Creighton Bluejays – Page 7 – North Platte Post Archive

McDermott, Bluejays Earn No. 3 West Seed

Posted on March 16, 2014

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Doug McDermott and the Creighton Bluejays have earned the No. 3 seed in the West region and will face 14th-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday in San Antonio.

McDermott leads the nation in scoring at 26.9 points and was the unanimous Big East Conference Player of the Year. However, the Bluejays (26-7) were upset by Providence in the conference tournament final.

McDermott has 3,105 points, fifth on the all-time scoring list. He is trying to become the 11th player to be a three-time All-America and the first since Patrick Ewing of Georgetown and Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma in 1985.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (23-11) earned an automatic bid as Sun Belt champions and are making their first NCAA appearance since 2005. They’re led by Elfrid Payton (19.1 points) and Shawn Long (18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds).

Creighton, Nebraska are on NCAA Collision Course

Posted on March 16, 2014

The state of Nebraska will have two teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time since 1991 — and they would meet if they win their openers Friday in San Antonio.

No. 3-seeded Creighton will open against No. 14 Louisiana and No. 11 Nebraska will play No. 6 Baylor.

Creighton (26-7) is in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row. Nebraska (19-11) had to sweat until its name was called, but it didn’t take too long. The Huskers are in the tournament for the first time since 1998.

The crowd of 2,000 at Pinnacle Bank Arena erupted when Nebraska appeared on the big screen at the team’s NCAA Selection Show watch party.

Creighton, Nebraska are Hosting NCAA Watch Parties

Posted on March 16, 2014

Creighton and Nebraska will be hosting NCAA Selection Show watch parties on Sunday.

Creighton invites fans to join players and coaches at the on-campus D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha as they find out where and when the Bluejays will play next week. The Bluejays are assured of playing in the tournament for the third year in a row.

Nebraska’s watch party is at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament Friday and hope for their first NCAA bid since 1998.

If the Huskers make the NCAA field, it will mark the first time since 1991 that both Creighton and Nebraska have played in the tournament in the same year.

Doors at Sokol Arena and Pinnacle Bank Arena open at 4 p.m.

No. 14 Creighton Beats Xavier 86-78 to Reach Final

Posted on March 15, 2014March 16, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Doug McDermott scored 32 points and second-seeded and 14th-ranked Creighton advanced to the Big East tournament championship game in its first year in the conference with an 86-78 victory over Xavier on Friday night.

The Bluejays looked to be on their way to an easy semifinal win but Xavier used a 20-6 run to get within 77-72 with 1:23 to play and Creighton was able to seal the game by going 9 for 10 from the free throw line over the final 1:16.

The Bluejays (26-6) will face fourth-seeded Providence in the championship game Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The Friars (22-11) beat Seton Hall 80-74 in the semifinals.

Ethan Wragge added 17 points, all but two on 3-pointers, and Chatman had 11.

Isaiah Philmore scored 23 points and Semaj Christon added 18 for third-seeded Xavier (21-12).

McDermott Shines in Big East Tournament Win over DePaul

Posted on March 13, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Doug McDermott put on a dazzling shooting display in his Big East tournament debut, scoring a record 27 of his 35 points in the first half for Creighton during a victory over DePaul.

The nation’s leading scorer hit six of his first seven 3-point attempts, sending the second-seeded Bluejays (25-6) into the semifinals Friday night against third-seeded Xavier or No. 6 seed Marquette.

Jahenns Manigat added 14 points for Creighton, which left the Missouri Valley Conference for the new-look Big East this season, and Austin Chatman had 11. Led by McDermott, the league’s player of the year and a heavy favorite for several national awards, the Bluejays shot a sizzling 14 for 22 from 3-point range (63.6 percent) against 10th-seeded DePaul (12-21).

Brandon Young had 22 points in his final college game for the Blue Demons.

McDermott Unanimous Big East Player of the Year

Posted on March 12, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Doug McDermott, the nation’s leading scorer who led Creighton to a second-place finish in its first year in the Big East, is the unanimous choice as the conference’s player of the year.

Jay Wright, who led Villanova to its first outright Big East title since 1982, is the coach of the year and DePaul freshman guard Billy Garrett, Jr., is the rookie of the year in a vote of the conference coaches released Wednesday.

McDermott is looking to become the 11th three-time All-America and first since 1985. He is the seventh-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,011 points and is averaging 26.5 points per game this season. He is believed to be the first player to win player of the year honors in two conferences. He was Missouri Valley Conference player of the year last season.

Creighton’s McDermott Leads All-Big East Team

Posted on March 9, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Creighton’s Doug McDermott, the eighth player in college basketball history to score more than 3,000 points, is among three unanimous selections for the All-Big East team.

Joining the two-time All-America as unanimous choices by the league’s coaches Sunday are Providence guard Bryce Cotton and Xavier guard Semaj Christon.

The rest of the six-man first team are Markel Starks of Georgetown, D’Angelo Harrison of St. John’s and James Bell of Villanova.

McDermott, who closed the regular season with a career-high 45 points Saturday against Providence, leads the nation is scoring with a 26.5 average. He is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from 3-point range and averages 7.2 rebounds.

Creighton’s McDermott Scores 45, Goes Over 3,000

Posted on March 8, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Doug McDermott scored a career-high 45 points and became the eighth player in Division I history to go over 3,000 for a career, and No. 13 Creighton rolled to an 88-73 victory over Providence on Saturday night.

McDermott passed the milestone with a 3-pointer midway through the second half. After the ball went in, he ran backward with his right hand in the air, three fingers raised. At the next timeout Doug and his coach-father, Greg McDermott, shared a long embrace on the court as the team huddled at the bench.

McDermott scored 22 points in the first half as the Bluejays (24-6, 14-4 Big East) put away the Friars (20-11, 10-8) quickly.

Bryce Cotton, the Big East’s second-leading scorer, had all of his 23 points in the second half for Providence. LaDontae Henton added 21.

Georgetown Beats No. 13 Creighton 75-63

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds Tuesday night, and Georgetown frustrated Doug McDermott until late in the game, holding off a rally led by the nation’s leading scorer in a 75-63 win over No. 13 Creighton.

Markel Starks added 17 points and 11 assists, and Jabril Trawick had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Hoyas (17-12, 8-9 Big East), who shot 54 percent and advanced their cause as a bubble team for the NCAA tournament. They also still have a chance to be one of the six teams in the overhauled, 10-team Big East to get a bye in next week’s conference tournament.

McDermott scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, making a series of 3-pointers that helped cut a 16-point deficit to five. He was 3 for 10 from the field in the first half and 9 for 23 for the game, including 4 for 11 from 3-point range.

Creighton’s Zierden is Out with Knee Injury

Posted on March 2, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Reserve guard Isaiah Zierden of No. 9 Creighton is out indefinitely because of ligament damage in his right knee.

Creighton spokesman Rob Anderson said in a text message Sunday night that X-rays showed no fractures or bone chips in the knee. The freshman injured his medial collateral ligament when he got tied up with a defender in Saturday’s 75-69 loss at Xavier. Zierden will undergo an MRI on Monday.

Zierden, who is averaging 3.3 points in 11 minutes per game, has played an increasing role the past month. He had season highs of 13 points and 24 minutes in a win over then-No. 6 Villanova on Feb. 16.