February 2009 Archives

Gameday: Illinois State

Max Univers

on February 28, 2009 1:55 AM | Permalink

Editors Note: The following was written at the conclusion of a night of pre-game partying at the Homy Inn and the Musette. Keep this in mind as you read. You bet.

Ah, Game 31. Back in November, various media outlets chose Creighton to be the standard-bearer for the league, the flag bearer, the Champion. A roller-coaster, up-and-down regular season appropriately wraps up today with an ultimate up-and-down game:

Cut down the nets, raise up a banner.

That's what's on the line, folks. Sure, its not the epic Thunderdome game I think a lot of us were hoping for, where both teams were fighting for the brass ring, winner take all -- but to use a mainstream media cliche, any time you get a chance to play for a championship, its awfully special.

While I reach for another slice of greasy pizza, feel free to point and laugh in my general direction for writing that last sentence. Not one of the finer moments in my writing life.

The situation today boils down to this: If Creighton wins, they clinch no worse than a tie for the championship, pending the outcome of the Northern Iowa-Evansville game tonight. That's good stuff, isn't it? Just think, six weeks ago there were mysterious unnamed Jaybackers being quoted in newspaper columns calling for Dana Altman's head, and nine straight wins later, the team is exactly where they were predicted to be on the last Saturday of the season. Namely, in first place, one win from a title.

For those of us who never lost faith, its particularly sweet. For those who did and are now back among the awesome people, welcome back. Now then...on to the fun stuff.

Continue reading Gameday: Illinois State.

2008-09 Game #30: Jays 64, Missouri State 59

Max Univers

on February 24, 2009 11:20 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, the Jays certainly pulled that one out of their nether regions, didn't they? Ah, but its late February, when results matter more than how you get them. Its Machiavelli crossed with Al Davis, in a way; the ends justify the means. I don't care how you win, just win, baby.

That's all nice and good in theory, but I've got a litany of new clever smack-talk phrases that beg to differ. Like all creative endeavours, there's no off and on switch on the smack talk, and my best stuff comes out when I'm cheering on during either a blowout loss or a tight game. Ask any of my college roommates from years ago; they used to make me sit and watch them play Madden 64 because they knew it would piss me off, I'd start talking smack, and they'd get some cheap laughs.

For some reason, I yelled out "What's the Frequency, Kenneth? 96.Awesome!" after Kenny (Kenneth) Lawson's second block in as many possessions. I also at one point or another told a lustily-booing MSU crowd to "Get some facts, and come and see me!", although the facts I had in mind were more easily defensible than Jim Calhoun's. I sang the Casey's General Store commercial jingle after Casey Harriman's last two three's; "Casey's its all good!". To say I was excited is an understatement. At one point or another during the depressing first half, I lamented the fact that I had picked the wrong week to stop:

Smoking

Drinking

Sniffing glue

Taking amphetamines

By the ten minute mark of the second half, I was out of vices that I'd picked the wrong week to stop associating with, so I was quite relieved that the Jays decided to play better. Tell your old man that it gets tiring dragging Walton up and down the court for 48 minutes a night!

Based on the notebook pages of new material I got last night, the means did matter, at least to me. Coming out lethargic and with no energy, the Jays turned in one of the worst halves of basketball they've played all season long against the last place team in the league. In a game they HAD to have to stay in the race for the league championship, they came out flat. As late as 8:25 PM, things looked awfully bleak. Ten minutes of inspired ball, jump-started by Kaleb Korver knocking a ball loose, diving on the floor and in the process getting fouled was the catalyst for a comeback.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #30: Jays 64, Missouri State 59.

Gameday: at Missouri State

Max Univers

on February 23, 2009 11:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The final-week push to win a piece of the regular season MVC crown for the first time since 2001 begins in Springfield on Tuesday night. While its staggering that for all that Creighton has accomplished they haven't won even a share of the regular season crown in eight years, it might be more staggering that KMTV has chosen to pre-empt the State of the Union Address to show the Jays game. They've pre-empted the Jays for breaking news stories in the past, and one couldn't have really blamed them if they'd chosen to show the President instead of basketball.

Travis Justice and Action 3 are the leaders in the clubhouse for Polyfro Players of the Game for making the decision to televise the game. Rumor in the advertising world in which I work is that CBS is not hiding their displeasure at KMTV's decision. Matter of fact, they're pissed, and are not allowing them to join their coverage "in progress" after the game. So we get a special half-hour postgame show after the game and before the news, something they've never done before. My advice is to watch the game live, and watch out-of-context sound bites of the speech on the Daily Show later.

On behalf of my hundreds of daily readers, I tip my fake plastic 'fro to KMTV. You bet.

*****

That wondrous wordsmith and newly mustachioed Godfather of Creighton Blogs, Otter, points out in his game preview that two years ago the Jays entered the final week in a similar scenario. Game #17 was a road game against a lower-tier opponent, a game most assumed the Jays would win to set up a Senior Day chance to win the MVC Title on national TV. The opponent was Illinois State. The outcome was not pleasant. The Evil Mohawk (or as Otter brilliantly calls it, the O Hawk) was born.

The similarities may be eerie on the surface, but the main difference is that the 2006-07 Illinois State team was an up-and-coming squad of young talent that was better than its record indicated. Missouri State is a struggling team that is in full-on rebuilding mode with a new coach. The Bears have won just three conference games, none of them against the top half of the league. They're bottom-tier in the league in both three-point offense AND defense. They're worst in the league in shooting percentage. They're not deep. They have the most turnovers in the league and the fewest steals.

Naturally, this game scares the bejeezus out of me. Its precisely the type of game previous Jays teams have found a maddening way to lose, which is a huge reason they haven't won a regular season championship since 2001. Its Senior Night for the Bears, and they haven't lost such a game in 19 years. Why do I feel like I need to throw up?

Ah yes, that's much better. I might still throw up, but it'll be because I ran through a brick wall and not because I fear losing this game.

LETS WIN! EYE OF THE BLUEJAY! YOU BET!

More ridiculousness after the jump.

Continue reading Gameday: at Missouri State.

CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/23/09

Max Univers

on February 23, 2009 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It made me very sad to turn in my ballot on Monday morning to the folks at CBS, because this wasn't a good week for Mid-Majors. All of them in my poll dropped save for Siena. Utah State fell out entirely. Of course, that meant I had to place such marginal teams as Texas and Washington at the bottom of my Top 25, something I really hated to do because I just don't think either team is worthy...but at the same time, if I put teams like Utah, Utah State or Creighton into my vote, I'd get my ass kicked.

Someone did vote for the Jays in their poll, believe it or not, but it wasn't me. In fact, I got called out in the weekly "Transparency" article for not being biased ENOUGH. Call me the anti-ESPN, I guess. Of course, my rankings also have the fourth-highest deviation from the actual poll, which just confirms what you already knew about me -- that I march to my own beat.

That said, my promise on the Bluejay Cafe of putting Robert Morris into my poll just because some D-Bag keeps voting for them in the AP Poll didn't come true. In the end, my quest for honest voting outruled my significant temptation for humor. Besides, it would have been one week too late, as the D-Bag stopped voting for Bob Morris this week anyway. Alas.

Complete Top 25 after the jump, including a new number one -- proving that at least in some things, I agree with the crowd. The rest of my top ten shoots that theory to tiny shards of truthiness.

Continue reading CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/23/09.

2008-09 Game #29: Jays 76, George Mason 63

Max Univers

on February 22, 2009 5:32 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Publicly, I predicted a win for the Jays in my Gameday post, but privately, I had concerns about this game. George Mason likes to play a slow, half-court game with scores in the high 50s and low 60s; Creighton, as we all know, likes to play up-tempo, the higher the score the better. Why is this a concern, you ask? Doesn't this kind of clash-of-styles happen all the time?

Well, yeah, except George Mason and their excellent coach, Jim Larranaga, have been relatively adept at forcing tempo on their opponents from what I've seen -- and a half-court game favors the team that rebounds better and plays better defense. Neither of those characteristics have generally favored the Jays this year, current win streak aside.

I needn't have worried. As has become the norm with Saturday night games, the crowd was rambunctious, boisterous and had an alcohol-fueled aggression ten minutes before tip off, traits which continued for the duration of the night. You could sense it when you walked into the building. You could sense it during starting lineups. And you couldn't mistake it during the first four minutes of the game: there was a different vibe, a different energy in the building, and not just in the stands.

The ESPNU commentators commented in the first minutes of the game that the atmosphere was as good as any they'd seen, that the crowd was in on every play -- and that George Mason would have to adjust because it was going to be a huge factor. Love it. Polyfro props to everyone in the building who contributed to that.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #29: Jays 76, George Mason 63.

Gameday: BracketBusters/George Mason

Max Univers

on February 21, 2009 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Its impossible to convey my level of disgust for Bracket Buster Saturday, or as its called now, ESPNU BracketBusters. I hate it more than the Halloween Oreos with orange filling, and I hate those abhorrent holiday cookies quite a bit. I hate it because for one day every year, everything we spend 364 days fighting against gets pushed to the forefront. We spend all year trying the shed the mid-major label, and then by playing in this event, we get stuck with the label all over again. Did I mention I hate Bracket Busters?

It didn't always used to be this way. When the first Bracket Buster was held in 2003, I thought it was a great idea with great potential. Of course, like most things ESPN touches, they turned an amp that should only go to 11 all the way up to 20 and blew it up (in a bad way). Instead of inviting only those mid-major programs that are consistently solid, they invited entire conferences. Instead of a handful of hugely meaningful games, there's almost 50 games, only a handful of which still matter.

I know what you're saying: "Excuse me, sir, but by inviting everyone, doesn't it allow surprise teams to participate?" Yeah, it does, but I don't care if Drake gets to participate the one year that they're relevant. I care about Creighton, and by inviting so many teams, inevitably the best teams wind up requesting "Home" games. When they only invited the consistently solid mid-major programs, half were at home, half were on the road. Whether you had a home or road game, your odds of an exciting matchup were roughly the same. Not anymore. Generally speaking, the programs you'd actually want to play, the programs that improve your schedule, all request home games. If you have a home game, you get either a one-year wonder, or a team that you don't want to play.

Is it any coincidence that the two most exciting matchups for CU came when they went on the road? Both the Kent State and Oral Roberts games were roadies, while Drexel, Chattanooga State, and Fresno State (TWICE!) have come to Omaha. Pardon me if I'm a tad underwhelmed by those home games.

Since Valley Commish Doug Elgin was one of the masterminds behind Bracket Busters and remains a huge proponent, the Valley isn't dropping out of this thing anytime soon. So it does me no good to complain. Bleh.

Continue reading Gameday: BracketBusters/George Mason.

Tied for First! You bet.

Max Univers

on February 19, 2009 7:20 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday night, I was midway through a horrendous burrito that I'm ashamed to admit I made myself when the sounds of Mr. T blared out of my phone.

"Ain't got time for the Jibba-Jabba...Say what you got to say!"

This meant I had a text; I'm dominant like that. So I opened up the phone, saw it was from my brother, and was not surprised at what it read: "h-time uni 23 drake 17, brother". I'd been counting on Drake beating UNI to move the Jays into a tie for first place, and so far, my father's Bulldogs weren't coming through. Which meant my brother's Panthers were.

An aside for those of you who may be new to the blog in the last couple of weeks: while I'm a Creighton grad and Jaybacker, my father went to Drake back in the early 1970s heydey of Bulldog hoops, and my brother went to UNI in the McDermott early 2000s. So we have a triangular Valley rivalry, and on this night, I was in the uncomfortable position of having to actually root for one of their schools, instead of rooting against both of them.

I was rooting from afar, though: there was no way in hell I was going to be the sort of guy who listens to the webcast radio feed of a non-Jays game. If it had been a video webcast, and it had been free, you could have twisted my arm. But a radio webcast, particularly the KRNT feed with Dolph Pulliam -- the biggest homer in the Valley, God bless him -- yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. So I sat in front of the TV, clearing programs off my DVR by watching them. The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck, WKRP in Cincinnati, you know, the usual stuff.

Continue reading Tied for First! You bet..

2008-09 Game #28: Jays 89, Evansville 84

Max Univers

on February 18, 2009 12:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In which the Jays almost succumb to the first of two Booby Trap Games...

My first indication that Tuesday's game was going to have a saucy finish should have come around 6:37 PM CST. Waiting in line for my usual pregame ritual of Chicken Tenders, Fries and Pabst Blue Ribbon, the concessionaire asked me a startling question: would I like to try the new hot wing sauce? Yes, yes I would! As anyone who's seen the latest photos on my Facebook page can attest, I do like the hot wings. Combining my two favorite culinary things during the winter months -- chicken tenders at a Jays game AND hot wing sauce -- well, that's just a dangerous combination. I tore into the opportunity with reckless abandon.

Incidentally, props to the geniuses at the cheap beer stand who made the decision to pull the PBR tap and go back to cans. Cans equal bigger glasses equal a happier stomach for Max Univers. See, back in the first years of the Qwest, the cheap beer stand had PBR, Schlitz, Old Style, Falstaff and Old Milwaukee...two cans for $5. The signage read "Free Beer Tomorrow", although tomorrow never came. Then after a couple of years, the price went to $6 when sales were cutting into the numbers of the more, ahem, mainstream beers. This year, the cans went away, the taps went in, the glasses got smaller (20 oz instead of 24) and the price stayed at $6, although the signage now read "$7", with the 7 crossed out and replaced by a 6. People who don't go to every game ever would think, hey, we're saving a buck! Yay! But I know better. My buddy G. Clarke and I were pleased to see the return both of cans and of larger glasses.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #28: Jays 89, Evansville 84.

Gameday: Evansville

Max Univers

on February 17, 2009 12:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

If last week's game against Bradley was a "trap" game -- sandwiched between two road wins and a game versus Southern Illinois -- what is tonight's game? A booby-trap game? Yes, lets go with that.

Evansville is a booby-trap game. Unless you're 12, you should not be snickering as you read that; this means you, Mr. Glypha.

With only four games left, they're all big, but the George Mason and Illinois State games are bigger in terms of recognition and resume-helping. Tonight and next Tuesday at Missouri State are booby traps. Watch out for 'em, or they'll sink your season.

Some time ago, Creighton visited Evansville. The Jays, 4-3 at the time, were scuffling. Actually, if you were in the mood to be gracious, you'd call it scuffling. Those possessing less ability to confer grace were calling them other things. I thought they'd struggle in that game, and might lose it. I predicted they'd lose, even, which I rarely do. So of course they went out and won by 22 points. Of course they did.

They've lost just once since then.

In that game, Evansville native Don Mattingly sat at courtside to take in the throttling first hand. I remember this because mere days earlier, a friend of mine had purchased a lot of Aquaman Miniatures on eBay to give away as part of a promotion for his company. The auctioneer threw in a package of Don Mattingly Restaurant cards as a freebee. These were presumably cards from his own restaurant in Evansville, given and/or sold to patrons. Not knowing what to do with them, he asked if I wanted them.

Now, I haven't collected cards since I discovered girls didn't actually have cooties, oh, sometime around seventh grade. I declined his offer of free cards because I can't stand the Yankees, I don't know anyone who actually likes them, and they'd just wind up in a box in my basement with my other cards from years gone by. I was curious to see them, though, from a purely kitsch perspective. We graphic designers like that kind of stuff.

I don't know why I told you this story, so lets just move on, shall we?

Continue reading Gameday: Evansville.

CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/16/09

Max Univers

on February 16, 2009 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've often looked at the Top 25 polls and thought any lab rat could come up with a better poll. I mean, if my poll from last week was less of a mess than either the AP or the Coaches poll, clearly that's the case! I know, I know. Small sample size. Dr. Fong, or as I affectionately referred to him in Statistics class my sophomore year at CU, "Fong Dogg", would sternly lecture me about the imminent danger of small sample sizes.

Well, Fong Dogg, look at my Top 4 from a week ago, and I look like some kind of one-week wonder. I'm the Spandau Ballet of poll voters. A ha ha, ha ha ha...I know this...much is...TRUE!

Continue reading CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/16/09.

2008-09 Game #27: Jays 82, Southern Illinois 60

Max Univers

on February 15, 2009 11:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Epic games against your biggest rival tend to be remembered by name. (Yes, I give names to games. Shut up.) Some examples of CU-SIU games I've named over the past several years:

The Mike "Ratface" Sanzere Game

The CU-SIU game on Super Bowl Sunday in 2002 where Kent F'n Williams made two of three free throws with .4 seconds left in a tie game after a B.S. foul on DeAnthony Bowden.

A Can O'Whoop Ass

The 2003 MVC Championship Game. That's really all I have to say, isn't it? Maybe I could add the score just to rub it in further: 80-56. If I ever get a tattoo, that might be incorporated into it. 80-56.

The Kyle Korver Game

Oh, sure, Kyle had dozens of great games, but at least in front of the home fans, there's really only one Game, capitalized. January 18, 2003. Trailing in the second half in front of a crowd that exceeded the arena's capacity by over 1000 bodies and a national audience on ESPN, #13 Creighton staged a raucous comeback. Korver hit 3 three pointers in a 56-second span -- you might not remember it because you were screaming so loudly -- to give the Jays a lead they would not relinquish. Oh, and Korver had a double-double with 24 pounds and 11 boards. That's how you get a game named after you.

The Bryan "F.U." Mullins Game

Bryan Mullins hits a runner with 4 seconds left to silence 17,500 at the Qwest Center in 2007. That's also how you get a game named after you. Its also how you get the initials for a phrase you wouldn't utter in the company of your mother or a priest attached to your name.

Today We Spell Redemption J A Y S

Paraphrasing one of my favorite underrated quotes from Anchorman, the Jays finally beat the Salukis after way too many losses in a row. The 72-53 rout on February 10, 2008 was joyous.

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have another game to add to the pantheon. After the jump, I give a name to a worthy addition to the group.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #27: Jays 82, Southern Illinois 60.

Gameday: at Southern Illinois

Max Univers

on February 14, 2009 8:49 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

On Friday, I got an email from someone who told me he believed the Jays would walk into Carbondale today and get a 20+ point win. In any other game against any other team, his reasoning would be solid. Bryan Mullins, their senior leader and the lone remaining link to the glory years, is injured and hasn't played in two weeks. SIU is down to eight players (Fay, Boyle, Bocot, Booker, Evans, Clemmons, Dillard and Hare) and will likely start three freshman today. They're beaten down, in serious danger of facing the Thursday play-in round in St. Louis, and are completely out of contention for postseason play for the first time in a decade (unless they win in St. Louis, of course, God forbid.)

But for these two teams, none of that matters. Come tip off, this will be a war, a bloodbath, a high-intensity defensive struggle for 40 minutes. It always is. Some of Creighton's best teams of the last 20 years have failed to win in Carbondale. They haven't won there since Kyle Korver's sophomore season -- February 10, 2001. Yes, I remember that date. When its your biggest rival and you haven't won in their building in seven tries, you remember.

So yes, the Jays have more players, more experience, more momentum and more to play for. But SIU has the always-hostile home crowd, which will be sold out as it always is for Creighton. They've owned us at SIU Arena since 2001, and both teams know it. If the game is close in the second half, doubt could start to creep into the Jays heads. That's what happens when you haven't won in a place in so long.

I could envision Kevin Dillard going nuts and scoring 30 points. I've had nightmares for a week that Carlton Fay will have an out-of-body experience and believe that he is Brad Korn for a day. Know this: SIU is not going to roll over and play dead. Not against Creighton. They'll leave it all on the court today, and if the Jays are to win, they have to want it more. They have to hustle, they have to be tough, they have to defend, they have to rebound.

Even then, it may not be enough if Bryan Mullins pulls a Willis Reed and comes hobbling out of the tunnel during a timeout in the second half, checks into the game and makes a couple of threes to beat Creighton one last time.

God help us all if that happens. There will not be enough mini donuts and Bud Light if that happens. There will not be enough.

Continue reading Gameday: at Southern Illinois.

2008-09 Game #26: Jays 79, Bradley 65

Max Univers

on February 12, 2009 7:18 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday was the consummate trap game. The Jays were coming off of two huge road wins, one over the defending conference champ and the other over the current leader which was on an 11-game winning streak. The game was the tweener game before the Valentines Day, ESPN televised rivalry week tilt against Southern Illinois. Even for the best teams, that's a potential recipe for disaster. That's the kind of game where teams show up too lackadaisical, hope the home crowd can give them an assist, and escape with a victory.

All of that would be trouble enough if not for Bradley entering the game licking its wounds after getting destroyed four days earlier and remembering the hurt Creighton put on them in front of a sold-out crowd in January. Unfortunately, nothing in the first 30 minutes of the game did anything to dissuade me from feeling my sad prophecy was coming true. I don't want to be Nostradamus. Nostradamus is a douchebag who says the world is going to end in 2012. But when you're coughing up multiple 10+ point leads at home, when you're allowing a half-court buzzer beater to be taken much less made, when you're expecting us to be entertained at halftime by a vaudeville reject from 1855 rolling around the court in a giant hamster wheel...

Trap game.

I'm glad to report that somewhere in the last ten minutes of the game, the Jays were tougher, stronger and wanted the game more than Bradley. On a night when they didn't shoot particularly well, rebounded basically even with the other team and were stuck in neutral most of the night offensively, they found a way to win by 14.

The toughness I'm talking about was epitomized by Kaleb Korver, who in a 30-second span showed anyone who cared to watch that the Jays of February are not the same Jays as December and January. After prying the ball loose, he dove on the floor with a Bradley player, attacking the ball and physically forcing a jump ball. On the ensuing possession, he had one the prettiest hesitation moves and drives to the basket that you'll ever see. The arena exploded. The bench exploded. Bradley called timeout to settle things down. THIS is Creighton basketball.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #26: Jays 79, Bradley 65.

Gameday: Bradley

Max Univers

on February 11, 2009 7:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Jays return home tonight to host the Bradley Braves, a team who comes into the game with records of 13-11 and 7-6 in the league. These two teams' first meeting turned out to be an interesting juncture in the Braves season, as they entered that game with a 4-0 record in the league. Their loss to the Jays that day was the beginning of a 3-6 slide that has dropped them into a tie for fourth place and on the edge of the Thursday Play-In game in St. Louis.

As for Creighton, they're playing their most impressive basketball of the season and are coming off two solid road wins that put them in position to get their 20th win of the year tonight. More important that extending their streaks of 20 wins overall and 10 in the league, however, is winning to keep pace with the suddenly-catchable Northern Iowa. Even if UNI doesn't falter down the stretch, second place and an advantageous seed in St. Louis is Creighton's to lose. Win out, and its theirs.

The streaks seem to be the story heading into this game, however, garnering Rodney Buford his first appearance on the cover -- above the fold no less -- of the Omaha World-Herald in almost a decade. A photo montage of the great players in the Altman era graced the banner at the top of the paper this morning, dubbing the era the Roaring Twenties. A win tonight gives them 20 wins for the 11th straight year, and 10 conference wins for the 13th straight year.

No MVC school has ever recorded more than six straight 20 win seasons. Only Stanford and Kansas have longer streaks of 10 or more conference wins.

Attendance has been another major story this week, although the focus of the story seems to be misguided. A front-page sports section story on Tuesday delved into the sparse student section attendance in recent games, particularly the Indiana State and Missouri State games. The reported attendance for Missouri State was just under 250 students, leaving 650 empty seats. It looked terrible on TV to have so many empty seats so close to the court, especially when the rest of the arena was pretty full.

Student attendance is an issue at lots of schools, and with an undergraduate enrollment of roughly 3,700 getting 900 students to come is an impressive percentage. Some games things will transpire to make the number lower. I wish the A.D. could do something different with ticket distribution so that those seats could be filled in by someone. There's thousands of people in the far reaches of the upper bowl getting nosebleeds that I'm sure would sacrifice their mini donut privileges for a year to sit closer to the court.

No, the real shame with how the attendance story was focused is that the most interesting news was buried at the bottom in a notes section -- Creighton's average attendance this season puts them in 10th place nationally. This of course gives even more ammunition to the haters, who for whatever reason -- jealousy, ignorance, or douchebaggery -- refuse to believe the numbers are legit.

Look, to be sure, when you see the Top 10 Creighton is the name that makes you do a double-take. Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Syracuse, Louisville, Memphis, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Kansas read like a whos-who of College Hoops. Then you see Creighton on the list. Behind them are Arkansas, Marquette, Illinois, Ohio State and Indiana.

This is astounding, isn't it? Yet somehow we find ourselves having to defend being tenth in attendance, like we're supposed to be modest about it and apologize for averaging 16,000 a night. Nebraska fans claim people who go are really Husker fans that only go to drink beer. Iowa State fans claim people who go are too dumb to have figured out the product is inferior.

Excuse me, why does Creighton have to defend 16,000 people coming out to their games? This is a fact that should be celebrated, not defended. I'm sorry, my language is going to take a temporary diversion into saltytown...

Why the (expletive) does it matter what people's reasons are for going to the games? The fact of the (expletive) matter is, they're going, they're spending money -- yes, sometimes on beer -- and they're watching basketball. Some of them get their tickets for free, some of them come late and leave early, some of them don't care who wins the game. But the fact of the (expletive) (expletive) matter is, Creighton's averaging over 16,000 a game, they've been over 15,000 for four years now, and those numbers are probably not going to decrease any time soon. I'm sorry your team doesn't draw as well, but that's not my (expletive) problem and I'm done (expletive) defending the fact that CU draws so well. (expletive) (expletive) (expletive).

Whew. Someday I'll have to let you all know how I really feel about this. Until then...on to the fun stuff, after the jump.

Continue reading Gameday: Bradley.

CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/9/09

Max Univers

on February 9, 2009 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Polls in college basketball, unlike those in football, don't amount to a hill of beans at the end of day -- the champion is crowned on the court at the apex of a tournament where a majority of the best teams battle it out over three weeks. And its never really been apparent that the selection committee uses the AP and/or Coaches Poll to determine seeding.

As near as I can tell, polls in basketball are merely a popularity poll to help fans develop a pecking order for the 314 teams in Division 1. With that many teams, polls are theoretically a handy tool to determine where teams "slot in" -- how good is Team A as opposed to Team B? Well, Team A is rated #8 and Team B is rated #15, so Team A is probably better.

There's a lot of flaws to that general line of thought, although for a large segment of the population the AP and Coaches Polls are still the bible of how good a team is prior to March. Of course, there's a lot of problems with the voting methods, and the voters, in those two mainstream polls. I've always believed the media tends to vote for the brand name teams over more qualified teams with generic names, and that the coaches tend to vote for teams with which they're familiar. Both polls invariably wind up being similar week-to-week.

Why is that? Media and coaches alike watch a lot of ESPN and CBS, the entities with the most skin in the game, and the coverage on those two entities skews towards the teams that will garner them the best ratings. You can't blame them; that's Business 101 stuff. Of course Duke/North Carolina is going to get better ratings than Indiana State/Illinois State. I'd rather watch the latter, but I'm in the minority.

That "human" element was supposed to be eliminated with the RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index, but the cold calculations of the computer programming used to create it have been derisively ripped by the old guard who vote in the AP and Coaches Polls. The RPI essentially died the night Billy Packer and Jim Nantz mocked the Missouri Valley for earning four bids to the NCAA Tournament on CBS's Selection Sunday show, dealing a blow to those of us who prefer cold hard numbers to old men with big conference bias.

So it is that this week CBS, of all places, has launched a BlogPoll with bloggers instead of mainstream media writers voting on their Top 25 each week. 47 of the top college hoops blog writers in the nation have been given votes, and yours truly is one of them. I'm the only one with overt ties to the Missouri Valley -- one other voter identifies himself as a Creighton fan but his blog is more of a general interest basketball site than one that focuses on a single team.

Each week, the poll will launch on Monday alongside the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls. Each week, I'm required to publish my poll here so that the voting process is as transparent as possible. I'm also required to open up the post for comments so that my readers can offer feedback on my votes.

After the jump, my complete poll for the week of February 9-15, 2009, along with my justification for selected teams:

Continue reading CBS Sports Blog Poll, Week of 2/9/09.

2008-09 Game #25: Jays 77, UNI 71

Max Univers

on February 8, 2009 10:40 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

When you're playing on the road against the first place team in your conference -- a team that has won ELEVEN straight games, a team that beat you on your home court earlier in the season -- its not necessarily important to be picky about "how" you beat them, but merely that you beat them. It is in this vein that I profess not to caring about losing the battle of the boards by nearly 20, and profess apathy at the fact that UNI shot 30-32 from the foul line while Creighton missed ten throws. No, all I care about is one stat: Creighton 77, Northern Iowa 71, natch. You bet.

Here's why that final score is hugely important, besides getting a win and knocking off the first place team on their home court: with five games to go, Creighton is just two back. Further, Illinois State lost a heartbreaker at home to Indiana State (thanks, Coach McKenna!) to knock the Redbirds out of a second-place tie and into third place. Not to get ahead of ourselves here, but this sets up the potential for two things: one, an absolutely BRUTAL season finale on February 28 when the Redbirds come to Omaha, and two, an opportunity to steal the league crown if UNI stumbles.

I wrote earlier in the week that I believed the Jays would go 2-0 on their road trip through Iowa, and was ridiculed by a few of my readers for it. I also wrote that Justin Carter was becoming the best player on the team. I've never been confused with a genius, mostly because I go around telling people how dumb I am despite ample evidence to the contrary, but those thoughts seem awfully smart at the moment.

So lets look closer at this game, because if we didn't, what would I write about? You bet.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #25: Jays 77, UNI 71.

2008-09 Game #24: Jays 79, Drake 68

Max Univers

on February 5, 2009 7:13 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday night marked the Jays first trip to Des Moines that I didn't road trip for in five years. When you're only three weeks into a new job, its a little difficult to sneak out early to jump on I-80 for a basketball game, even if you are the Creative Manager. This meant I was stuck with a choice between the radio broadcast and the KMTV broadcast.

I hesitate to complain because I remember vividly the days when there were no games televised, and I appreciate their efforts. But I can't help it anymore. KMTV's production is brutal, with the white balance misadjusted on a majority of their cameras and a half-frame-rate replay system. The former is Videography 101 stuff and is inexcusable; the latter is no doubt a budget issue so I give them a pass -- although it is amusing. Last night seemed particularly rough, though. Nearly every time they went to them, their cameras under the basket were jerking around so wildly that it reminded me of The Blair Witch Project. Its a good thing I hadn't eaten contaminated Peanut Butter or I might have thrown up.

As for the announcers, I think my readers have it all wrong when it comes to my opinion of Travis Justice. I mean, he's my fourth favorite Justice of all time, which is a lot higher than I think most readers assume he'd be. You've got Buford T. Justice from Smokey and the Bandit, you've got David Justice of the Atlanta Braves/Cleveland Indians, you've got Chief Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court (who got married in Omaha), and then you've got Travis Justice. Its no shame to be fourth on that list, so I don't know where this wild idea about me being a hater comes from. You bet.

I rather like the 15-25 seconds of dead air during the course of a game where no one is saying anything. Especially when the game is being played in a two-thirds full arena. Good times.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #24: Jays 79, Drake 68.

Gameday: at Drake

Max Univers

on February 4, 2009 7:27 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Perhaps I was a bit too optimistic earlier this week in my recap of the Missouri State game, because it seems like I'm the only one who thinks the scenario I laid out for the final eight games is possible. Your emails told me so. Here's my favorite of the bunch (oh, and everything in quotes is sic'd):

"Hey Polyfro/Max, can I have some of what you're drinking? what about the Jays play through 23 games gives you confidence they can suddenly reel off 6 wins in 8 games?

The Jays took a dump in the paint against both Drake and Northern Iowa at home, so how can you say with a straight face that the Jays will beat both of them this week on the road? how can you think they will win at Southern Illinois? we haven't won their since Ryan Sears was still running the point. how can you think the Jays can beat Illinois State, when all the evidence we have points to them being a quicker, more athletic, taller version of us? please explain your self."

First of all, if I'm going to give you some of what I'm drinking, I'm going to have to ask to see your ID, because this ain't Kool-Aid junior. Its Pabst Blue Ribbon, and its delicious. Normally I wouldn't offer a cold brew to someone who had just torched me, but the world you live in seems so negative and awful that I think you need it more than I do. Here, take the rest of the case. And you're welcome.

You know, he does raise a good point though. What about the Jays performance through 23 games gives me reason to believe in them now? Nothing, as their inconsistency means they're just as likely to come out and dominate Drake tonight as they are to come out flat and lose by 15. I just have a feeling they've turned a corner and they're ready to sprint down the straight-away. I might be wrong. But if I'm right...

Continue reading Gameday: at Drake.

2008-09 Game #23: Jays 75, Missouri State 51

Max Univers

on February 2, 2009 7:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I'm convinced that Sunday's game will mark a turning point in the season. As the calendar turned to February, the team played with a zest that we haven't seen since December. They were tough, they were in position for tough rebounds and actually got them, they had great movement on offense, and once they started hitting shots, they blew Missouri State out of the gym.

The catalyst for this stunning transformation was Justin Carter who, 23 games into his Creighton career, is starting to prove that all of the wonderful things said about him over the summer are true. When he was on the court, there wasn't one loose ball he wasn't flying after. Not one. For the entire time he was on the floor.

In the second half, he even had a mid-court steal that led to a fast break dunk. This was old-skool stuff -- a strong, bad ass, authoritative one handed dunk -- followed by him sprinting back down the court to play defense. He didn't do any celebratory nonsense to draw attention to himself, he just matter-of-factly dunked the damn ball and then got back on defense. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate histrionics as much as the next guy in the 18-34 demo, but there's just something about a dude who appreciates defense.

Continue reading 2008-09 Game #23: Jays 75, Missouri State 51.

« January 2009 | Main Index | Archives | March 2009 »

February 2009 Archives

About this Archive