More Preseason Visibility for Creighton
If there was ever a doubt that the Creighton men’s basketball program wasn’t being looked at across the country, two developments have put that to rest.
ESPNU, the ESPN arm devoted to college sports, is coming to the Omaha-based campus in mid-October (Oct. 14, in case the date has come and gone as you’re reading this) to witness the start of men’s college basketball practices. The event ties in with a Creighton women’s volleyball match, providing fans a night of entertainment.
Creighton is one of 11 schools taking part in this Midnight Madness event for TV. The others? Connecticut, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Syracuse, Michigan State, Louisville, Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M. Not too shabby a field, is it?
Also, a preseason poll of media members has sophomore Doug McDermott, a 6-foot-7 forward, as a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, college basketball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in football. McDermott led Creighton last year with 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and had 47 3-point field goals last year to tie for the team lead.
While it isn’t likely McDermott will win, given the tough competition, keep in mind McDermott was the only player from the Missouri Valley Conference to earn preseason consideration.
The Blue Jays lineup is young, with seven freshmen and four sophomores on it. McDermott, a native of Ames, Iowa, should help the team gel fairly fast on the court.
Creighton finished 23-16 a year ago and advanced to the best-of-three finals in the College Basketball Insider tournament, where it was knocked off in three tough games by Oregon. Its chances to earn more visibility before MVC play may be limited, as the preseason schedule doesn’t feature too many tough tests against highly visible teams like Duke, Connecticut, Notre Dame, etc.
The good news, if the Blue Jays have a strong record entering the last part of February, is Creighton will take part in Bracket Busters against an unspecified opponent. Bracket Busters is meant to help teams on the bubble get that boost over the top.
Time will tell if McDermott plays in the CBI once again or gets that boost into the NIT or NCAA.
Read the in-depth preview of Creighton basketball
