The prospects of 16-15 Creighton landing a spot in a postseason tournament has some fans asking, “Are you kidding?''

They were probably asking the same thing last season at Oregon State after the Beavers were 13-17 after the Pac-10 tournament. Or at St. John's, where the Red Storm was 16-17 after the Big East tournament. Or at Cincinnati in 2008, when the Bearcats were 13-18 before starting postseason play.

All of those teams got a postseason chance, thanks to the emergence the past two years of two private tournaments — the Collegiate Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The CBI, starting its third year of operation, and the two-year-old CIT now each offer 16 teams another chance to play on.

“Those people are always looking for teams,'' Missouri Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin said, “especially ones that draw well.''

Creighton fits that bill. The Bluejays rank 10th nationally this season in paid attendance after averaging 15,833 for 15 home games at Qwest Center Omaha. Should Creighton earn an invitation to either the CBI or the CIT, the Qwest Center wouldn't be available because it's booked for other activities.

Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen said his school would look at playing any home games at the Civic Auditorium, where the school played from 1961 through 2003. The facility seats about 9,500 for basketball.

Creighton would learn Sunday night whether either group wants it. The two tournaments begin filling their fields after pairings are announced for the 65-team NCAA tournament ans the 32-team National Invitation Tournament.

“We're hoping we get a chance to play,'' Rasmussen said. “Playing extra games is a gift for your seniors. With your young kids, it's a chance to keep competing. With them, you need to compete, compete and compete and hope at some times it starts to kick in.

“We'll have some people that won't be happy that we're in or with who we're playing, but I know our coaches want to continue to keep playing.''

Coach Dana Altman confirmed that after the Bluejays lost 81-62 to Bradley in Friday's quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley tournament.

“I want to play,'' he said. “We're starting a couple of freshmen and a sophomore at point guard. So you kind of like to play, but that won't be my decision. It will be the decision of Bruce and the university.

“We've got some young guys on our team, and if nothing else, we need another week of practice. At 16-15, we're eligible. We finished fourth in our league and the league is solid. It's going to be Bruce's decision, and I'm sure he'll talk with Doug and get the Valley's point of view. Then we'll go from there.''

Elgin said the league will do whatever it can to help Creighton, or any of its teams, move on to postseason play. The league placed Wichita State in the CBI last season, and Evansville, Bradley and Drake in the CIT in 2009. Northern Iowa made the NCAA field last season, while Creighton and Illinois State earned NIT bids.

In 2008, Drake represented the Valley in the NCAA, and Creighton and Illinois State were NIT qualifiers. Bradley earned a spot in the inaugural CBI and won it, defeating Tulsa in the best-of-three final.

“That had a throwback feel to it, since Tulsa used to be in our league,'' the Valley's Elgin said. “You know, when they were talking about starting that tournament, I was skeptical. But the atmospheres at Tulsa and Bradley that year were great.

“They sold it out in Tulsa and had good crowds at Bradley. It was just like the old days, and it had a great feel. And given the great support that Creighton receives, I would think either or both tournaments would be interested in the Bluejays.''

A big question might be how interested the Bluejays' fans are. Rasmussen acknowledged that Creighton's streak of 12 appearances in either the NCAA (seven) or NIT (five) might leave some cool to watching a Mount St. Mary's or a Belmont.

Creighton's four smallest paid crowds the past four seasons showed up for NIT games against Akron (10,197) and Miami (10,018) in 2006, Rhode Island (7,948) in 2008 and Bowling Green (9,577) in 2009.

If Creighton could find a way to put 5,000 fans in the Civic, it probably would put a smile on the faces of CIT or CBI organizers. Eleven of the 17 games in last season's CBI drew crowds of 5,000 or fewer, with a low of 1,045 for a first-round game in Troy. The final series did draw two sellout crowds of 12,000 at UTEP and 8,029 at Oregon State.

Six of the 17 CBI games drew crowds of 5,000 or fewer in 2008, with six others drawing between 5,000 and 6,000. The low that season was 1,169 for an opening-round game at Ohio University.

All but three of the 15 CIT games in 2009 attracted crowds of 5,000 or fewer. Four of the eight first-round games drew fewer than 2,000 fans, including a low of 1,176 for the James Madison-Mount St. Mary's contest.

If Creighton is selected to play in the CBI, first-round games would be played March 16, 17 or 18, with the quarterfinals scheduled for March 22. First-round games in the CIT are set for March 16 and 17, with the quarterfinals also scheduled for March 22.

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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