For those of you tuning in for “The Doug McDermott Show” on Nebraska Public Television Wednesday night, we apologize. The popular two-hour program was preempted for an educational piece about patience and teamwork.
Limited to 23 minutes due to early foul trouble, McDermott watched as his teammates rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to post a resounding 17-point win against the UAB Blazers.
During McDermott’s two-plus years on the Hilltop, Creighton fans have become accustomed to watching the junior All-American dominate games. Hardly selfish, McDermott has a knack for scoring even when double teamed. The Blazers, coached by former Kansas Jayhawk Jerod Haase, seemed intent on limiting McDermott’s production. Couple swarming double and triple teams with two quick fouls, and McDermott’s minutes were limited in both quantity and quality.
UAB’s strategy worked fairly well for 25 minutes. The Blazers took a 16-15 lead with 12:20 to play in the first half and wouldn’t trail before the break, ultimately leaving for the locker room with a 37-33 halftime edge. A Terrance Jones three-pointer with 17:30 to play in the second half staked the Blazers to a 10-point lead, 45-35. Both teams exchanged missed shots for a few minutes, until Creighton’s Josh Jones drove the lane for a layup to cut CU’s deficit to 8 points with less than 16 minutes to play.
The next 80 seconds of game time featured a burst of energy by Creighton’s Jones. Gregory Echenique erased one of his four blocked shots on the next UAB possession, leading to a rebound and drive by Jones. He’d be fouled and knock down both free throws, and then have the ball in his hands again thanks to a Blazers miss and an Echenique rebound the next time down. Jones connected on the first of two consecutive three-pointers, the second of which sent Haase and UAB into a 30-second timeout.
Jones went on a 10-point personal run, something CU fans are more likely to see from McDermott on a given night than from one of his talented supporting cast. Tied at 45 apiece, the teams exchanged hoops for a few minutes until Jahenns Manigat’s only basket of the night — a three-pointer — gave the Bluejays a 58-55 lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night. Jones and Grant Gibbs would engineer a 13-2 run following Manigat’s make, turning a close contest on its ear and sending the Jays into the final 5 minutes of the game with a 14-point lead.
All told, Creighton put UAB away with a 22-5 during the final 11 minutes of the game. McDermott scored only 1 point during that stretch.
On a night when the All-American was merely mortal, McDermott got plenty of help from his more than capable Creighton teammates. Echenique posted his greatest game as a Bluejay. The Blazers had no answers for the big man, who didn’t miss a shot en route to 13 points and didn’t seem to miss a rebound; his 16 boards (13 on the defensive end) tied a pre-CU career high.
Jones was a few points shy of a career high; he managed a team-high 18 points in 19 minutes, tying his career-best 4 three-point makes in a game. He added a few rebounds and an assist; just as important, he didn’t turn the ball over.
And Gibbs settled the offense down with a steady hand, scoring when the opportunity presented itself while ultimately running the point during multiple, crucial possessions midway through the second half. He scored 13 points, dished 6 assists to 3 turnovers, snared 4 rebounds, and collected a steal while barely leaving the floor (he played a team-high 37 minutes).
Jones was hardly the only sub to help pick up the slack. Ethan Wragge went into shooter mode, making 4 of his 8 attempts from three-point range and collecting 12 points and 2 steals in 22 minutes. Even with McDermott’s limited effectiveness, his dad Greg and the rest of the coaching staff shortened the bench a bit; 8 Bluejays played double-digit minutes. Andre Yates suffered from the flu early in the week and mustered just 2 minutes, leaving Gibbs to spell Austin Chatman (27 minutes) at the point. Chatman scored 8 points and matched Gibbs with a team-high 6 assists (to just 2 turnovers).
Certainly, every Jays fans wants McDermott to have an All-American type night each and every game he plays. But evenings like Wednesday display what Echenique talked about in postgame radio interview comments: this team has plenty of capable players, and while Doug rightfully earns the praise he receives, the rest of the guys can pick him or others up during an off night and still play well.
“The Doug McDermott Show” will most likely resume Sunday afternoon. We hope you enjoyed the special presentation Wednesday night.
