Saturday, November 21, 2009

A new 'do for Carter

12:30 a.m.: Creighton fans might best be prepared for a shock when they show up for Sunday's game against Arkansas-Little Rock.

Justin Carter has cut his hair.

The Bluejays' senior forward, still recovering from a knee injury, took the clippers to the flowing locks he's been growing for almost five years. Someone that saw a picture of Carter, minus his hair, on Twitter said the Bluejay player reminded him of Steve Urkel.

Carter didn't respond immediately to a text message late Saturday night asking why he decided to change his look. We'll check into this hair-raising tale on Sunday.

-- Steven Pivovar »

Saturday, November 21, 2009

What's Altman to do with a fully-stocked roster?
The question of the day: What’s Dana Altman going to do now that the roster is back to being almost fully stocked?

Chad Millard and Casey Harriman expect to be in uniform for the first time Sunday when the Bluejays play Arkansas-Little Rock. Justin Carter appears on track to possibly be back on the court sometime when Creighton is in Florida for the Old Spice Classic.

Obviously, it’s going to take time for each player to get up to full speed. Millard’s been out most of seven weeks with a foot injury. Harriman was in the hospital a week ago, and needs to rebuild his body after the flu and a variety of complications cost him 20 pounds. Carter still hasn’t been cleared to practice but is cutting on his injured knee.

Their return, though, is sure to make things interesting. Creighton’s five newcomers — Ethan Wragge, Wayne Runnels, Darryl Ashford, Andrew Bock and Josh Jones — saw plenty of playing time with the more experienced players on the sidelines. Will one or two of them see their minutes cut when the veterans are ready to roll?

Ashford and Wragge have shown plenty of scoring potential, while Runnels gives the Bluejays some toughness inside. That could leave Bock and Jones as the odd men out, but each has had moments in the first two games when he’s looked like he can help, too.

One thing for certain is that when everyone is back, practice is going to become a whole lot more interesting. That’s where questions about playing time ultimately will be decided. That’s where mistakes that were overlooked when a team is shorthanded will be subject to greater scrutiny. It should be fun to watch things unfold over the next month. »

Monday, November 16, 2009

Soccer season ends without berth; streak snapped
9:38 p.m.: That's all, folks. Creighton put an end to a looney-tune of a soccer season with Monday's announcement that it hadn't received an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. The Bluejays held out hope to the end but their fate was written all over their faces when several teams they knew couldn't get in for them to have a chance flashed onto the TV screen.

"We're not in,'' senior Seth Sinovic said to no one in particular.

The Bluejays really didn't desevere to be after losing and tying more matches (nine) than they won (seven) this season. Creighton got off to a rocky start and never really recovered. The Bluejays had several chances to get back on track but never could. They might have gotten enough of a bump had they won their semifinal game against Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. They lost 3-1.

Creighton's streak of 17 straight NCAA appearances is now history. It will be up to the players returning next season to try to turn a negative into a positive.

"We certainly had opportunities,'' Creighton coach Bob Warming said. "We need to do our darndest to try to get back. Two years ago, St. John's had its streak ended and the next year it wound up in the College Cup. That has to be our goal next year.

"We have to turn this into where we're more prepared and more determined next year. Everybody needs a wake-up call at different times in his life. This is a tough one, especially for our seniors. This isn't the legacy I hope they'll be remembered by.''

The seniors were part of teams that lost just one regular-season game in each of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. They made it to the elite eight last season, missing a chance of advancing by one goal. They've won big games, including one this season when they knocked off a UCLA team that came into Morrison Stadium with the No. 2 RPI in the country.

But it was on their watch that the streak came to an end. And like it or not, that will be a part of their legacy.

--Steven Pivovar »

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Jays fate in NCAA's hands
11:20 p.m.: Creighton’s soccer team meets Monday afternoon to learn its fate when the NCAA announces pairings and seedings for its 48-team soccer tournament.

If I were a betting man, I’d say the Bluejays will head home disappointed. I don’t see how a 7-4-5 record will be deemed good enough to land an at-large bid. But if there is anything we’ve learned in recent seasons about the decisions of NCAA committees in just about every sport, it’s never try to out-guess the guys handing out the coveted at-large berths.

Creighton would have had no chance whatsoever had Evansville won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship Sunday, but the Purple Aces fell to Drake 2-1 in the title game. The Bulldogs earned the automatic berth, leaving Creighton and regular-season champion Missouri State as contenders should the committee decide to award an at-large berth to another Valley team.

Creighton was 35th in last week’s NCAA RPI; the Bears were 37th. The Bluejays lost to a Drake team with an RPI of 27 in the tournament semifinals, while Missouri State was beaten by an Evansville team ranked 77th.

The impact of those results could be interesting. If the two teams are within 10 spots of each other in the adjusted RPI used by the committee, then the head-to-head meetings between Creighton and Missouri State would come into play. The Bears would have the advantage, as they beat Creighton in Omaha and tied the Bluejays in Springfield.

But if the combination of the two semifinal results would leave Creighton with more than a 10-spot advantage on the Bears, then the Bluejays might have an edge on Missouri State.

The big key is whether the committee will award an at-large spot to a Valley team. The conference did stand fifth in the league RPIs before this weekend’s action, which could bode well for the league getting more than one team into the tournament.

Creighton also is banking on the committee being impressed with its Oct. 31 win over UCLA, which was ranked No. 2 in the RPI when it lost 1-0 in Omaha and was No. 5 last week.

Will all that be enough to get the Bluejays an 18th straight trip to the NCAA tournament? The fact that Creighton didn’t take care of business during the season has left Monday’s decision out of the Bluejays’ hands. And if things don’t work out in their favor, the Bluejays will have no one to blame but themselves.

--Steven Pivovar »

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Lively start in Dayton
The Sporting News named Dayton fans the best in college basketball in an unscientific poll a few years back. Man, TSN was right on with that one.

I was here in 2006, and it’s exactly as I remember. The place is packed, and the fans are juiced for this game. It’s an electric atmosphere.

I was at KU’s Allen Fieldhouse one year for their senior day game against Kansas State. As good as the atmosphere was there for that game, it doesn’t top this environment.

Creighton is starting Darryl Ashford at the "four’’ spot, going small. Should be interesting.

- Steven Pivovar »

Friday, November 13, 2009

Dorwart not the only answer
8:58 p.m.: One of my chat buddies asked the other day if I thought Matt Dorwart would get any meaningful minutes in Creighton’s season opener against Dayton.

I crafted a diplomatic reply. If I wanted to have been blunt, I might have replied: "If you’re a Creighton fan, you better hope not.’’

That’s no knock against Dorwart, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman from Sidney, Neb. He’s a bright, young man, a hard-worker and an honors student who is looking to become a physical therapist or a doctor.

The fact that his name is even being mentioned for possible playing time underscores the state of Creighton’s frontcourt, which has been riddled by injury and illness. Starter Justin Carter is out with a knee injury. Casey Harriman, who would have stepped into Carter’s role, has been seriously ill for more than a week. No one knows when Chad Millard’s foot will allow him to suit up.

Dorwart did get to play eight minutes in Sunday’s exhibition game against UNO. He made a couple of 3-point shots — the first a bank job that perhaps illustrated the extra adrenaline that was pumping through his system — grabbed a rebound and took a charge.

But realistically, Dorwart is no more ready to duel a big, experienced Dayton front line than most of Creighton’s undergraduate population. He tried out last season and made the team as a practice player. He never suited up for a game. He figured to play the same role this season, perhaps eventually working his way into a spot where he could contribute in a season or two.

Consider this: Anthony Tolliver probably is the best big man to play for coach Dana Altman during his time at Creighton. Tolliver’s skills are fringe NBA-ish but he would have his hands full trying to keep up with Dayton’s Chris Wright Saturday.

Throwing Matt Dorwart into that kind of situation could stunt his growth and could destroy his confidence. He should play against Dayton only if foul trouble dictates a need for a another body.

Again, no knock on Dorwart. As a frequent visitor to practice, I’ve come to admire what he and the Bluejays’ other walk-ons — Derek Sebastian, Taylor Stormberg and Ross Ferrarini — bring on a day-to-day basis. They work as hard as the scholarship guys knowing the chances of being rewarded with playing time on game day are slim to non-existent. Heck, Stormberg and Ferrarini won't even suit up this season.

One of the things that Altman tried to stress this week in practice is the intense pressure Dayton’s defense will try to put on his players. The Bluejays worked on drills to try to simulate that pressure.

During one drill, Stormberg got up and guarded the other point guards so closely that he not only knew what kind of gum Cavel Witter and Andrew Bock were chewing but he might have sneaked in a chew or two himself. The other practice players tried to do the same in an attempt to help make their teammates better.

For whatever reasons, the skills of Dorwart, Sebastian, Stormberg and Ferrarini were, at some point, judged not to be worthy of a Division I scholarship. What isn’t lacking, though, is the passion each has for basketball and the desire of each to be a contributor to a team. They pay to play -- in practice.

Before they’re through at Creighton, Dorwart, Sebastian, Stormberg and Ferrarini might get their chance to step on the court and play for the Bluejays. Saturday, though, is not the proper time to throw Dorwart to the wolves, eh, Flyers. »

Thursday, November 12, 2009

CU looks to salvage season
10:51 p.m.: Creighton gets a last chance to salvage what has been a disappointing soccer season when the Bluejays face Drake in Friday’s semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Win, and the Bluejays get a chance to play for a championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament on Sunday. Lose, and there will be no NCAA trip this season for Creighton.

The Bluejays were talking big at the start of the season, and they had plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Nine starters returned from a team that reached the elite eight of last season’s NCAA tournament. They had three candidates for player of the year honors in Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic and Byron Dacy.

I’m no soccer aficionado but I do know this much: even in a sport where scores are hard to come by, you have to be able to score to win. Creighton’s lack of offense — the Bluejays have scored 19 goals in 15 games — has negated the excellence it has demonstrated on defense.

The result is a 7-3-5 record that likely won’t impress the members of the NCAA soccer committee when they meet to award at-large bids. That’s why Creighton needs to defeat Drake tonight, which would give the Bluejays two wins and a tie in their last three games over teams in the RPI top 30.

It also would put Creighton in Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship game, where the Bluejays would have a chance to alleviate any doubt by winning the automatic spot.

Creighton’s defense could make it a dangerous team if it can get into the NCAA tournament. But if the offense doesn’t come around this weekend, no one will fear the Bluejays because they’ll be sitting this one out.

--Steven Pivovar »

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Harriman extremely doubtful for Bluejays opener
9:49 p.m.: Casey Harriman’s status for Creighton’s season-opening game Saturday at Dayton went from questionable to extremely doubtful as the junior forward missed practice again Wednesday.

Harriman has been ill, possibly with the H1N1 flu, since last Thursday. He played in Creighton’s first exhibition game against Missouri Western on Nov. 4 but has not practiced since. He also missed Sunday’s exhibition game against UNO.

Creighton coach Dana Altman said before Wednesday’s practice that Harriman probably won’t play. "It’s been a week now,’’ Altman said.

Harriman’s absence would compound Creighton’s front-line problems as the Bluejays will be without 6-4 Justin Carter, sidelined two to four weeks with a knee injury, and 6-8 Chad Millard, who aggravated a foot injury last week. Millard hurt his foot in early October and has not participated in a full preseason practice.

Even at full strength, Creighton would have had difficulty matching up with a Dayton team that has seven players on its roster 6-8 or taller. The injuries and illness will force the Bluejays to rely on inexperienced players to try to stop 6-8 Dayton star Chris Wright, who is considered one of the top players in the country.

--Steven Pivovar »

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Halftime blues for Jays
At halftime of Sunday’s Creighton-UNO basketball game, three of the Bluejays’ best shooters — P’Allen Stinnett, Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge — had made zero shots from 3-point range.

Matt Dorwart made two, and very well could have had three.

For those casual Creighton fans in the audience, Dorwart is a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman from Sidney, Neb. He walked on last year and spent the season getting beat on in practice. It earned him a roster spot but it’s likely going to be awhile before he’s ready to help Creighton in games that count.

Still, he contributed when given a chance late in the first half of the exhibition game at Qwest Center Omaha. After seeing only seconds of playing time at the end of Wednesday’s first exhibition game against Missouri Western, Dorwart entered Sunday’s game with about 4½ minutes to play in the first half.

He grabbed a defensive rebound. On Creighton’s second offensive possession after he had entered, Dorwart banked in a 3-pointer from up top. On the next possession, he buried a shot from the corner. Next time down, he launched another from the opposite court that went about halfway down and popped out.

He came out with 1:17 to play having chipped in six points to Creighton’s 52-44 lead. If nothing else, the first 20 minutes were entertaining as UNO used an 18-5 run that saw the Mavericks bury four 3-point shots to take a 33-23 lead.

Creighton countered with a 13-0 run, with Kaleb Korver capping the spurt with a 3-point basket, to regain the lead. Then Dorwart came off the bench to help the Bluejays finish off the half with an eight-point lead. »

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Don't let the stats do all the talking
8 p.m.: Don’t be misled by the modest statistics Creighton’s new commitment, Keithrick Denson, compiled in his first season of junior-college basketball and his potential value to the Bluejays.

As a backup at Navarro Junior College last season, the 6-foot-8 Denson averaged about 4 points and 4 rebounds a game. Hardly the stuff that gets you all kinds of stars from those fancy-Dan recruiting services.

But getting Denson to sign on is big for the Bluejays, who were looking to bring a big man with some experience to back up Kenny Lawson next season. Lawson will be a senior, and he’ll get the bulk of the playing time in the middle.

If Denson pans out, he also could allow the coaches the possible luxury of redshirting Creighton’s other early commitment, 6-11 Will Artino. The coaches love Artino’s upside, his ability to run the floor as a big man and knock down shots.

But Artino needs time to bulk up — he weighs about 200 pounds — and he’s young for a senior in high school. He was 16 when he committed in August, and a redshirt season would allow him time to catch up chronologically with the guys he’ll be competing with throughout college.

Denson says he likes to play defense, rebound and bang inside. Those are attributes that Creighton can utilize. He also could prove invaluable if he can give Artino time to grow up. »