This week’s episode of our summer series looking back at some of the greatest games in Creighton history takes us back to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game against hated rival Southern Illinois on March 10, 2003.
Creighton entered the contest with a program-best 28-4 record and a top 15 ranking in the AP Poll. It was the first time since 1975 that they had been ranked at all this late in a season. Despite that, they weren’t exactly riding a tidal wave of momentum heading into Monday night’s highly-anticipated “Arch Madness” final. The Bluejays had dropped a 70-62 decision to the Salukis nine days prior, a loss that all but handed the regular season conference crown to SIU. They bounced back to bludgeon Wichita State on Senior Night a couple days later, but had to claw their way to the title game with a pair of one-point wins over a 7-win Indiana State squad in the quarterfinals and in a rematch with the Shockers in the semis.
Southern Illinois, on the other hand, came in winners of 19 of their last 21 games, the only losses coming at Creighton on January 18 and at Bradley in overtime on February 15. Wrapped around those setbacks were winning streaks of five, seven, and seven entering the rubber match with the Jays. They were an extremely confident group, even sporting warm-up shirts throughout tournament play that were printed with the slogan “Who will be celebrating on Monday night?”
Spoiler Alert: at no point was it the Salukis.
Creighton led 10-0 after the first four and a half minutes, pushed the lead to 18-4 by the under-12 media timeout, extended that to 27-8 three minutes later, and led 42-16 when SIU head coach Bruce Weber burned his final timeout OF THE GAME with 2.3 seconds left IN THE FIRST HALF. Southern Illinois actually outscored the Jays in the second half, thanks largely to a nearly 38-point increase in their field goal percentage over the 15.6% that they shot in the first 20 minutes. But much of that offensive output came after Creighton’s lead ballooned to as much as 33. SIU’s three best players — Darren Brooks, Jermaine Dearman, and Kent Williams — all ended up scoring in double figures, but they did it on just 41.6% shooting from the floor.
Four players scored in double figures for Creighton, led by Larry House and his game-high 20 points. NBA veteran Kyle Korver stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block, and two devastating ball screens in 35 minutes.
Former standouts Brody Deren and Tyler McKinney team up again to help provide the commentary for this one as well as rehash some hilarious stories from one of the greatest seasons in the history of Creighton Basketball.