So many reasons to love Creighton
by Mike Lopresti, USA TODAY Sports
ST. LOUIS — Creighton has the star. Creighton has the complementary pieces. Creighton even now has an extra cause — after the slap in the face its Missouri Valley Conference got Sunday from CBS.
Why should we love Creighton’s chances to make some noise in March? Let us count the ways. Start with the tough Sunday for the second-leading scorer in college basketball.
The Wichita State fans chanted “Daddy’s boy” at Doug McDermott in the MVC title game. The Wichita State team, a steely defensive bunch, used everything but torches and pitchforks trying to stop him. He hit the court more than he hit the basket.
His 14 points were nine below his average and 27 fewer than he scored last time he met Wichita State. Creighton won, anyway. Barely, with a three-pointer-to-tie in the air at the end, but the Bluejays won 68-65. So never mind this being a one-man team.
“I think,” coach/father Greg McDermott said afterward, “that idea has been put to rest today.”
We should love Creighton’s chances, because to fit the 2013 anything-goes motif in college basketball, the NCAA tournament will need a good gate-crasher from the so-called mid-majors. Another Butler. Another VCU. Another George Mason.
“We want to be that team this year,” Doug McDermott said. “I think we’re going to be ready for whatever Selection Sunday brings.”
And now, they can even strike back for their conference’s insult. In several markets, CBS cut away from the game Sunday for the start of the Indiana-Michigan game. Heaven forbid viewers miss that 8-3 Indiana lead.
“This was our championship game, for goodness sake,” MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said via a news release. “CBS needs to apologize.”
We should love Creighton’s chances because the Bluejays come across as one big happy family. And not just the McDermott family. Eight of them live across from each other in a housing complex.
“There’s not a bad dude on the team,” Doug … [For more on So many reasons to love Creighton, click here.]
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