The last time Creighton fans cheered for their team at CenturyLink Center, on March 2 of this year, the Bluejays were a Missouri Valley heavyweight featuring two senior starters and a third probably playing his final home game.
Tonight, eight months and six days since that afternoon, Creighton fans will cheer for their team at home again, but now the Bluejays are a Big East newcomer and two of those starters are improbably — impossibly? — back for the ride. Doug McDermott opted to come back for his senior season on April 25, and Grant Gibbs was granted a sixth year of eligibility on July 2, and having both of them in the lineup steered an already excited fanbase into uncharted waters.
20 years ago, Creighton struggled to draw 2,500 fans to games at the Civic Auditorium, as the program was stuck in the quagmire of the Rick Johnson Era. Entering tonight’s game, less than 2,500 tickets remain FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON. Over 15,000 season tickets sold, over half of the home games completely sold out before a single game had been played, and a pretty solid chance of a full-season sellout.
The move to the Big East had a lot to do with that. But the return of two players no one thought would be back had something to do with it, too. McDermott and Gibbs give them star power, stability and a sense of confidence heading into the new league, and have helped make the Jays among the favorites in the Big East.
They’ll face stiffer tests as the season unfolds — perhaps as early as next week when they travel to St. Joseph’s — but Alcorn State won’t pose much of a threat. How bad is Alcorn State? They’re 0-41 in non-conference road games since a Dec. 6, 2008 win at Tougaloo, which is pretty bad. Even worse? They’ve dropped those 41 games by an average of 28.1 points and all but three by double-digits. To be fair, last November, they lost by two at eventual Sweet 16 qualifier Florida Gulf Coast, and were tied in the games final minute. Still, the fact remains that over a five-year span and 41 games, the Braves have not only failed to win a single road non-conference game, they’ve rarely been competitive.
Things don’t look to be much better this year. Picked to finish eighth out of ten teams in the SWAC, Alcorn State went 10-23 a year ago and returns just one starter off that team. Sophomore LeAntwan Luckett was second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) last season, scoring in double-figures 25 times, and figures to be their best player in 2013-14. A pair of 6’1″ guards join him in the backcourt: Devante Hampton (5.4 ppg) and Anthony Evans (5.4 ppg), both of whom came off the bench a year ago.
The Braves’ frontcourt returns senior seven-footer Josh Nicholas (3.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg), who led the team in blocked shots (1.1 bpg) a year ago and had 37 blocks on the season. Forward Stephan Raquil (1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) also returns, and is joined by freshman Marquis Vance and junior college transfer Octavius Brown.
Much like their 2004 trip to Omaha, which also took place in the season opener, Alcorn State is a heavy underdog and the game will be a quasi-exhibition. Mostly, it’s a celebration of the tipoff to a season no one dreamed possible — Creighton in the Big East, and another year of Doug McDermott and Grant Gibbs.
About the Alcorn State Braves: Alcorn State is located in Lorman, Mississippi, and was the first land-grant university in the country … Their football program has produced numerous NFL coaches and players, including Donald Driver, Issiac Holt, Steve McNair, and Leslie Frazier … The Braves finished the 2013 season with a loss to Prairie View in the first round of the SWAC Tournament … LeAntwan Luckett was picked for the preseason SWAC 2nd team by media and coaches prior to the season, after finishing 11th in the conference in scoring a year ago and leading the Braves in free throws made (127) … The Braves are coached by Luther Riley (Mississippi Valley State, 1994), in his third year at Alcorn State with a 20-46 mark, which also doubles as his career mark.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton’s crowd of 17,139 last year vs. North Texas was its largest ever for a home-opener. By comparison, Alcorn State attracted a total of 13,599 fans in 13 home games last year, an average of 1,046 … Incredibly, Creighton hasn’t trailed in its home opener in seven of the past 13 seasons … Eight of Creighton’s 18 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener … The Bluejays have won 27 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night, winning those games by an average of 27.33 points. Thirteen of those wins came by 30 points or more, and only two were decided by single-digits … Creighton is a perfect 41-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th, and has won 42 of its 43 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State last season.
The RUN-DMD Show: Doug McDermott enters Friday’s season-opener with another Creighton scoring record within reach, as his 811 career field goals is tied with Chad Gallagher (1987-1991) for most in school history. He’s also likely to pass Bob Gibson on the career free throws made list, as McDermott currently sits with 416, good for fourth all-time; Gibson is third with 418.
The Last Time They Played: On November 15, 2004, Creighton beat Alcorn State 74-40 in the season-opener. The Braves’ 40 points in that game remain a CenturyLink Center record for fewest points scored; the 11 points they scored in the first half of that game is also a record for fewest points scored in a half. Kellen Miliner opened his senior season with 20 points in 22 minutes in that game, while Nate Funk had 17 points in 19 minutes on 7-of-8 shooting.
The Series: Creighton leads 1-0. Greg McDermott has never faced Alcorn State.
Gratuitous Linkage: Fox’s Bill Raftery has done several interviews promoting the Big East this fall, but a couple have been more informative than the rest. First, he talked to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Dietsch, giving honest answers to a plethora of questions. Then today, the New York Post published a piece where Raftery proclaims the league will still be a top conference, shooting down the naysayers who are trying to paint it as something less than a major league.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On November 8, 2006, Creighton hosted Nebraska-Omaha in the second of two exhibitions prior to the start of the season. The Jays needed overtime to win their first exhibition that season, prevailing 80-76 over EA Sports, and UNO proved just as pesky, trailing just 32-31 at the half. An 18-0 CU run midway through the second stanza broke the game open, and the Jays would coast the rest of the way to a 73-56 win. Anthony Tolliver had 15 points, eight rebounds, two steals and three assists, while Nate Funk and Brice Nengsu had 14 points each. Freshman Kenny Lawson scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day: It’s tradition around these parts to play GNR in the first Primer of the season, and even though Creighton’s in a new league, some things never change.
The Bottom Line: Free pizza by the under-12 timeout.
Creighton 93, Alcorn State 56
