MVC Basketball

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:

Wichita State was the first team to knock off a No. 1 seed in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Despite what some may think, this was not a fluke.

The Shockers were lights-out from three-point range in their 76-70 win over Gonzaga. They went 14-of-28 from behind the arc, including five straight made shots down the stretch to take the lead and keep it.

While this was obviously a much better shooting display than the season averages, it was not the only reason for the victory. Instead, Wichita State has proved that it can win in a number of different ways due to great depth.

This squad surprised many by simply winning its first game against Pittsburgh. The Big East team had an impressive season and was seeded relatively low compared to some other squads in the conference.

On ESPN's national bracket, only 31.9 percent of people picked Wichita State to beat the Panthers despite the fact that these games between No. 8 and No. 9 seeds are usually toss-ups. However, the Shockers were more physical inside and won 73-55. 

In that contest, the Shockers only made 2-of-20 shots from outside. The duo of Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker, which combined to go 8-of-13 from three against Gonzaga, missed all 11 outside shots against Pittsburgh.

Still, the team was able to get points in other ways and scored 76 in the game, including 47 in the second half. This is not just a group that got hot against a good team; it is a team that knows how to utilize its skills to win games in any way.

Gregg Marshall uses his deep bench to his advantage consistently. During the year, 10 different players appeared in 27 or more games with significant average minutes, and that does not even include Baker, who missed almost three months with a foot injury.

At this point, the coach knows his personnel and will shuffle lineups to get the most out of his squad. This is what will help the Shockers continue this run in the NCAA tournament.

In the Sweet 16, Wichita State will face the winner of Ole Miss and La Salle. These teams have different styles of play, but the Shockers have the ability to match up with either one.

If Ole Miss plays quickly, then Marshall will rotate plenty of players to keep them fresh. He could also match the athleticism of La Salle with a bigger lineup.

While the shooting might go cold, nothing will stop this squad from doing anything possible to survive and advance to the next round.

In a region that continues to fall apart every day (the teams seeded third, fourth and fifth were also eliminated), Wichita State can surprise the world by playing its way into the Final Four.

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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.

Southern Illinois basketball coach Barry Hinson has a special request for SIU basketball fans, and it's simple.

"I'd like everybody to bring somebody else to the game Wednesday night. We've not been over the 6,000 mark this year and I'd like to do that for those three seniors," Hinson said during his press conference following Saturday's game vs. Miami University (Ohio).

Hinson is referring to the next and final home game of this season, when the Salukis play host to Northern Iowa at 7:05. 

Wednesday's game is senior night, and three senior Salukis will be honored throughout the night for their contributions to Saluki basketball.  Seniors Jeff Early, T.J. Lindsay and Kendal Brown-Surles will all be playing in their final game for the Dawgs.  Hinson described the game as the second-most important game of the season, saying that the most important game will be the team's first game in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. 

It isn't the first time that Hinson has requested that people bring someone along to the next game.  Hinson also asked the same "favor" before a home game earlier in the season. 

In a very similar request, the Saluki coach stated that he wanted 6,000 fans in attendance vs. Fresno State in November of 2012.  Despite not reaching the 6,000 mark, the Dawgs drew 5,409 in paid attendance to that game.  Those who were in attendance got to witness junior Desmar Jackson nail a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to seal the 57-54 win over Fresno State.

As I have previously stated, now is a great time to be a Southern Illinois fan.  Coach Hinson and the team have already taken many steps forward for the program, and the students have responded. 

The Salukis are playing their best basketball to date, and arguably their best basketball in years.  The team has already surpassed their win total from last year and currently sits at 12-16.  Southern Illinois began its hot streak at home with a huge upset over Wichita State, who at the time was ranked No. 22 in the coaches' poll. 

The Salukis then knocked off conference rivals Evansville and Missouri State, with their most recent game being a 74-68 overtime thriller vs. Miami University (Ohio) in the ESPN BracketBusters tournament.

Because there is no cost for SIU student basketball tickets, Saluki students have no reason to not go to the games.  Even if SIU did charge students to attend sporting events, it would certainly be worth the cost. 

Not only are the atmosphere and games entertaining for all, but all students should be proud to attend a school with such a prestigious basketball program and should take advantage of the great sports opportunities given to them while attending Southern Illinois.   

Let's make this happen, Saluki nation. 

As the recent performance has shown, the Salukis have not given up on this year.  No way should Saluki nation give up first, or ever. 

Regardless of the record, streak, performance, or previous years, I have watched the three seniors for the past three seasons that I have gone to school with at SIU, and I have an enormous amount of respect for all three.  Their blood, sweat, tears and souls have gone into each and every game, and the very least we as a fanbase can do is to recognize what they have done.

Coach Hinson said he wants 6,000 fans at Wednesday's game. 

Let's give him 7,000. 

Think back six years ago.  Where were you?  What were you doing?  What was happening in the world of sports?  Here's a reminder: The Boston Red Sox were World Champions, the Colts and Bears were Super Bowl foes, LeBron James fell just short of his first championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Anaheim Ducks were Stanley Cup champions. 

And in the world of college basketball, the Southern Illinois Salukis were a force to be reckoned with.  The Salukis had reached the postseason six years in a row from 2002-2007, including Sweet Sixteen appearances in '02 and '07.  Bruce Weber and Matt Painter had left the program to assume the position of head coach at Illinois and Purdue respectively, and Chris Lowery took over the Dawgs in 2004 with immediate success, leading the team to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet Sixteen.

A lot has changed in six years.  Now the Boston Red Sox are in turmoil, LeBron James has a ring (and with Miami!), and the Kings are defending Stanley Cup champions.  Unfortunately, Saluki basketball is not the same either. 

However, despite last season being the worst in the history of Saluki basketball with a dismal 8-23 record, this season has already seen a large amount of improvement from the previous year.

Coach Barry Hinson, in his first year as head coach for the Salukis, is doing a great job with the boys.  Despite a few rough patches in conference play, the Dawgs already have surpassed last year's overall win total.  The team also scored a big upset over Wichita State at home, who at the time was ranked No. 22 in the coaches' poll.  Hinson had a successful career at Missouri State, as well as director of basketball operations at the University of Kansas, who was the national runner-up in 2012 to Kentucky. 

Coach Hinson cares about the fans.  After each game, he makes it a point to acknowledge the students in attendance, as well as acknowledging all four sides of the court after a big win.  Coach understands that he not only needs to re-establish the basketball team, but also the fan base.

The first recruiting class of the Barry Hinson era has shown great promise to the level of Hinson's recruiting abilities.  True freshman Anthony Beane, Jr. is third on the team in scoring with 9.5 PPG.  Freshman forward Bola Olaniyan is yet to play, but is a great addition for the future, as he stands an impressive 6'7". 

Fortunately for the Salukis, only three players will be graduating, with the rest of the team consisting of underclassmen.  Coach Hinson has said that senior Kendal Brown-Surles will be staying to become a manager for the team next year, providing peer guidance both off of the court and in the locker room.

In recent years, discipline has been a large issue for the Dawgs.  Multiple off-court incidents occurred, including a 2011 incident in which three players were suspended when they were charged with battery for attacking teammate Davante Drinkard with an Airsoft gun. 

Former SIU player Justin Bocot was also suspended as he was investigated for sexual assault in 2011, although he was not charged with a crime at any point.  During the actual season, the Dawgs have been without major incident under Coach Hinson, a very good mark on Hinson's record in the first season.     

As for the team as a whole, there has already been improvement over last year.  With four regular season games left as well as the Arch Madness conference tournament, the Salukis already have three more wins than last season. 

The 2011-12 Salukis ranked 281st overall in points per game with 62.7, and have thus far improved on that mark this year.  This season has seen a small increase in PPG, up to 64.0 PPG. Another bright spot is their 7-4 home record, which can almost certainly be attributed to the increase in attendance and vice versa.

It's a great time to be a Saluki basketball fan.  The fan base has begun to return, SIU Arena is more beautiful than ever after undergoing a $29.9 million renovation before the 2010 season, and Coach Hinson has already shown a tremendous amount of promise at the helm. 

Southern travels to Creighton Tuesday to face the Blue Jays, who have lost three of their last four.  A win at Creighton would certainly be another big accomplishment for the Salukis, and would give them even more confidence going into the conference tournament and final games of the season.

Pull out the old Southern shirts, folks.  Gone are the days of futility for the Dawgs, with a promising new era now underway in Carbondale under Hinson's leadership.  I find myself imaging more Sweet Sixteens, sold out crowds, and the return of College Gameday to the beautiful SIU Arena. Now let's start recruiting and re-establish the Saluki name in college basketball.

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.