Creighton

MVC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:13:47 -0500

The MVC race is always up for grabs, and perhaps another surprise team like UNI lurks. Perhaps no league has as much parity as the Valley, where even the bottom teams are improved.

Conference Rank: 8th

10 year average: 9th

MVC Conference Page

All-MVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	Jr
G	Josh Young	Drake	Jr
G	P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	So
G	Adam Koch	Northern Iowa	Sr
F	Dinma Odiakosa	Illinois St	Sr

Player of the Year - Osiris Eldridge Freshman of the Year - Ben Simons (Drake)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Osiris Eldridge (1st Team) Adam Koch (3rd) P'Allen Stinnett (3rd) Josh Young (3rd) Kevin Dillard Dinma Odiakosa		Points: Josh Young 15.4 Rebounds: Dinma Odiakosa 7.5 Assists: Clevin Hannah 4.3

MVC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Creighton	MVC	1	NCAA
59	Northern Iowa	MVC	2	NIT
72	Bradley	MVC	3	NIT
76	Illinois State	MVC	4	NIT
94	Wichita State	MVC	5	CBI/CIT
117	Southern Illinois	MVC	6	CBI/CIT
137	Indiana State	MVC	7
154	Drake	MVC	8
203	Evansville	MVC	9
228	Missouri State	MVC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MVC?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

MVC Preseason Poll & Awards

Press Release — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:56:24 -0400

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Northern Iowa men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the preseason poll announced today during the league's annual Basketball Media Day.

Northern Iowa, which returns all five starters after sharing the regular-season title with Creighton last year, earned 38 of 39 first-place votes in the survey of league coaches, beat writers, sports information directors and play-by-play men.

Pollsters have accurately predicted the league's regular-season champ only 11 times out of 25 since 1985-86. Two teams have been picked for second place but gone on to take the regular-season crown, Southern Illinois in both 2002-03 and 2006-07.

The preseason poll doesn¹t always match the year-end standings. Last year's Northern Iowa was picked sixth and ended up in a tie for first. The year before that, Drake was picked ninth, only to finish 28-5 and win the league title.

2009-10 MVC Preseason Poll
Rk.    School (1st place votes)    Total
1.    Northern Iowa (38)    389
2.    Creighton (1)    336
3.    Illinois State    299
4.    Southern Illinois    272
5.    Wichita State    216
6.    Bradley    208
7.    Indiana State    173
8.    Drake    105
9.    Missouri State    92
10.    Evansville    55
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors and media.

Preseason All-MVC Team
Osiris Eldridge*, Sr., G, Illinois State
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Jr., G, Northern Iowa
Tony Freeman, Sr., G, Southern Illinois
Adam Koch, Sr., F, Northern Iowa
P¹Allen Stinnett, Jr., G, Creighton
Josh Young, Sr., G, Drake
*Preseason Player of the Year

Honorable Mention:
Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois
Clevin Hannah, Wichita State
Jake Kelly, Indiana State
Sam Maniscalco, Bradley
Harry Marshall, Indiana State
Toure¹ Murry, Wichita State

MVC Preseason Poll & Awards

Press Release — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:10:19 -0400

ST. LOUIS - UNI, which returns all five starters and nine of 10 players from last year’s regular-season co-champ and State Farm MVC Tournament winner, has been picked to earn the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball title in 2009-10.

The Panthers are hoping the pollsters are correct, although recent history could suggest otherwise, as only once in the past four years has the pre-season poll correctly picked the regular-season champ (last year Creighton was picked to win and shared the regular-season title with UNI, which was picked to finish sixth.)

The Panthers - also picked to win by The Sporting News College Basketball Preview, Lindy’s College Basketball Preview, and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview - join a small group of defending Missouri Valley men’s basketball champs to return all five starters.

It marks the second time in league history the Panthers have been pegged as the preseason favorites. UNI was also picked to win the league in 2005-06. UNI finished fifth in the conference race in 2005-06, but earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

MVC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) Total
1. UNI (38)......................389
2. Creighton (1).................336
3. Illinois State................299
4. Southern Illinois.............272
5. Wichita State.................216
6. Bradley.......................208
7. Indiana State.................173
8. Drake.........................105
9. Missouri State.................92
10. Evansville....................55
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors, media, and coaches.

2009-10 MVC Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year, Hometown, High School
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, UNI, G, 6-2, 200, Jr., Oakdale (Minn.) Tartan High
Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State, G, 6-3, 215, Sr., Chicago (Ill.) Phillips Academy
Tony Freeman, Southern Illinois, G, 6-1, 195, Sr., Maywood (Ill.) St. Joseph’s/Iowa
Adam Koch, UNI, F, 6-8, 255, Sr., Ashwaubenon (Wis.) High
P’Allen Stinnett, Creighton, G, 6-3, 180, Jr., Las Vegas (Nev.) Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Josh Young, Drake, G, 6-1, 174, Sr., Lawton (Okla.) Lawton Christian High

Honorable Mention: Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois; Clevin Hannah, Wichita State; Jake Kelly, Indiana State; Sam Maniscalco, Bradley; Harry Marshall, Indiana State; Toure’ Murry, Wichita State

Preseason Player of the Year - Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State

Poll: Who Will Win the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:33:53 -0400

Creighton Basketball Preview: #41

Joel Welser — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:41:13 -0400

Overall Rank: #41

Conference Rank: #1 Missouri Valley Conference

2008-09: 27-8, 14-4

2008-09 postseason: NIT

Coach: Dana Altman (308-160 at Creighton, 391-227 overall)

Creighton was as close as anybody to making it into the NCAA Tournament. Instead they had to settle for the NIT. The Missouri Valley Conference’s most dangerous team always aims for the NCAA Tournament and this year will be no different even without point guard Josh Dotzler and super shooter Booker Woodfox.

Key Losses: G Josh Dotzler, F Kenton Walker, G Booker Woodfox

Key Newcomers:

However, Coach Dana Altman has brought in plenty of talented newcomers who can help out on the perimeter. Junior college transfers Darryl Ashford and Wayne Runnels are both capable of immediately bolstering the offensive spark from the wing. Point guard Andrew Brock is the most highly touted of the incoming freshmen and should be the backup point guard from day one. Big 6-8 wing Ethan Wragge and redshirt freshman Josh Jones will provide even more depth.

Backcourt:

Woodfox led the team with 15.8 points per game and connected on an incredible 47.6 percent of his attempts from long range. It will take more than one player to replace Woodfox, but the Bluejays have a surprising amount of options. P’Allen Stinnett is not nearly as consistent of a shooter, but he does a great job of getting to the basket. Cavel Witter was a superb sixth man last year and might be again this year after averaging 7.7 points during his first season in Omaha, Nebraska. The most important backcourt player could be wing Justin Carter. He averaged 8.1 points and a team high 5.5 rebounds from the power forward position last season. With the talent on the wings, it is likely that Creighton will once again put the 6-4 Carter at the four spot and play small.

Frontcourt:

Playing small works alright when you have so much talent on the perimeter, but it would be helpful if Kenny Lawson was a better rebounder. The Bluejays were consistently outrebounded last year and there is no reason for that to be any different this time around. However, Lawson does give this team a quality interior scoring threat and that opens up space for the shooters and slashers on the wing. Without Kenton Walker to provide depth up front, it will be up to Casey Harriman to turn into a more productive player. Harriman, at 6-5, does not have the size to play the five spot, but he is a decent outside shooter who can give Carter a break at the four spot and give the team a little more size.

Who to Watch:

Antoine Young spent his freshman season learning from Josh Dotlzer. While Dotzler was a true point guard in every sense of the phrase, Young can add a little more scoring punch to the point guard position. And without Woodfox, that might not be a bad thing. However, Young is still pretty inexperienced and has to emerge as a leader of this team and, more importantly, keep the turnovers down.

Final Projection:

The lack of size on this team is pretty alarming. Lawson averaged less than 20 minutes per game last season and somebody has to be the big body in the middle. Chad Millard is an experienced option, but he averaged less than ten minutes per game last year. The good news is that Lawson rarely gets into foul trouble and if he can physically play 25 to 30 minutes per game it would go a long way to helping this team get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Antoine Young, Sophomore, Guard, 4.9 points per game

Cavel Witter, Senior, Guard, 7.7 points per game

P’Allen Stinnett, Junior, Guard, 12.5 points per game

Justin Carter, Senior, Forward, 8.1 points per game

Kenny Lawson, Junior, Center, 8.5 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
42		43		44		45

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews - Preview Interviews

Poll: Who Was the Biggest Tournament Snub?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:51:42 -0400

Creighton: 2009 NIt

Joel Welser — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:52:16 -0400

Creighton Bluejays

Missouri Valley Conference (26-7, 14-4)

NIT Seed: #1

RPI: 40

Big Wins: 12/10 Dayton (77-59), 2/8 at Northern Iowa (77-71), 2/21 George Mason (76-63)

Bad Losses: 11/25 at Arkansas Little Rock (69-71), 1/17 at Wichita State (61-74), 1/24 Drake (62-74)

Coach: Dana Altman

Probable Starters:

Josh Dotzler, Senior, Guard, 3.2 ppg, 3.4 apg

Booker Woodfox, Senior, Guard, 15.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg

P’Allen Stinnett, Sophomore, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Justin Carter, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg

Kenny Lawson Jr., Sophomore, Center, 8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Casey Harriman, Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Kaleb Korver, Sophomore, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg

Kenton Walker, Sophomore, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Cavel Witter, Junior, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 2.3 apg

Antoine Young, Freshman, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 1.4 apg

Why They Can Surprise:

Creighton is a great three-point shooting team and Booker Woodfox is the main reason. The 6-1 senior hits an amazing 48.9 percent of his attempts from long range. That is the best percentage in the nation. And it is not like he does not take a lot of three-pointers; he knocks down 2.7 per contest. In fact, Woodfox almost shoots better from beyond the arc than he does inside of it. But Woodfox does mix up his game and will get to the basket as well and that part of his game is even more effective since he shoots 87.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Woodfox is not the only shooter and scorer on the perimeter. Starter P’Allen Stinnett and sixth man Cavel Witter are also dangerous outside shooters. Even Kaleb Korver can come in off the bench and knock down a few long balls and spark the offense. When all those guys are hitting their shots, the Bluejays are a tough team to outscore.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Creighton has so much talent on the perimeter that it has a negative effect on the frontcourt. Justin Carter starts at the four spot and he is a 6-4 guard. Carter is a decent rebounder, but when the team lacks size like Creighton does, they will get beat on the glass consistently. Kenny Lawson, Jr. is the big man in the paint. He is a solid scorer around the basket and a good shot blocker, but he is not the greatest rebounder and the Bluejays have to get some production in that department from reserve forwards Kenton Walker and Casey Harriman.

Who To Watch:

Josh Dotzler does not get the publicity of the outside shooters, but he is the guy that makes the offense tick. The 6-1 senior is a pure point guard in every possible way. He rarely scores, or even looks to score, and instead will spend his time setting up his teammates. His assist numbers are not through the roof, but Dotzler has one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the nation. Dotzler is also a superb defender who will shut down some great scorers. Freshman Antoine Young is not the experienced ball handler that Dotzler is, but he is emerging as a competent back-up point guard who can add a little more offense than Dotzler.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 73.6 (79^th in nation, 1^st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.4 (107, 7)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (123, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.1 (111, 4)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (35, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.3 (30, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 75.1 (18, 3)

Rebound Margin: -3.4 (292, 10)

Assists Per Game: 14.0 (101, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (42, 2)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to UNLV

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Bracketology Poll: Maryland vs Creighton?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:45:35 -0400

Poll: Who Will be the Last Team in the Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:00:40 -0400

Elite Eight: The March Interview Series: Part One

David Meseke — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:32:43 -0400

Elite Eight: A March Interview Series

CollegeHoops.net has you covered with all types of rankings, previews, and recaps. But we thought it would be interesting to ask some of the top players in college basketball a little bit about themselves. In each Elite Eight article, not surprisingly, eight players chime in with various answers. Some of these guys are household names, others are names that you'll recognize, while others are names that you may not recognize, but that you should get to know.

Question: Who was your favorite player growing up? Did you try and emulate his game?

Jason Holsinger, University of Evansville

Senior, G - 12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

My favorite player growing up was Grant Hill. We don't really play the same position, so I didn't try to emulate his game. I did wear his Fila shoes though.

Aaron Jackson, Duquesne

Senior, G - 18.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.8 apg

Jason Kidd ... I tried to play like him all through middle school and high school. I still try to emulate his game today. He's a big point guard who rebounds and he likes to make plays rather than just score.

Dwight Thorne II, Colorado

Junior, G - 11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg

My favorite player growing up was Rasheed Wallace. I thought he was so tough and good, and his team was always nice. I used to be a big man so when I did play center I tried to immolate his moves.

Zach Peacock, Georgia Tech

Junior, F - 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.9 apg

Vince Carter. I tried to emulate his game, all the acrobatic moves and finesse parts of his game. I could never jump like he can.

Question: Do you have a standard pre-game meal? How did this ritual get started?

Kurt Cunningham, Boise St

Junior, C - 9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg

Pasta with a side salad and ranch. It's the only good thing our
pre-game meal spot has to eat.

Rasheem Barrett, Auburn

Senior, G - 9.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg

Chicken, yogurt, banana and salad. Someone told him me always need
to be hungry when you play.

Alex Renfroe, Belmont

Senior, G - 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.0 apg

The night before games I usually take a trip to Chili’s and get a chocolate molten cake for dessert. This started my freshman year when I had a good game after I went to Chili’s, so I thought it was my good luck charm.

Josh Dotzler, Creighton

Senior, G - 3.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.4 apg

I don't really have a pregame meal. Most of my pregame meals consist of chicken, some pasta, and some vegetables but no specific meal. I probably started this when I was a freshman in college.

Check back over the next two weeks for more Elight Eight interviews.. including the likes of Duke's Kyle Singler, Baylor's Curtis Jerrells, Hofstra's Charles Jenkins, and Dayton's Chris Wright amongst others.