Nebraska News and Sports
Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott is one of four finalists for the Naismith Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year. The other three finalists for the award are Kansas junior Thomas Robinson, Michigan State senior Draymond Green and Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis. Fans can text their votes for the player of their choice by texting VOTE to 34763. Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 31, 2012.
ABOUT THE FINALISTS:
Kendall Marshall led fourth-ranked North Carolina with 18 points and John Henson returned from injury to log a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Tar Heels ended Creighton’s record-setting season by dealing the Bluejays an 87-73 loss in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum Sunday evening. Doug McDermott led Creighton with 20 points to cap his own record-setting season.
The sophomore made 8-of-19 field goal to set a single-season school record with 307 field goals this year. He finished the year with 801 points, a school record and ranked in the top-10 in MVC history. The 19th-ranked Bluejays ended their season in the round of 32 with a 29-6 overall record.
Meanwhile the No. 1 seeded Tar Heels improved to 31-5 while advancing to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis next weekend. However, the win came with a huge price. Point guard Marshall broke his right wrist (non-shooting hand) and will need surgery where a pin will be inserted. His availability for the rest of the tournament is unknown.
St. John’s Nadirah McKenith went the length of the court with just 5.7 seconds left and and dropped a high arcing five-footer to end the Creighton women’s basketball season with a 69-67 loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Norman, OK. The loss ended the Bluejays season at 20-13.
Trailing 65-61 with under two minutes remaining, senior DaNae Moore took over for Creighton. Moore converted a layup with 1:01 remaining in the game to bring the Jays within a bucket. Moments later during a stoppage of play, the Red Storm were cited with a flagrant foul, sending Moore to the foul line. Moore hit both free throws to tie the game at 65-65.
After the Red Storm converted two free throws of their own with 19 seconds remaining, sophomore Carli Tritz drove the lane to force contact, getting to the foul line with 5.7 seconds remaining. Tritz nailed both free throws to tie the game, setting up McKenith’s last shot.
Doug McDermott scored 16 points and the Bluejays overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat Alabama 58-57 Friday for their first tournament victory in 10 years.
Alabama had a chance to win during the frantic final seconds, but Josh Jones appeared to deflect Trevor Releford’s 3-point attempt from the top of the key as time expired.
McDermott, the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and the nation’s third-leading scorer at 23.2 points per game, was held scoreless for more than 14 minutes but then scored nine points down the stretch
Creighton basketball sophomore Doug McDermott has been named a first-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He is Creighton’s first player to be named first-team All-American by the USBWA since it began handing out the honors in 1957.
McDermott is joined on the first-team by Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Draymond Green (Michigan State), Thomas Robinson (Kansas) and Jared Sullinger (Ohio State). McDermott was already one of 20 men on the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Award watch list, which is awarded to the nation’s top player next Monday (March 19). Creighton’s only other USBWA All-American came in 2003, when Kyle Korver earned second-team accolades. The last first-team All-American from an MVC school was in 1988, when Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins was honored.
