CINCINNATI (OH) — Dayton faces the Creighton Bluejays in the season opener for both teams Saturday at UD Arena. Last season Dayton was one of the last four teams selected for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, while Ceighton was one of the last four teams left out – the first time a 26 win team from a top 10 conference didn’t make it. The Bluejays finished 27-8 losing to Kentucky in the second round of the NIT.

Head coach Dana Altman is in his 16th season at Creighton and is 309-160. Every year you can count on the Bluejays winning 20 games and making the post-season. Creighton was picked to finish 2nd In the MVC this season behind a loaded Northern Iowa team.

Gone is senior shooting guard Booker Woodfox who was named the MVC Player of the Year. Dayton fans still have nightmares of him raining down threes upon the Flyers in Omaha last year. Also gone is point guard Josh Dotzler named to the MVC all-Defensive team.

Replacing Dotzler at the point will be senior Antoine Young (6-0 165) who is a more potent scorer than Dotzler, but less of a playmaker. Young has to prove he can knock down the open three and take better care of the ball.

Junior Kaleb Korver (6-5 190) should get the nod at shooting guard after starting there in both exhibition games. Korver is a deadly spot-up shooter making 44.8% of his three-point attemtps last season. Korver is similar to Dayton’s Luke Fabrizius – they both have the size and quick release to launch triples with the slightest opening. Both are deadly coming off screens or on kick-outs. Korver takes care of the ball, but lacks the quickness or ball-handling to be a playmaker.

Junior guard P’Allen Stinnett (6-3 185) should start on the wing. Stinnett is the most dynamic player for the Bluejays and their top returning scorer (12.5 points per game). With an explosive first step Stinnett does most of his damage slashing to the basket and getting to the free-throw line. He is a pre-season First Team all-Conference pick and is a reliable jumper away from challenging for POY honors. He needs to be more consistent and smooth out the rough edges, which come in the form of turnovers and bad shots.

Senior Justin Carter (6-4 200) averaged 8.1 points and a team high 5.5 rebounds from the power forward position last season. Carter, a junior college transfer, blossomed into the Jays most consistent and best all-around player by the end of the year. He will be out 2-4 weeks after suffering a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in an exhibition game.

“We have a lot of guys who will need to step in to try to fill in for what Justin gives us,’’ Stinnett said. “He gets a lot of boards for us, is physical and is a threat on offense. With his absence, we’ll definitely have to play harder and focus in on the details.’’

Junior forward Casey Harriman (6-5 210) has been ill with the flu since Thursday, and has yet to return to practice. It is unlikely Harriman will be at full strength even if Altman can get him on the floor. Dayton will play fast and physical, further limiting his effectiveness should he play. Along with Korver, Harriman is the only reliable perimeter threat returning making over 40% of his three-point attempts last year.

Junior center Kenny Lawson (6-9 250) gives the Jays a quality interior scoring threat and that opens up space for the shooters and slashers on the wing. Lawson has great hands and rarely turns the ball over. He’s a heady defender who can block shots, but rarely gets in foul trouble. The only knock on Lawson is that he plays a little soft. Altman wants him to assert himself more on the blocks and especially on the boards.

Senior guard Cavel Witter 6-0 168) was a superb sixth man last year and will back-up both guard spots. A streaky shooter and finisher, Cavel is most effective when breaking down his man off the dribble and creating shots for his teammates. Witter is an excellent defender and nearly automatic from the line (85%).

Creighton likely will also be without senior forward Chad Millard (6-8 225) further depleting their frontline depth. Millard has been sidelined since early October with a foot injury and aggravated the injury this week in practice.

Altman routinely goes 10-11 players deep in his rotation. With a depleted roster he’ll be forced into using a shorter rotation with players logging more minutes or playing the newcomers significant minutes. Either way, Dayton gains an advantge. The Flyers will play 12 and have fresh legs in the game at all times. For the newcomers, UD Arena is a tough place to make your collegiate debut.

The Bluejays were consistently outrebounded last year (-3.3) and that will be an area the Flyers should exploit. Altman’s offense naturally spreads the floor and the Jays will be small and undersized – a great match-up for Dayton’s “small” lineup with Wright at PF and Chris Johnson at SF.

Creighton overcame their rebounding disadvantage last season by taking care of and sharing the ball. The Jays only turned the balll over 12 times per game, but forced their opponents into 16 per game – a great equalizer. The Jays are generally patient, but active on offense rarely taking bad shots and making the extra pass.

Creighton’s drive and kick offense gives the Flyers fits because of the nature of their help defense. Dayton swarms to the ball on drives to the basket leaving them especially susceptible to Altman’s three-point bombers.

However, Harriman and Korver are the only proven shooters and for Altman’s offense to be effective they need a third shooter to emerge. JUCO transfer Darryl Ashford (6-4 191) appears primed to fill that role going 8-10 on his three-point attempts in the exhibition season. Still, with Harriman fighting the effects of the flu Creighton is less likely to drill Dayton from behind the arc.
Altman has been more concerned with the Jays defense in the pres-season.

“Offensively, I think we will be able to score baskets, but we really have to pull a lot of things together on the defensive end,” Altman said. “We’re giving up easy baskets because we won’t talk or work on our switches.”

Against a healthy Creighton team Dayton would have had a slight advantage, but an excellent match-up. With a depleted roster Dayton should have a decided advantage, but Creighton’s three-point shooting is the great equalizer. If Creighton comes out cold from behind the arc, Dayton will get run-outs and easy baskets and take a commanding first half lead. If Creighton hits a few triples early, this game becomes a dog fight with the Flyers superior depth making the difference in the final 10 minutes.

Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen said he’s already talked to Dayton officials about extending the series. The schools played a home-and-home series in 2005-06 and 2006-07, took a year off and started another home-and-home series last season in Omaha.