Creighton Basketball

Great basketball is not only played in places like Durham and Chapel Hill; sometimes it is played in places like Provo and Omaha.

Early in the 2010-11 season, Jimmer Fredette grabbed the national spotlight and didn't let go until after he led BYU to a 32-5 record and a consistent Top 10 ranking, as well as taking home just about every national Player of the Year Award that was handed out.

Doug McDermott plays for a lesser known mid-major (Creighton) in an overlooked conference (Missouri Valley).

But the BlueJays' sophomore shooting forward phenom could just be the player to launch the small school from Nebraska into the national discussion and himself into consideration for this year's Player of the Year accolades.

Could McDermott be this year's Jimmer?

The similarities are intriguing.

In the last poll before Christmas 2010, BYU was 10-1 and ranked No. 23. In the last poll before Christmas 2011, Creighton was 8-1 and ranked No. 21.

Fredette finished the 2010-11 season as the D-1 scoring champ. McDermott is currently tied for the lead with Damian Lillard from Weber State.

In his final season in Provo, Fredette scored 28.9 points per game; McDermott is currently scoring 25.3 ppg.

Last year, Jimmer shot 45.2 percent from the field, 89.4 from the line and 39.6 from beyond the arc; McDermott is shooting 63.3 percent from the field, 85.3 from the line and 57.8 from beyond the arc.

Fredette and McDermott are throw-back players. They both rely on sharpened shooting skills not just freakish athleticism.

Hopefully, the national media will feature McDermott as the season unfolds, allowing for college basketball fans from across the country to follow this highly overlooked small name from a small school as he pursues excellence on the collegiate hardwood.

No. 21 BYU (6-0) travels to Omaha, Nebraska Wednesday night to take on the Creighton Bluejays of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Cougars can expect a large and rowdy crowd to show up at the 17,260-seat Qwest Center.

The Bluejays average over 14,600 fans per game in a building that opponents have had very little success in.

Creighton is 101-18 in the seven-plus years it has been playing in the Qwest Center.

The Bluejays are 4-2 on the season with home wins over Alabama State, Northern Arizona, Louisiana and Kennisaw State. Both of their losses have come away from home, a 91-88 last-second loss against Iowa State and 65-52 setback at Northwestern in their last outing.

Creighton returns four starters from a team that went 18-16 last year, and finished in fourth place in the MVC with a 10-8 record.

This season they’ve added freshman forward Doug McDermott (6'7", 210) who is shooting 52 percent from the field and has been named as the MVC Newcomer of the Week in each of the last three weeks.

Doug is the son of head coach Greg McDermott, who is in his first season at Creighton after leading the program at Iowa State for four years. Creighton’s former coach, Dana Altman is now the head coach at Oregon.

Along with McDermott, the Jays are also led by center Kenny Lawson Jr. (6'9", 250, Sr.) and point guard Antoine Young (6'0", 180, Jr.). The trio is averaging 41 points per game.

Lawson also leads the team in rebounds with 7.2 per game and is the type of powerful athlete on the inside that has historically caused problems for BYU. He also has a reputation of being a good shot-blocker.

Young is a quick point guard that has the ability to penetrate the lane and either score or find the open man. He is tied with McDermott in scoring thus far this season with a 14.3-point average, while dishing out a team-high 4.2 assists. It would not be surprising to see Dave Rose put Jackson Emery on Young to limit his penetration of the defense.

Creighton also has the services of guard Kaleb Korver (6'5", 195, Sr,) who is the brother of former Utah Jazz and current Chicago Bulls player Kyle Korver. Like his brother, Kaleb is a streaky outside shooter who rarely looks for his shot inside the arc. He has hit 10-of-22 (45 percent) three-point shots this season; overall he is 11-of-27 from the floor.

The Cougars will also have to be aware of reserve forward Wayne Runnels (6'6", 215, Sr.) who will come in off the bench and crash the glass on both ends of the court. Of Runnels’ 37 rebounds this year, 17 of them have come on the offensive end.

Creighton’s weakness this season has been consistency with their shots—the Bluejays are shooting just 42 percent in their first six games. It will be interesting to see how they handle BYU’s defensive pressure and the many hands that will be in the passing lanes. Jimmer should also have a big advantage offensively if they try to defend him with Young.

Overall Creighton is a solid team that is very good when playing at home and feeding off of their crowd. The Cougars will need to bring their A-game on Wednesday night if they expect to push their record to 7-0.

As a guy who always admired the Missouri Valley Conference in basketball, Dana Altman was always one of my favorite coaches.

With the job he's done at Creighton, 12 straight seasons resulting in either an NCAA or NIT bid, winning the MVC regular-season title three times and the MVC tournament six times, he's done wonders for the Creighton basketball program.

However, three years ago after Arkansas fired Stan Heath, Altman was tapped to leave his home state and the program he helped build to head up an Arkansas team that reached the NCAA Tournament that year.

After being introduced as the head coach for the Razorbacks, Altman had a change of heart and returned to Omaha to continue as Creighton's head coach, winning a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title with Northern Iowa in 2009 and reaching the NIT second round.

Stating the obvious, as yours truly sat on his couch watching the last few rounds of the NFL Draft and seeing his apartment complex look like the aftermath from Noah's Flood, Oregon decided that now was the time to find their new coach in Altman.

That's right, a guy who's only reached the second round twice in the NCAA Tournament— once in 1999 when Creighton defeated Louisville and again in 2002 when the Bluejays defeated Florida, could be the next head coach at Oregon.

While at first thought of this, I believed this would be another bad hire, I reverted my negative thoughts and saw the positives.

Creighton is a private, Jesuit school that can't afford to pay Altman the same salary that Oregon could.

While Creighton has a still brand-new arena in the Qwest Center, built on the excitement created by Altman's teams, Oregon has their own ace in the hole that could lure Altman to Eugene, the Matthew Knight Arena which opens in January of 2011.

Creighton has to play second fiddle, like it or not, to Nebraska football in Omaha as well as the College World Series which is held there.

Oregon is in the Pac-10, which is expected to be an improved conference in 2010-11 with recruits like forward Dwight Powell, who committed to Stanford.

Creighton has reached their plateau in success, the high point being the 2002-03 team that won 29 games and flamed out in the NCAA Tournament to Central Michigan.

So with that being said, Altman seems to be a perfect fit in Eugene.

The question is, will he take the offer to leave the nest in Omaha?

We must wait and see.  

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How bad does Kentucky have to be that they are traveling to Creighton in the NIT and are the underdog at -2. Hard to imagine at the beginning of this season that anyone would have imagined this scenario but never the less it has occurred. The Wildcats started there NIT off with a bang playing at home and winning by 10 points and looking very impressive. Creighton on the other hand did win but had to hold on late barely beating Bowling Green by 2 points. Lets look at records and trend for this match up:

Records:

• Creighton  27-7 overall    16-13 ATS
• Kentucky  21-13 overall   14-14 ATS

• Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
• Kentucky is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
• Creighton is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
• Creighton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home

Creighton vs. Missouri State - February 24, 2009 8:05PM
Free Pick: Missouri State
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Early reports from offshore contacts indicate that Creighton will be one of today’s most popular bets. In this case, I believe that the joe public bettors are off base and that the current line provides solid value with the home underdog.

While Missouri State has only won three of its last six home games, the three losses all came by single-digits.

Its true that the Bears were blown out at Creighton. However, the Bears have won three of the last five series meetings at Missouri State and the two losses were by just five combined points. With the revenge-minded Bears gaining some confidence from a momentum-building win, look for this evening’s game to also come down to the wire. Consider taking the points.

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Yesterday, I reviewed the status of the races in 11 conferences, ranging from the America East to the MEAC. Today, I’ll take a look at the other half of the alphabet, starting in the Heartland.

Missouri Valley

Current Leader: Northern Iowa (12-3)

State of the Race: Far tighter than it was two weeks ago. The Panthers have dropped two of their last three.  The first of those losses was to the team who may very well pass them in the standings, Creighton (12-4). UNI and CU split their two meetings, with each winning on the other’s home floor. The Blue Jays have a slightly better profile than the Panthers, with wins over New Mexico and Dayton at the Qwest Center and a close loss to Nebraska in Lincoln. UNI’s best non-league win, meanwhile, is one against Auburn in suburban Chicago. Don’t discount Illinois State’s chances as the Redbirds are two games back now, and they close the regular season by hosting UNI and traveling to Omaha.

Conference Tournament: March 5-8 in St. Louis

My Pick: Creighton, as they’re the hottest team in the conference right now.

Northeast

Current Leader: Robert Morris (13-1)

State of the Race: Not close. The Colonials lead last season’s tournament champions, Mount St. Mary’s by three games in the loss column. RMU won in Emmitsburg by seven and the two meet in Moon Township to close the regular season on Feb. 28.  It’s possible that the Colonials may wrap up homecourt advantage for the conference tournament by then.  Not that it matters based on last year’s results.

Conference Tournament: Higher seeds host on March 5, 8, 11

My Pick: Robert Morris. They were expected to make it last year and failed. This year, they weren’t expected to be as good and have a great shot to make the tournament for the first time.

Ohio Valley

Current Leader: Morehead State (12-3)

State of the Race: Tight. The Eagles lead Tennessee-Martin by a half game and defending champion Austin Peay by two games. Morehead has a 3-0 record against their pursuers, with a meeting at Tennessee-Martin to close the regular season. The Governors and Skyhawks split their two meetings, with each winning on the road.

Conference Tournament: Higher seeds host on March 3; March 6-7 at Nashville

My Pick: Morehead State because of their dominance over the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the league.

Patriot League

Current Leader: American (9-1)

State of the Race: The Eagles only conference loss was to second-place Holy Cross in Worcester. The two meet again in Washington on Saturday afternoon. Homecourt advantage for the Patriot League tournament may be on the line. Navy sits at 6-4, but they beat Holy Cross in Annapolis and lost to American by 1 there. They travel to Worcester on Wednesday and Washington one week later.

Conference Tournament: Campus sites, March, 4, 8, and 13

My Pick: American, as they’ll secure top seed and homecourt. They’ll then repeat last year’s performance.

Southern

Current Leader: Davidson (15-1)

State of the Race: Not close. The Wildcats have a three-game lead on The Citadel in the South Division. North Division leader (and tournament host) Chattanooga is five games behind. It appears Stephen Curry’s ankle injury isn’t too terribly serious. If it was, it could have definitely changed this race. Davidson is probably in good shape for an at-large berth, but they really cannot afford to drop another game.

Conference Tournament: March 6-9 at Chattanooga

My Pick: Davidson I keep on pointing back to the 2005 experience, but this serves to remind the Wildcats how important the conference tournament is.

Southland

Current Leader: Sam Houston State (8-2)

State of the Race: Tight. The Bearkats currently share the West Division lead with 2007 champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls State lead the East Division and are a game behind the West leaders in the loss column for the overall conference lead. Sam Houston swept the season series with the Islanders, but they’ve lost to both East leaders. TAMU-CC won at Nicholls State and hosts Stephen F. Austin on February 28.

The Lumberjacks and Colonels split their season series, with each winning at home.

Conference Tournament: March 11-15 at Katy, Texas

My Pick: Sam Houston State

Southwestern Athletic

Current Leader: Alabama State

State of the Race: Predictably tight, as the Hornets lead Jackson State by a game in the loss column. Alabama State beat Jackson State at home to open the conference season, but the two meet again March 5 in Jackson. Alabama State is the only team in the conference with a winning record over Division I opposition. Keep in mind that this league is one of the most unpredictable around come tournament time.

Conference Tournament: March 11-14 at Birmingham

My Pick: Alabama A&M, just to stick with the theme of unpredictability.

Summit League

Current Leader: North Dakota State (13-2), in their first year of eligibility

State of the Race: Tightening, as perennial power Oral Roberts is now just a game behind the Bison in the loss column (11-3). Oakland is three games back in the loss column (9-5). NDSU’s two conference losses are to the Golden Grizzlies on the road and at home to Southern Utah. The Bison did beat Oakland in Fargo and ORU there as well.  North Dakota State travels to Tulsa to close out the regular season on Feb. 28.

Conference Tournament: March 7-10 at Sioux Falls, SD

My Pick: North Dakota State, as they have the best team and the advantage of having the conference tournament in their part of the country. Granted, it’s not quite the short distance Oral Roberts has had to travel over the past few seasons.

Sun Belt

Current Leader: Arkansas-Little Rock (12-2)

State of the Race: Uncomfortably tight, as the Trojans lead North Texas by 4 games in the West Division, but the East Division’s frontrunners, Troy and Western Kentucky, are only a game back in the loss column for the overall conference lead. Troy actually took a half-game lead in the East by beating the Hilltoppers by five on Saturday.

Both East co-leaders own wins over UALR, but the Trojans host WKU Thursday. They don’t face their namesakes again during the regular season. If the Hilltoppers had built on their win against Louisville back in November, they could’ve been a contender for an at-large bid. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t and they’ll have to win the auto bid to get in.

Conference Tournament: First round hosted by higher seeds, March 4; Remaining rounds, March 8-10 at Hot Springs, AR

My Pick: Western Kentucky. I would go with UALR here, since the tournament is technically at a neutral site this year, but given how Sun Belt teams typically do when playing conference tournament games close to home, I’ll go with the team that has the most potential and isn’t close to home.

Western Athletic

Current Leader: Utah State (12-1)

State of the Race: Even with the Aggies’ loss to Boise State on Saturday, the rest of the league has a long way to go to catch up. Nevada (8-4) and Boise State (7-4) are both three games behind. The question is, now that Utah State has lost a game, will they still get an at-large if they should stumble in the conference tournament?

Conference Tournament: March 10-14 at Reno

My Pick: Utah State. I don’t think the Aggies are going to risk sweating on Selection Sunday.

West Coast

Current Leader: Gonzaga (10-0)

State of the Race: Not close. The Bulldogs lead Portland (7-3) by three games and St. Mary’s (7-4) by three-and-a-half games. They’ve swept the season series with both teams. Gonzaga should end up with an at-large bid should they stumble at the conference tournament. St. Mary’s chances may depend on Patrick Mills’ health, but if they continue to struggle in his absence, their only chance may be the auto bid.  Portland really needed a win against Gonzaga to bolster their slight hopes.

Conference Tournament: March 6-9 at Las Vegas

My Pick: Gonzaga. In the end, I don’t think St. Mary’s will do it, even if Mills returns, as he’ll have to shake off some rust. This is going to end up being a one-bid league.

I’ll continue to update these races as the season winds down.

Bradley (13-11, 7-6) at Creighton (19-6, 9-4)

Line: Creighton -11.5

Coming off of a defeat to Drake 68-54 on Saturday, the Braves can’t afford too many more slip ups or they will find themselves in the lower half of the Missouri Valley Conference. A victory against Creighton and they would be within a game of second place.

Creighton is flying high after their 77-71 victory over league leading Northern Iowa on Sunday. The Blue Jays sit alone in second place, but have three teams within two games of their perch. Creighton won the first match up with Bradley by nine points and would love to get the season sweep.

ATS-

Bradley is 11-9 against the spread including 5-5 on the road

Creighton is 13-8 against the spread including 8-3 at home.

See the rest of the article including Dave's free prediction at cbbplace.com