Creighton Beats Ohio State

[Coyote]

in overtime 65-63. They are now 5-0 for the season!
Dana Altman's 200th win at Creighton (200-100).
Xavier up next.

[projectman]

Awesome! Go Jays!

[OmahaDevelopmentMan]

If we can beat xavier next week, can you say top 25! Actually the current head coach at Ohio St coached Xavier last year, so we'll probably see the same look. If we can win, we've got a heck of a season ahead of us.

[Coyote]

Creighton 65, Ohio St. 63, OT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Tyler McKinney hit a game-winning field goal with 4.2 seconds left in overtime as Creighton defeated Ohio State 65-63 in the Guardians Classic championship game Wednesday night.

Creighton (5-0) became the first school to win two Guardians Classic titles. The Bluejays defeated Notre Dame in the 2002 title game.

McKinney, who also sank a free throw with 28 seconds left in overtime, finished with 11 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Anthony Tolliver led the Bluejays with 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 43 seconds left in regulation.

Creighton scored the first five points of the overtime with Jeffrey Day and Johnny Mathies hitting field goals and freshman Dane Watts, who had nine points, making a free throw. Ohio State (4-1) came back to tie it at 63 with a three-pointer by Tony Stockman with 15 seconds left.

J.J. Sullinger had 16 points for Ohio State, including a follow shot with nine seconds left that tided the game and sent it into overtime. Ivan Harris added 11 points.

Creighton rallied from a nine-point deficit with less than eight minutes to play in regulation to take the lead before Sullinger hit the final shot.

The two schools were meeting for the first time since Dec. 30, 1972, when Eddie Sutton coached Creighton to a 79-71 victory in Omaha, Neb.

[Coyote]

In case you hadn't read about Tyler McKinney's problems last year:

Creighton's McKinney Beats Eye Infection


OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Tyler McKinney wondered 10 months ago if he would ever see out of his right eye again, let alone play basketball. The Creighton senior was in excruciating pain from an infection that had invaded his eye and would require two cornea transplants.

Basketball should have been the furthest thing from his mind. But the possibility of returning to the court motivated him during his recovery. And now, sooner than anyone but perhaps McKinney thought, he is back with the Bluejays and starting at point guard.

Jim McKinney, Tyler's father and a prison warden in Rockwell City, Iowa, remembers the day last spring when doctors tried to give Tyler a pep talk about all the successful people who have use of only one eye. This month, Jim McKinney got to listen to his son being introduced before the Bluejays' first game.

''I have to admit I got a little choked up,'' he said. ''It was nice to see him run out on the court again because we didn't think that was going to happen.''

Tyler wasn't so sure, either.

''Right now the eye feels normal,'' he said. ''But then I think back to March and April, when I didn't know if I would see again.''

McKinney leads the Bluejays in minutes through three games, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is 4 to 1. He's averaging 4.3 points.

McKinney thinks his problems started last year during the team's preseason tour of western Canada. He mistakenly used tap water to wash the case in which he stores his contact lenses. Doctors believe it was through the water that he contracted the organism, acanthamoeba, that began eating away at his cornea.

McKinney's right eye became bloodshot and sensitive to light, and by mid-January he couldn't see out of it. His left eye was fine.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, McKinney said the pain in his right eye was 91/2. Still, he managed to play in ten of the first 12 games. He missed the final 17 games, with Creighton going 8-9 after a 12-0 start.

Meanwhile, McKinney lay in a darkened hospital room in Iowa City for a week in January, receiving eyedrops every 20 minutes, day and night. He showed no improvement and underwent his first cornea transplant March 4. But not all of the amoeba was out of the eye, and a second transplant was done April 1.

''It's remarkable he can play this year,'' said Dr. John Sutphin, a University of Iowa Hospitals surgeon who performed the transplants. ''Ordinarily, we have people sit out a year after surgery before we let them go back to the court. I'm surprised he's able to play, and I'm glad for him.''

Sutphin, who treats patients from Iowa and surrounding states, said he sees 15 to 20 patients a year with amoeba infections but only four or five require surgery.

''It's not a rare infection, but it's uncommon,'' he said.

McKinney plays with no guarantee that his problems won't return. The first week of November, his cornea began showing signs of rejection, and he was given a painful injection of steroids into the white of his eye to stave it off.

''All I can do is hope for the best,'' he said.

Coach Dana Altman said McKinney's return has been a blessing for a team dominated by underclassmen.

''His experience and knowledge of our offense is important, and then there is the added leadership he gives us,'' Altman said.

McKinney is convinced his youth and his desire to play aided his recovery.

''I tried to stay in a good mood and stay upbeat and positive about everything,'' he said. ''I had so much support from so many different people, and that helped as well. Once I was told I might be able to play, I ran with it. It meant a lot to me to have a goal.''

The biggest change from last year has been having to adjust to wearing goggles.

''I hate having stuff on my face,'' he said. ''When I'm playing, I really don't notice them. But every time there is a stoppage, I always want to take them off.''

But it's a small price to pay for playing the game he loves.

''It's fun to see Tyler out on the court again,'' Jim McKinney said. ''He has that smile again.''

[eomaha]

Maybe someone in Ohio actually wondered to themselves why their big state college is losing to these little schools from Omaha.

[SychoBC]

I was dissapointed at the crowd in KC. Tons of Creighton fans not much of anyone else. I was angry I didn't get to go but at least the Championship game was on TV. i'm getting excited for the Nebraska/Creighton game where Creighton will no doubt dominate, and pay them back for last years' NIT loss.


Go Jays!

[Coyote]

"Not so fast my friend" This (Dec 11th) game is in Lincoln. Right now according to Sagarin this game is a push. The line may favor NU.
It is still early in the season. CU graduated 5 fifth year Srs last year.

This will be CU's 9th opponant, NU's 6th. These next two away games will tell us much about CU.
@ Xavier & @ UNL. These are young kids. Huge games. Big Mo coming!

[SychoBC]

Nebraska against Creighton with McKinney - 0-3
Nebraska against Creighton without McKinney 1-0

Guess what McKinney is back. Creighton will represent in Lincoln. Go Jays!