Jays say playing NU is just fine
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
National Invitational Tournament
The NIT gave Creighton a game the Bluejays can't help but get excited about.
Any doubts about how Creighton's players and fans would respond to playing in the National Invitation Tournament after five straight trips to the NCAA tournament were eliminated when organizers paired up the 20-8 Bluejays and 16-12 Nebraska in a first-round meeting Tuesday.
"We'll definitely have no trouble getting up for a game against Nebraska," Creighton forward Michael Lindeman said. "And they probably feel the same about us. It doesn't matter where or when we play them. It's a big rivalry and a fun game to play in."
The second meeting of the season between the teams will take place at 7:05 p.m. at the Omaha Arena. Creighton won the first 61-54 on Dec. 10 when a sellout crowd of 15,561 - the largest ever to see a basketball game in the state - packed the house for the fifth game in the new arena.
Tickets for the NIT game go on sale today at 10 a.m. at the Omaha Arena box office, the Civic Auditorium box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Fans also can purchase tickets by calling Ticketmaster (422-1212) or going to the Web site (www.ticketmaster.com).
Ticket prices range from $6 to $25.
Creighton officials said they should learn today if the game will be televised. ESPN, which broadcasts NIT games, will not pick up the contest, but Omaha television station KMTV has submitted a bid to show the meeting.
The NIT matchup will be the 37th between Nebraska's two Division I schools and the second to take place in the tournament. The Huskers, who hold a 21-15 edge in the series, scored a 56-54 NIT win in Omaha in 1984.
Creighton's December win over the Huskers was the Bluejays' fifth straight in the series and left them 5-0. The Bluejays went on to post seven more victories en route to a 12-0 start but has played .500 basketball since mid-January. A loss to Southwest Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals on March 6 left Creighton with an 8-8 record since Jan. 14.
It also raised questions of how the Bluejays might react to playing in a tournament that some fans and players regard as a consolation prize for those teams left out of the more prestigious NCAA tournament.
Creighton Coach Dana Altman has tried to stress the positive aspects of getting another opportunity to play, and he said Sunday night that he's liked how the players have reacted in the three practices since regrouping on Friday.
"They've been OK," Altman said. "It's been hard not knowing who we'd be playing. Since we've been on spring break, the players had to give up part of their vacation. But now that we know, I'm sure they'll be excited about playing Nebraska again."
Creighton won this season's first meeting when a 10-0 spurt at the end of the first half put the Bluejays ahead 33-23. Nebraska closed to within three points late in the game, but Creighton hung on for the win as Nate Funk and Brody Deren each scored 13 points for the Bluejays. Andrew Drevo led Nebraska with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Drawing a big crowd would put the winner in position to play host to a second-round game. The first three rounds of the NIT are played at campus sites, and the NU-CU winner will be paired against the Troy State-Niagara winner in the second round.
Nebraska averaged 7,913 but drew crowds of 13,611, 12,105, 10,066 and 11,135 for its final four home games. Niagara, which will play its game against Troy State at Buffalo, N.Y., averaged 1,833 while Troy State averaged 2,753.
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
National Invitational Tournament
The NIT gave Creighton a game the Bluejays can't help but get excited about.
Any doubts about how Creighton's players and fans would respond to playing in the National Invitation Tournament after five straight trips to the NCAA tournament were eliminated when organizers paired up the 20-8 Bluejays and 16-12 Nebraska in a first-round meeting Tuesday.
"We'll definitely have no trouble getting up for a game against Nebraska," Creighton forward Michael Lindeman said. "And they probably feel the same about us. It doesn't matter where or when we play them. It's a big rivalry and a fun game to play in."
The second meeting of the season between the teams will take place at 7:05 p.m. at the Omaha Arena. Creighton won the first 61-54 on Dec. 10 when a sellout crowd of 15,561 - the largest ever to see a basketball game in the state - packed the house for the fifth game in the new arena.
Tickets for the NIT game go on sale today at 10 a.m. at the Omaha Arena box office, the Civic Auditorium box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Fans also can purchase tickets by calling Ticketmaster (422-1212) or going to the Web site (www.ticketmaster.com).
Ticket prices range from $6 to $25.
Creighton officials said they should learn today if the game will be televised. ESPN, which broadcasts NIT games, will not pick up the contest, but Omaha television station KMTV has submitted a bid to show the meeting.
The NIT matchup will be the 37th between Nebraska's two Division I schools and the second to take place in the tournament. The Huskers, who hold a 21-15 edge in the series, scored a 56-54 NIT win in Omaha in 1984.
Creighton's December win over the Huskers was the Bluejays' fifth straight in the series and left them 5-0. The Bluejays went on to post seven more victories en route to a 12-0 start but has played .500 basketball since mid-January. A loss to Southwest Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals on March 6 left Creighton with an 8-8 record since Jan. 14.
It also raised questions of how the Bluejays might react to playing in a tournament that some fans and players regard as a consolation prize for those teams left out of the more prestigious NCAA tournament.
Creighton Coach Dana Altman has tried to stress the positive aspects of getting another opportunity to play, and he said Sunday night that he's liked how the players have reacted in the three practices since regrouping on Friday.
"They've been OK," Altman said. "It's been hard not knowing who we'd be playing. Since we've been on spring break, the players had to give up part of their vacation. But now that we know, I'm sure they'll be excited about playing Nebraska again."
Creighton won this season's first meeting when a 10-0 spurt at the end of the first half put the Bluejays ahead 33-23. Nebraska closed to within three points late in the game, but Creighton hung on for the win as Nate Funk and Brody Deren each scored 13 points for the Bluejays. Andrew Drevo led Nebraska with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Drawing a big crowd would put the winner in position to play host to a second-round game. The first three rounds of the NIT are played at campus sites, and the NU-CU winner will be paired against the Troy State-Niagara winner in the second round.
Nebraska averaged 7,913 but drew crowds of 13,611, 12,105, 10,066 and 11,135 for its final four home games. Niagara, which will play its game against Troy State at Buffalo, N.Y., averaged 1,833 while Troy State averaged 2,753.
