Creighton’s announcement that it will play a postseason game Tuesday at the Civic Auditorium raises one important question.
Will Red McManus turn the lights back on for Bluejay basketball at the Civic?

When Creighton played its last game at the Civic on March 3, 2003, the university had McManus, a former Bluejay basketball coach and longtime supporter, turn off the lights in a postgame ceremony to signify the school’s move from the facility that had served as its home since 1961 to Qwest Center Omaha.

With the Qwest Center unavailable next week, Creighton will play its first-round CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament game at the Civic at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday.

“That’s something we haven’t talked about,’’ said Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen, chuckling when told of the turn-on-the-lights scenario. “Maybe it’s something we’ll have to consider.’’

Creighton announced Wednesday night that it had accepted an invitation to play in the CIT, a 2-year-old, 16-team invitational tournament. Creighton will play its first-round game at home against an opponent to be announced, possibly not until Sunday.

Getting a chance to play at home is one reason Creighton decided to accept the CIT invitation, Rasmussen said. The school also had discussions with the 3-year-old Collegiate Basketball Invitational, another independent 16-team tournament, but had not received a guarantee of a home contest.

“The CIT guaranteed us of at least one home game,’’ Rasmussen said. “It’s another opportunity to play and to play at home, and that’s what we wanted.’’

Tickets will go on sale Friday for Creighton season ticket-holders. They will be receiving information in the mail concerning the number of tickets they can purchase and seat location. All seats will be reserved and cost $15. Sales to the general public will begin Tuesday at noon.

Rasmussen said he is uncertain how many tickets Creighton might sell for a game involving its 16-15 basketball team.

“We’d like to have a sellout and have to turn people away,’’ he said. “In reality, we really have no idea. We’re going to get at least one more chance to play at home. I want to play. The coaches want to play. The players want to play.

“If someone says I don’t want to watch them play, for whatever reasons, I understand. At this point, we can’t control whether anyone wants to watch us play or not. But we’re going to play, even if nobody is there. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.’’

Playing the game at the Civic, Rasmussen said, might attract some fans that might have skipped the game.

“We’re hoping that there’s some excitement about us getting to play another game at the Civic,’’ he said. “We played in some great atmospheres there.’’

By playing in the CIT, Creighton will extend its streak of playing in a postseason tournament to 13 consecutive seasons, a Missouri Valley record.

All CIT games will be played at on-campus sites, with the championship game scheduled for March 30. Pairings will be announced Sunday night, with bracketing done geographically into multiple regions to minimize missed class time. Brackets will be balanced competitively within each region.

Season ticket-holders, who will receive a promo code required for advance purchase, can buy tickets in a variety of ways. They will be sold at Creighton’s Ryan Center Ticket Office (Friday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), at the Qwest Center box office (Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and at Ticketmaster locations at Younkers and Baker’s stores.

They also can be purchased online through Ticketmaster (direct link available at www.gocreighton.com <\<>http://www.gocreighton.com/> starting Friday) and by phone through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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