so over the last decade. Even last year, when it seemed like Dana Altman's crew were struggling, they still beat the Huskers by 12 and finished substantially higher in the computer rankings.

Nebraska - Nebraska is never awful.. but its also been awhile since they've been good. It always seems like they hover between 90-110 in the RPI.. completely mediocre for a BCS program. I don't see any major success on the horizon for the next few years either.

NEVADA - A virtual tie. (This was easily the hardest choice to make)

UNLV - Lon Kruger has done a great job getting this program back on track. Coming off back to back tournament trips, a third is definitely within reach as top players like Wink Adams return. UNLV also has the added benefit of being in a more challenging league (the MWC) and being located in Las Vegas, a nationally recognized (if not respected) city.

Nevada - Coming off four straight NCAA Tournament trips, Nevada had a disappointing season despite winning 20 games. But a recruiting class ranked Top 25 nationally has fans hoping for a return trip in 2009. While Nevada has had better success in the past five years, UNLV's past and projected future is brighter.

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Perhaps the worst basketball state in the union?

New Hampshire - UNH is simply a bad program, as the Wildcats have peaked with an RPI of 250 in the last decade. But UNH has at least been competitive in America East games recently.. winning 20 games in the past three seasons.

Dartmouth - One of the worst programs in the country, Dartmouth hasn't been above 250th in the RPI since 1999. The low was 2004 with an abysmal RPI of 324th (3rd worst in the country). In the last three years, the Big Green have won 11 Ivy League games.. which is so bad that it makes UNH look decent.

NEW MEXICO - Competition between these two programs is high now that NMSU is out of the doldrums.

New Mexico - While the numbers of these program are relatively similar since 2006, UNM gets the edge for long-term stability, for being in a higher-ranked conference ..and playing in a cool arena (The Pit).

New Mexico State - As recently as 2005, NMSU was one of the worst programs in the country. But moving to the WAC (and hiring Reggie Theus) helped lead to a shocking rebound that culminated in a 2007 conference title.

WEST VIRGINIA - WVU is easily the peak of the Mountain State..

West Virginia - Bob Huggins or not, WVU is a far superior program to Marshall making this a no-brainer. WVU has been Top 60 in the RPI each of the last four seasons..

Marshall - On the flip-side, Marshall hasn't approached the Top 100.. and its results haven't improved since moving from the MAC to the CUSA.

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch For: Part Three

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:50:42 -0700

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

Part Three

MEAC: Hampton

2007-08 Record: 18-12 (11-5)

Yes, the Pirates finished tied for second in the MEAC last season, but they saw their season come to an abrupt end with a harsh 75-74 loss to eventual conference champ Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament. They do have to replace leading scorer Rashad West, but of the five leading scorers on last year’s team three will be back. Look for Vincent Simpson, Matthew Pilgrim and Michael Freeman to take on even more scoring responsibility next year in attempts to win the MEAC. I think they’ve got a shot at getting to the NCAA Tournament next season, but they will have a fight on their hands from the likes of Morgan State and Delaware State.

Missouri Valley: Creighton

2007-08 Record: 22-11 (10-8)

Head coach Dana Altman was in Fayetteville for about two days before he decided that he had to remain at Creighton. His decision worked out for all parties involved as the Blue Jays notched another 20-win season and won a Postseason NIT game in the process. But more can be done, most notably contend for the MVC championship. With the exciting P’Allen Stinnett and many other key contributors due back next season, Creighton can definitely contend for the crown in 2008-09.

Mountain West: Utah

2007-08 Record: 18-15 (7-9)

Make no mistake about it; UNLV and BYU (if Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted both return) are the favorites to win the Mountain West. But the slots in the standings behind those two are practically wide open, and the Utes could be the team that moves to the top of that list. The lone contributor to leave was guard Johnnie Bryant, who moved to the bench to make way for JUCO transfer Tyler Kepkay when the season began. Along with Kepkay due back is seven-footer Luke Nevill, who can score with either hand on the low block. With the number of players they have due back, look for Jim Boylen’s bunch to make a move up the standings to an area close to where we’ve been accustomed to seeing their program.

Northeast Conference: Monmouth

2007-08 Record: 7-24 (4-14)

It would be easy to choose Central Connecticut State here and proclaim them a favorite to win the NEC. But why not go way out on a limb and expect a team that only scored 59.2 points per game to compete in the top half of the conference? Last year’s team featured seven freshmen, four sophomores and two juniors. Jhamar Youngblood led the team in scoring with twelve points per game, but the year of experience should help this entire team when it comes to winning basketball games. Not sure how good they can be, but don’t expect the Hawks to be anyone’s whipping boy when conference play rolls around.

Ohio Valley: Southeast Missouri St.

2007-08 Record: 12-19 (7-13)

The Redhawks will welcome back three of their top five scorers next season, most notably forward Jaycen Herring and guard Kenard Moore. And their top departing scorer, Brandon Foust, only played in eighteen games last season so the core of this team should be used to playing without him. Six of their losses last season, five of which were in OVC play, were by four points or less and a little change in luck could put them in position to challenge at the top of the league. A change in those five results gives them a 12-8 record in the OVC last year, which would have been good enough for third place in the conference. They’re not too far off; it’s just a matter of finishing the job in crunch time.

Pac-10: Arizona State

2007-08 Record: 21-13 (9-9)

After the abomination that was the Sun Devils’ 2006-07 season, not too many went into last season thinking that come Selection Sunday they’d be debating the NCAA worthiness of Arizona State. But we were, and with stars James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph both returning to Tempe, Herb Sendek may have a team talented enough to make a run at a Pac-10 title. Granted, UCLA will head into the season as the overwhelming favorite and they should. But this has the makings of a big year for Sun Devil basketball, and they should have no problem whatsoever reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Patriot: Bucknell

2007-08 Record: 12-19 (6-8)

Talk about a shocker. Both the Bison and rival Holy Cross were the trendy picks to win the Patriot League; instead they both end up at the bottom of the standings. But the Bison went into the off-season on a positive, knocking off Navy in a Patriot League quarterfinal before losing at Colgate. John Griffin, who hit the miraculous game-winner at Navy, Darren Mastropaolo and Rob Thomas are the only departing seniors. The key to how much of an improvement the Bison make next season will be how they go about replacing head coach Pat Flannery, who retired after fourteen seasons on the job.

Part One: ACC, Big East, Big Ten etc

Part Two: Big 12, CUSA, etc

Part Four tomorrow: SEC, WAC, WCC

2008 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman

CHN — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:12:45 -0700

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Freshman of the Year: P’Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Team

G: Armon Johnson (Nevada)

G: P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

G: Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)

F: Austin Daye (Gonzaga)

F: Herb Pope (New Mexico St)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-Freshman

G: R.L. Horton (Southern Miss)

F: Chris Wright (Dayton)

F: Tirrell Baines (Marshall)

F: Billy White (San Diego State)

F: Lavoy Allen (Temple)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention High-Major All-Freshman: Kevin Anderson (Richmond), Alphonso Dawson (Delaware), Papa Dia (SMU), Dairese Gary (New Mexico), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Sam Maniscalco (Bradley), Chad Tomko (UNCW)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up next are our Mid-Major All-Freshman teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

Three Stars of the Day: Witter, Dials, Shaw

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:58:40 -0700

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Cavel Witter - Creighton

Hit the game-winning three with 3.2 seconds left as the Bluejays came back from a big half-time deficit

Nick Dials - Akron

Scored 13 of his 21 points in OT, as the Zips upset FSU on the road

Matt Shaw - Southern Illinois

Scored 21 points and added 9 boards in an easy win over OK State in the NIT

Other Top Performers

James Harden - Arizona State - Had a great line of 25 points and 13 boards, but it was against Alabama State

Rob McKiver - Houston - Scored 22 points as the Cougars opened the CBI with a win

Previous Stars of the Day

March 15th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 11th - Jeremy Evans, WKU

March 10th - Kevin Kanaskie, MTSU

March 9th - Brandon Johnson, San Diego

March 5th - Marquis Weddle, UTM

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

Today's Game Predictions: NIT & Play-In Game

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:47:49 -0700

Mount St. Mary's (18-14) vs Coppin State (16-20)

7:30 PM ESPN

For an amazingly in-depth preview of these two teams.. check out Raphielle Johnson's Opening Round preview. He somehow knows more about these teams than I could ever know. But what I do know is that although Coppin State has won 12 of 13 games, the MEAC is awful (though not nearly as bad as the SWAC), and thus the Mount is the safe pick.

Prediction: Mount St. Mary's

Maryland (18-14) at Minnesota (20-13)

9:30 PM ESPN

Because NIT games are not on neutral courts, the spreads on most of the games are rather large. But this game has a relatively tight 3 point spread thanks to the perception that Maryland and the ACC are better than Minnesota and the Big Ten. Also helping Maryland's cause is that they've had some success away from College Park, beating UNC, BC, Wake Forest amongst others. But I think more important than records, is simply how much these teams want the win. Maryland collapsed late in the season (losing 5 of 6), while Minnesota showed some renewed heart in the Big Ten tournament.

Prediction: Minnesota

Rhode Island (21-11) at Creighton (21-10)

10:00 PM ESPNU

These seem like the most evenly matched teams in the NIT's opening round, but of course home-court makes Creighton a healthy 7 point favorite. The Bluejays played two A10 teams earlier in the year, knocking off St. Joseph's at home and losing in Cincy to Xavier. Those games suggest that Creighton has enough talent to beat a URI team that blew their chance to make the Big Dance, losing 7 of 8 games.. many of which went down to the wire. Against the spread, I actually like URI who has better individual talent, but the Rams struggle to win close games.

Prediction: Creighton

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 100-59)

March 15th - Kansas vs Texas (2-1)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

2008 NIT Capsule: Creighton

Joel Welser — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:11:58 -0700

Creighton Bluejays

Missouri Valley Conference (21-10-10-8)

Seed: #3

RPI: 45

Big Wins: 12/9 St. Joseph’s (90-84), 2/10 Southern Illinois (72-53), 2/23 at Oral Roberts (65-64)

Bad Losses: 1/2 at Indiana State (54-62), 2/13 at Evansville (56-60), 2/16 at Bradley (59-87)

Coach: Dana Altman

Probable Starters:

Josh Dotzler, Junior, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 3.6 apg

P’Allen Stinnett, Freshman, Guard, 12.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 spg

Nick Bahe, Senior, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Dane Watts, Senior, Forward, 11.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg

Kenny Lawson, Freshman, Center, 6.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Booker Woodfox, Junior, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 1.3 apg

Cavel Witter, Sophomore, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 2.7 apg

Pierce Hibma, Senior, Guard, 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Chad Millard, Sophomore, Forward, 4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg

Casey Harriman, Freshman, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Creighton does not have a go-to-scorer like they did last year with Nate Funk, but there are about a half dozen players on the team who could lead the team in scoring on any given night. Five of those players are a threat to hit the three-point shot and that can make it extremely difficult for the opposition to defend. No one individual is a prolific shooter from long range and Booker Woodfox hits the most on the team with 1.7 per game. But P’Allen Stinnett, Dane Watts, Cavel Witter and Nick Bahe hit about one per game as well and everybody but Stinnett hits them at least 40 percent of the time.

Stinnett may not be the most consistent three-point shooter on the team, but he is the most dynamic scorer. The freshman leads the squad with 12.4 points per game and will use his athleticism to finish around the basket. Witter and Bahe on the other hand, will spend most of their time on the offensive end behind the arc. Watts is the scoring threat under the basket, despite his ability to hit the long ball. Along with Stinnett, Watts is the only other double-digit scorer on the team and he also leads the way in the rebounding department.

Why They Can Disappoint:

With a healthy season under his belt, junior Josh Dotzler is finally showing what he can do. Dotzler will hardly do any scoring, but he has developed into a solid team leader and he dishes out 3.6 assists and turns the ball over just 1.8 times per game. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is not so effective taking care of the ball. Witter only plays 18.5 minutes per game, but somehow he manages 2.7 turnovers per contest.

Who To Watch:

Kenny Lawson is not a great scorer, but the 6-9 center does at least provide a scoring threat in the paint. He is a decent rebounder when he is on the floor, but despite starting about half the games this season, Lawson only plays about 15 minutes per contest. Having depth from former Louisville forward Chad Millard helps keep the frontcourt fresh and out of foul trouble, but Creighton will need somebody to become a larger scoring threat in the paint if they want to be able to get open looks on the perimeter.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.0 (113^th in nation, 3^rd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.2 (91, 7)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.1 (121, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.6 (73, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.3 (35, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.0 (92, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.9 (86, 5)

Rebound Margin: 1.7 (122, 4)

Assists Per Game: 14.8 (84, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (143, 7)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Rhode Island

- NIT Capsules

- 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage & Brackets

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Daily Poll: Who is the Best Team in the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:32:17 -0800

Games of the Night: Drake at Creighton

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:22:52 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#23 Drake (16-1) at Creighton (14-3)

9:00 PM ESPN

The second time in the last week that Drake gets the top spot. This time however, they're on the road against an underrated Creighton squad. I like the Bluejays here, as do the oddsmakers who have them a 5.5 point favorite. Creighton has won five straight and seem to be getting better each week, as Dana Altman figures out which of his pieces complete the best puzzle.

Prediction: Creighton

#5 Tennessee (16-1) at Kentucky (7-9)

9:00 PM ESPN

As bad as Kentucky has been all year, they actually have been playing decently of late. They beat Vandy back on January 12th, and lost two close SEC roads games including an overtime affair against Florida. Even though Vandy was ranked 12th when Kentucky beat them, Tennessee is a step above talent-wise and depth-wise. This game should be relatively close throughout, and Patterson could give them fits, but the Vols will come out unscathed.

Prediction: Tennessee

Wake Forest (12-5) at #25 Clemson (14-4)

7:00 PM

I don't expect this game to be close, and neither does Vegas who has the spread at 12 points. Still, every other game not listed above either features two mismatched teams or two bad ones. Clemson is only 4-4 in their last 8 games, so it's not like they've been lights out, but you simply can't lose a home game to Wake.

Prediction: Clemson

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma state (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)

Daily Poll: Who is the Best Team in the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:54:03 -0800

Three Stars of the Day: December 10th

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:28:50 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Dane Watts - Creighton

Scored 8 of his season-best 29 points in overtime, as Creighton picked up a 90-84 win over St. Joseph's

Bill Walker - Kansas State

Not the best shooting night (7-22), but Walker was aggressive getting to the line, scoring 30 points and hauling in 10 rebounds in a win over Cal

Brett Harvey - Loyola (MD)

Put up a double-double the hard way with 10 assists and 10 rebounds in 23 point win over Manhattan

Other Top Performers

Scottie Reynolds - Villanova - The sophomore led the way for the Wildcats against Philly rival Temple with 26 points and 6 dimes

Ben Uzoh - Tulsa - Snapping a three-game skid, the guard scored 28 points and pulled in 14 rebounds against Central Arkansas

CC Williams - Towson - Coming into the game averaging 3.3 ppg shooting 21%, Williams came out of nowhere to score a career 20 points against Niagara

Previous Stars of the Day

December 5th - Drew Lavender, Xavier

December 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

December 3rd - DJ White, Indiana

December 2nd - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

December 1st - George Hill, IUPUI

November 30th - Craig Brackins - Iowa State

November 29th - Ryan Anderson, California

November 28th - James Powell, UCSB

November 27th - Stephen Curry, Davidson

November 26th - Michael Bramos, Miami (OH)

November 22nd - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

November 21st - Kyle Singler, Duke

November 20th - Patty Mills, Saint Mary's

November 19th - Matt Causey, Georgia Tech

November 18th - Daniel Hackett, USC

November 17th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

November 16th - JJ Hickson, NC State

November 15th - Jon Brockman, Washington

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