Creighton Basketball

Doug McDermott, the swashbuckling one-man band who spurred Creighton’s round of 32 run in each of the past two seasons, is on the precipice of making the biggest decision of his life.

When McDermott got rung up with his fifth foul with 37 seconds remaining in the Bluejays’ 66-50 loss to Duke on Sunday, it may have been the last time he'll ever wear a Creighton uniform. The night could have gone better. McDermott finished with 21 points but shot only 4-of-16 from the field, as the Bluejays’ offense cratered without his shot-making.

That performance was one of a select few disappointments for McDermott in 2012-13. 

The 6’7” small forward ascended in his third collegiate season, averaging 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds while leading Creighton to a 28-8 record. A blessed shooter with a 5,000 thread count jump shot, McDermott knocked down 56.1 percent of his shots, including 49 percent from beyond the arc. He knocked those shots down despite being a nightly version of the Ringling Brothers—the only show in town.

With All-American recognitions and NCAA tournament appearances on his resume, many have wondered whether McDermott will forgo his senior season to enter the NBA draft. For now, not even McDermott knows himself. 

"I think it's just going to hit me at some moment," McDermott said (via CBS Sports). "I'll just be like, 'This is what I'm gonna do.' But it's still up in the air. I have no idea what I'm going to do."

As many know, McDermott’s decision is not your typical “will he or won’t he” early-20s romancing with professionalism. Creighton is coached by Greg McDermott, Doug’s father, which adds another massive monkey wrench to the situation.

The Bluejays have essentially propped themselves up on Doug’s back, which could leave Greg in an awfully precarious situation in 2013-14. Nevertheless, the elder McDermott has made it clear he knows where his true responsibility lies in this situation. 

"I have a responsibility to Doug, as his coach, to do the research and provide the information he needs to make an educated decision," Greg McDermott said (via CBS Sports). "But when he needs somebody to talk to about it; he can't be talking to his coach. He needs to be talking to his father.”

Taking a look at the 2013 NBA draft, it’s clear Greg’s fatherly advice should be for his son to leave Omaha.

Despite his scoring dominance in college, Doug McDermott is not seen as a surefire professional prospect—far from it. He’s considered a borderline prospect, ranking anywhere from 31st on CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman’s rankings to 45th and 46th on Draft Express and ESPN’s Chad Ford’s lists, respectively.

Considering how wildly NBA draft boards vary and the little less than three months remaining between now and June’s festivities, McDermott could safely call himself a borderline first-round pick. That’s, of course, on the optimistic side of things, but all it takes is one team—just ask 2012 shocker Miles Plumlee.

On the surface, being a borderline first-rounder doesn’t seem all that enticing for McDermott. Only the first 30 picks in the NBA draft get guaranteed contracts, and if McDermott wanted to risk getting not paid to play basketball, he might as well stick around and hang with pops for another year.

That’s true. It also ignores why McDermott is even getting first-round consideration altogether.

Take a look at Goodman, Draft Express and Ford’s rankings again. Notice the names atop the lists. Nerlens Noel, a center with a non-existent offensive game who just had a complete ACL tear, is firmly on the mountaintop in two of the three rankings. Sixty percent or more of their top five players were out of the NCAA tournament after the round of 64 or did not make it whatsoever.

Put bluntly: The 2013 NBA draft class shapes up to be one of the worst in recent history. It’s been often compared to the 2006 class, which produced only three All-Stars, one of which was Brandon Roy.

The talent at the top is questionable and shallow—and that’s assuming everyone expected to declare throws his name in the pot. Kentucky freshmen Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin, initially expected to enter June’s draft, have all indicated they’re leaning toward staying in Lexington. 

That means opportunity for players like McDermott. Teams will be grasping at straws toward the end of the first round, searching for translatable skills they can plug somewhere as an eighth or ninth man.

McDermott is elite at the most translatable skill of them all: shooting. He’s been compared plenty to former Creighton star Kyle Korver, and that’s a pretty fair assessment. McDermott can drain shots from anywhere on the floor, hardly ever makes bad decisions with the ball and plays hard every possession—mainly because he had to at Creighton.

Nevertheless, he also has plenty of deficiencies that make NBA coaches understandably wary. It’s unfair to call him a can’t-jump-over-a-Pringles-can bad athlete because he can finish at the rim, but McDermott is a below-average athlete. He also doesn’t create off the dribble and doesn’t possess enough strength or size to work his post game in the NBA.

Teams will view him as what they should—a possibly elite catch-and-shoot prospect. Is that enough to get him first-round consideration? Not in most seasons. But in 2013, a playoff team that likes shooters—Miami comes to mind—might just pull the trigger.

What is clear is that this is the only season McDermott can obtain guaranteed money. The landscape will go from barrel-scraping to overflowing by the time June of 2014 rolls around. 

Prep superstars Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker are considered two of the best high school players since LeBron James—and this time it might not be a bunch of nonsensical hooey. They lead a Class of 2013 that has been touted as one of the best ever, with Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon and a bevy of other big names adorning the field.

Combine those players with Cauley-Stein, Poythress and Goodwin—assuming they return—and the 2014 NBA draft class will be a hotbed of talent.

The gap between the 2013 and 2014 class is so great that McDermott would have to add 10 ranking spots at a minimum to his draft standing if he returned. 

While returning to Creighton for another season would give McDermott an opportunity to bulk up a bit, it would do little else. He isn’t going to grow any taller, become a Shawn Marion circa 2005 defender on the perimeter or suddenly start throwing down tomahawk jams like Dominique Wilkins.

McDermott is who he is, and that’s fine. Plenty of players have had long, prosperous careers with his exact skill set. And considering the way he propped up teammates at Creighton, betting against McDermott seems like a fool’s errand.

But if McDermott wants to maximize his draft stock—and thus, his earnings with his first contract—he needs to strike while the iron is still freezing cold for NBA prospects. 

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Doug McDermott has little reason to hang his head.

Though his season came to an abrupt close in heartbreaking fashion against Duke in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, McDermott has bigger and better things to look forward to.

His options remain simple: stay at Creighton for his final go-round or declare for the June 27 NBA Draft.

The latter appears to be a good choice for McDermott.

While time is of the essence for McDermott, the clock isn’t necessarily working against him. He has a lot to think about.

As far as the NBA is concerned, the Creighton star has every tool necessary for a bright future. He has decent size—6’8’’, 225 pounds—and is dominant on the floor. 

According to Sean Deveney of AOL Sporting News, scouts view McDermott as a borderline first-round pick.

McDermott’s former high school teammate and current Golden State Warriors rookie forward Harrison Barnes thinks otherwise. From a guy who knows what McDermott is capable of, Barnes believes McDermott can succeed at the next level if he so chooses. Barnes told Deveney, 

He has played exceptional basketball,“He is a guy who can play the game, and if you can play the game, I think you will find your spot. I don’t think he’d have any problems playing on this level. When you see how he shoots, he is really efficient and he can make shots from all over the floor. He can play at a high level.

Speaking of shooting, McDermott turned in an impressive season for Creighton. He’s second in the nation in scoring, notching over 23 points per contest and nearly eight rebounds to boot. He led the nation with 273 field goals made—12 more than the second-place qualifier.

At his height, McDermott’s ability to shoot the ball efficiently will play a big role in deciding if he’s worthy of a first-round pick, according to Gary Parrish, of CBS Sports.

In terms of overall ability, McDermott could charm NBA general managers and coaches with his hefty résumé.  

Today, McDermott was named a first team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the second consecutive season—a feat that puts him in elite company in terms of success at the collegiate level. Since the awards were first given out in 1946, McDermott is just the 55th player to earn first team honors twice and only the fifth from the Missouri Valley Conference.

It’s decision time for McDermott.

“I think it’s just going to hit me at some moment,” McDermott told Parrish.  “I’ll just be like, ‘This is what I’m gonna do.’ But it’s still up in the air. I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Opting for his third straight First Team All-American season is appealing, but embarking on his professional career seems more tempting.

Despite shooting poorly from the field on Sunday night, Duke locked down on Creighton's offense to come away with a 66-50 victory and a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

The victory marked Duke's 2,000th win in program history.

Duke led Creighton at halftime, 29-23. The Blue Devils got off to an 11-4 start, but Creighton surged back to take the lead after two free throws by Austin Chatman with 3:19 remaining in the half. Duke then went on a 9-2 run to close the half, highlighted by Tyler Thornton's three-pointer at the buzzer.

The Blue Devils, normally an efficient scoring team, shot 37 percent from the floor in the first half. The difference in the game was that they held Creighton to 29 percent shooting.

Creighton star junior forward Doug McDermott scored 13 points in the first half, but went 4-of-11 from the field.

Duke freshman guard Rasheed Sulaimon had a team-high 11 points at the half on 3-of-7 shooting.

Creighton scored the first four points of the second half, but Duke began to pull away around the 10-minute mark. With Creighton continuing to struggle from the floor, the pressure was on McDermott to deliver. However, freshman forward Amile Jefferson came up big for the Blue Devils with Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly in foul trouble, locking down McDermott down the stretch.

After Seth Curry's three-pointer with 6:42 remaining in the game, Duke was leading, 49-38, and the Bluejays found themselves in a tough spot.

In the end, Duke shot 39 percent from the floor, but held Creighton to 30 percent shooting. The Blue Devils also managed to knock down seven three-pointers, while the Bluejays went 2-of-19 from downtown.

Sulaimon led Duke with 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Curry followed with 17 points.

McDermott finished with 21 points, albeit on 4-of-16 shooting.

While Duke struggled from the field on Sunday night, the defense the Blue Devils displayed has to be encouraging for head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke ranked 108th in the nation in opponents' field-goal percentage as well as 67th in defensive efficiency coming into the contest (via TeamRankings.com). Creighton, on the other hand, ranked first in field-goal percentage and third in offensive efficiency.

Twitter Reaction

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry—who led Davidson on a magical NCAA tournament run in 2008—rooted on his brother Seth's team:

Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated relayed an interesting tidbit from Creighton star Doug McDermott as the game got underway:

Not Bill Walton wasn't happy about the first-half display:

With Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly in foul trouble for Duke down the stretch, college basketball writer Ray Holloman tweeted:

Duke Basketball noted that freshman forward Amile Jefferson played big in the wake of Plumlee and Kelly's foul trouble:

If National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott can light up the nation's 16th-best defense to the tune of 27 points, imagine what he'll do against the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday in the NCAA tournament's round of 32.

The Creighton star powered the Bluejays on Friday, scoring 27 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor in the team's win over 10th-seeded Cincinnati in the round of 64. And while the Bearcats had been holding opponents to just 38.7 percent shooting from the field this season, Duke ranks much worse, 114th nationally, allowing a clip of 41.6 percent.

A junior forward from Ames, Iowa, McDermott was the nation's second-leading scorer during the regular season (third-leading in 2011-12), averaging 23.1 points per game on roughly 56 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

So college basketball fans can expect him to deliver a big-time performance on Sunday night against the Blue Devils. 

That's not to say that Creighton will upset Duke, rather that McDermott won't be the reason why the Missouri Valley Conference champions bow out in the third round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

Why?

All signs point to McDermott having a huge 30-point game.

After all, he has failed to score at least 10 points in just two games this season, has surpassed the 30-point mark seven times and is averaging 21 points per game in three career NCAA tournament games

On top of that, McDermott has a history of playing his best games against Creighton's toughest opponents. He scored 30 points in a win over Wisconsin back in November and dropped 34 points in a win at California in December. Both teams went to the NCAA tournament this year.

Duke is no Wisconsin or Cal, but defensively, the Blue Devils are every bit as vulnerable as those teams. Plus, McDermott's confidence is at an all-time high following his mighty performance on Friday.

It's unlikely that McDermott can score enough for Creighton to pull off the upset, but barring an uncharacteristic outing, the versatile 6'8" forward is poised to stuff the stat sheet on Sunday night, getting to the foul line and taking advantage of his size on the perimeter.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

Doug McDermott's last 2012-13 home game at Creighton was something special. The junior forward poured in 41 points (on just 18 shots from the field) and led his team (via USA Today) to the Missouri Valley Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a win over Wichita State.

It should also be McDermott's last-ever home game as a member of the Creighton Bluejays.

The guy is NBA-ready.

It's a new age of college basketball. We are enamored with freshman prospects like Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel and Anthony Bennett, but it's often the guys who stay an extra year or two that are more ready to compete from Day 1 in the big show.

Such is the case with McDermott.

Over his three-year career with the Jays, McDermott has averaged 19.9 points per game, shot a remarkable 56.1 percent from the field while adding 7.7 rebounds and 45.5 percent shooting from three-point land.

He caught national attention last year after a tournament appearance and a second-round loss to North Carolina, and he has only gotten better after another full year of practice and growth to his game.

ESPN's Chad Ford regards McDermott as one of the most heady players in college basketball, citing his supreme basketball IQ as a reason he's able to get 20 points a night despite being outmatched in the athleticism department. This season, McDermott has scored fewer than 10 points in a game just twice—one of those being a loss to Indiana State.

Others grade him to be similar to former Utah star Keith Van Horn, and his three-point ability has given way to Steve Novak, Matt Harpring, and others of the like. Doug Gottlieb noted as much on Twitter:

One thing is for sure—Wichita State wants him to go pro:

Doug McDermott has 39 points on 17 shots today. I think I speak for all Shocker fans when I say: Doug, we hope you enter the NBA Draft.

— Shocker GT (@ShockerGametime) March 2, 2013

When you look at the 2013 NBA Draft, no one has stood out in the first round as a top pick. When that happens, it leaves plenty of questions for the rest of the board, and one of those questions will be the landing spot of Creighton's star forward.

There are doubters of McDermott's transition to the pros. His size (6'7", 210 pounds) makes him a bit of a tweener and his athleticism makes him a question mark to guard faster small forwards at the next level.

However, those are two aspects of his game (size and athleticism) that aren't going to change with another year in college.

Those measurements have moved McDermott down on draft boards, but there's one thing you can't teach—and it's basketball IQ. It's also hard to teach shooting at the next level, and McDermott has plenty of that, too. Although he's projected to be a second round draft pick in most mocks, there's a good chance a strong tournament showing and game tape from Saturday will change people's minds.

Creighton has been lucky to have a player like McDermott grace its program for the last three years. He's led them to the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament, and could do even more with another March Madness appearance this year.

No matter what happens in March, this should be McDermott's last season in college. He needs to strike while the iron is hot on his abilities, and this 41-point game will be fresh in the minds of scouts when they breakdown his game tape.

Sorry, Creighton, but this star needs to shine at the next level next season.

The Cinderella story is what makes March Madness so popular and captivating. With Butler and VCU each making the Final Four in recent years, the mid-majors are as relevant as ever and their success is no longer just relegated to the first weekend of the tournament.

The qualifications for being considered a mid-major is not being a member of any of the major six conferences. Also, due to the pedigree of most of the teams that comprise the conference as well as the fact that it currently ranks second in conference RPI, I will not include members of the Mountain West Conference as mid-majors either.

There are also certain teams that are outside of these conferences, but are largely considered to be power programs. Schools like Butler, Gonzaga and Memphis have proven themselves enough to be considered one of the big boys and are disqualified from this list.

With no dominant team in college basketball, the following three schools are teams that are under the radar, but can make a deep run come March. 

Creighton

A lot was expected from the Blue Jays entering the year. They were a No. 8 seed in last year’s tournament, they had a preseason All-American in Doug McDermott and were ranked No. 15 in the preseason, but the Jays have yet to hit their stride.

Although they have struggled early in conference play and are without a signature win, at 18-3, Creighton remains a formidable opponent and will be a dangerous team come tournament time. Their offensive inconsistencies are concerning, but when McDermott is hitting shots, they are a very difficult team to beat.

The Missouri Valley Conference has a history of pulling upsets in the tournament, but the Blue Jays have only won two tournament games in the last 12 years.

That being said, a team that that does not live up to expectations during the regular season often receives a higher seed than they deserve in the tournament and can pose a serious threat to one of the big boys they play in the first or second round.

This year is very similar to 2009 and 2010 where dark horses reigned supreme and no team was immune from an upset. In a year as unpredictable as this, a team like Creighton can very easily get hot and advance.

Stephen F. Austin

The Lumberjacks made their first and only tournament in 2009 and promptly exited in the first round after a 59-44 loss to Syracuse.

This year the Lumberjacks have gotten off to one of the best starts in the country. At 16-2 and leading the Southland Conference, Stephen F. Austin is one of the best kept secrets in the country.

They have signature road wins against Oklahoma and Tulsa and one of their two losses came in a close defeat to Texas A&M on the road.

Much of the Lumberjacks’ success can be attributed to their offensive proficiency. They are No. 10 in the country with 16.9 assists per game and shoot 47.7 percent from the field.

Stephen F. Austin is led by senior forward Taylor Smith who averages 14.9 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting 69.2 percent from the field and, as he goes, so does the Lumberjack offense.

Although Northwestern St. and Oral Roberts have gotten off to solid starts in conference play, it is unlikely that Stephen F. Austin will be seriously challenged for the regular season conference crown.

The tricky nature of any good team from a weak conference is what to do if they do not earn the automatic bid from winning the conference tournament. If this were to happen to Stephen F. Austin, the Lumberjacks could have as many as 28 wins and it would be difficult for the selection committee to keep them out.

If they do make it to the tournament, look for them to be about a No. 10 seed and, with a little luck, they could make it to the second weekend.

Belmont

New conference, no problem. The Bruins moved from the Atlantic Sun Conference to the Ohio Valley Conference this past off-season, but they still remain a formidable threat.

Under the Rick Byrd regime, the Bruins have transitioned from a NAIA program to a March mainstay. They have only missed the tournament twice since 2006 and, although they have never won a game, they are most famous for nearly beating Duke as a No. 15 seed in 2008.

Belmont made the tournament last year, but made a quick exit when they were defeated by Georgetown 74-59 in the first round.

This year, the Bruins show no signs of slowing down. Belmont is 17-4, 8-0 in conference play and have a signature win against Stanford on the road. They have won 10 of their last 11 games thanks in large part to the play of senior guard Ian Clark.

Clark is leading Belmont with 19.2 points per game thanks to his sharp-shooting from outside—he is shooting 51.1 percent from three-point range.

Having solid guard play and good outside shooting is critical for any team in the tournament, but especially for mid-majors. In most games, they are going up against teams that have superior athleticism and strength, so if they pound the ball down low, they will get worn out in the second half.

Having smart guards is a way of combating that fatigue against a better team and is often the difference between winning and losing.

With the introduction of the three-point shot as the great equalizer of talent as well as the lack of dominant teams in modern college basketball, deep runs by mid-major programs are becoming more common.

With the parity this year, any one of these teams are capable of making a name for themselves in March.

On a long and lonesome highway east of Omaha in 2010, Grant Gibbs was heading west through Iowa on his way to Nebraska's largest city.

Two years earlier, the first team All-Iowa prospect from Marion, Iowa was making plans to attend his dream school, Gonzaga. Once Gibbs got to Spokane and suited up for the Bulldogs, the dream quickly turned into an injury-filled nightmare.

Two seasons and one torn labrum later, Gibbs' injuries had made him an afterthought on Gonzaga's roster. It was time to look at his options, a process that included looking at his past.

Meanwhile in Omaha, longtime Creighton basketball coach Dana Altman was leaving for Oregon and about to be replaced by former Iowa State coach Greg McDermott. McDermott had recruited Gibbs heavily while at Iowa State.

In high school, Gibbs got to know McDermott fairly well during the recruiting process but never really thought Ames, Iowa was the place for him. He had taken a long look at Creighton, in the end deciding on Gonzaga.

With McDermott now heading to Creighton, everything had fallen into place for Gibbs. The choice to transfer to Creighton was obvious. It's now safe to say that Gibbs' college basketball story will have a happy ending.

That said, there are still a few chapters to be written, as this year's Creighton team looks to be heading toward a magical finish to the season.

The casual college basketball fan who scans the rankings this season will likely pause when they see Creighton's name in the mid-to-low teens. Then they'll say to themselves "Oh yeah, they got that McDermott kid," and move on without giving the Jays another thought.

It's true. They do have Doug McDermott, son of Greg and former high school teammate of Harrison Barnes. The younger McDermott has become the face of the Blue Jays and arguably college basketball this season, earning preseason All-America and Player of the Year honors from several publications.

Make no mistake, however. Creighton basketball is much more than Doug McDermott.

In addition to their superstar, the Jays also showcase Gibbs. Gibbs has become one of the most efficient passers in college basketball. He currently has a 6.25-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Since the NCAA began tracking the stat five years ago, no player has finished a season better than 4-to-1.

McDermott is not the only player on the receiving end of Gibbs' deadly accurate passes. Center Gregory Echenique, a 6'9" mound of power underneath, is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He spends his summers as the starting center on the Venezuelan National Team. 

When teams close down to focus on McDermott and Echenique underneath, the ball gets kicked out to a lethal cast of sharp shooters led by Ethan Wragge, who CBS Sports ranked No. 13 in their list of the top 50 shooters in college basketball.

Perhaps the best testament to how complete of a team this Creighton Blue Jay squad is came during the Alabama-Birmingham game earlier in the season. It was a night when Doug McDermott might have had the worst performance of his college career, logging five points and a couple of quiet rebounds that did little to help his team's effort. The rest of his team responded by having four guys score double figures, winning the game by 17 points.

Already a team nobody wants to face in March, the Jays now have extra motivation driving them via a story that will pick up steam as the postseason draws nearer.

They learned just yesterday that they'll be without guard Josh Jones for the remainder of the season. Jones' college career has been cut short due to heart complications stemming from a previous surgery he had in high school and another to treat a recent issue. His on-the-court production has been replaced by several players, but his emotional leadership may have become more powerful, as he'll likely be on the bench cheering his team on throughout the rest of the 2012-13 campaign.

That's the type of story that CBS loves during March Madness. It's also the type of story opposing teams hate, especially when they already have to deal with a team as lethal as Creighton can be.

If you're looking for a Cinderella to follow this season, you might want to try putting the slipper on the Creighton Bluejays. Hurry, though. Their feet are growing larger with every game.

The Creighton Bluejays will open the 2012-13 season with a surprising 15^th ranking in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. And lucky for skeptics and believers alike, the Bluejays will have ample opportunity to prove their true quality early in 2012.

A year ago, Creighton fans knew that they had a special team, despite a 33^rd preseason ranking in the same coaches’ poll. But their non-conference schedule kept their ability a secret later into the season.

For better or worse, mid-major teams are largely weighed by their success against major conference opponents. And Creighton’s three major conference opponents in 2011 were Northwestern, Iowa and Nebraska, who all finished below .500 in Big Ten play.

In 2012, Creighton’s non-conference schedule once again features three major conference teams. While this obviously includes their annual matchup with Nebraska; Northwestern and Iowa have been replaced with Wisconsin and California. Wisconsin finished one game out of first place in the Big Ten a year ago and California finished one game out of the Pac-12 lead.

Following impressive, although expected, victories over Northwestern and Iowa last year, Creighton clearly demonstrated that it was a contender. But the overall performances of the Wildcats and Hawkeyes last year showed that Creighton had perhaps not proved as much as previously thought.

But that will all change in 2012. Wins against Wisconsin and California do not just prove competence, they prove excellence. Opening 2012 with victories of this caliber will place Creighton among the elite of college basketball, not just among tournament contenders, as their wins over Northwestern and Iowa did last year.

And the best (and most obvious) part for the Bluejay faithful: Creighton returns enough talent to win these games.

Creighton returns a staggering nine out of their top 10 scorers from the 2011-12 season. In fact, Antoine Young is the only player who averaged more than one point per game a year ago not returning for the 2012-13 season. Adding the star power of Player of the Year hopeful Doug McDermott, the Bluejays have the firepower to achieve great things this season.

But the path to demanding respect on the national stage begins with defending a 15^th national ranking, which is the highest of any mid-major in the country. Returning all but one offensive contributor from last year and facing a non-conference schedule ripe with opportunities for statement wins, the Bluejays will not have to wait to validate its lofty preseason ranking.