I visited the Museum of Modern Art the morning of Creighton’s quarterfinal drubbing of DePaul. I saw historic works by revered artists; Picasso, Van Gogh, Warhol, Monet among them. But the most impressive work of art I witnessed Thursday was Doug McDermott’s first half at Madison Square Garden.
McDermott set the Big East Tournament record with 27 first-half points, leading a Bluejays barrage of three-point makes en route to a 20-point halftime lead. McDermott hit 7 of Creighton’s 11 first-half triples during his 27-point half. He calmly knocked down a trey from the top of the key during CU’s first possession. The Blue Demons tied it on their first trip, then McDermott scored a layup the next time down. That’d commence a 17-5 run featuring two more triples by the Sports Illustrated cover boy and three threes by Jahenns Manigat.
Doug McDermott shoots against DePaul in Big East Tournament action (WBR/Mike Spomer)
While everyone would be obsessing — and rightfully so — about McDermott’s monster first half, the key was seeing Manigat make a few shots from the perimeter. Granted, DePaul didn’t really seem interested in guarding anyone wearing gray uniforms. But when they were successful denying McDermott and Ethan Wragge, Manigat stepped up to knock down the shots of distance that were open, timely, and crushing to any efforts by the Blue Demons to keep up with Creighton.
Jahenns Manigat celebrates after hitting a three-pointer against DePaul (WBR/Mike Spomer)
It’s been about a month since the Canadian Red Bull’s made more than one three in a game. In fact, his 4 triples in the Big East quarterfinals were one more than the 3 he had in his last four games combined. And to be sure, Manigat’s main responsibility on this team isn’t filling up the scoring column; he’s the team’s best defender, a charge he executes extremely well. But it had been since the Pink Out win versus Georgetown that the senior guard had scored in double figures. He ended the night with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and another solid effort on defense.
But let’s get back to McDermott, who finished with 35 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and no turnovers in just 32 minutes. He missed his only three attempt in the second half, seeming focused on keeping Creighton’s offense fluid and balanced instead of chasing the school record for three-pointers made in a game (9, by Kyle Korver and Doug’s teammate Wragge). Austin Chatman (9 assists, 2 turnovers, 11 points in 32 minutes) ran the team efficiently, making up for a less than stellar performance by Grant Gibbs and helping to guide the exciting-yet-sometimes-sloppy Devin Brooks (8 points, 1 turnover, 4 assists) in the backcourt.
Doug McDermott scored 35 points in his Big East Tournament debut (WBR/Mike Spomer)
Rarely, if ever, could even the most critical of college hoops fan see McDermott’s movements and say he forced anything Thursday night. That his 35 points came almost easily within Creighton’s team offense says worlds about the quality of Greg McDermott and his staff and how difficult it truly is for opponents to limit CU on most nights.
McDermott and his teammates likely left a lasting impression on the folks at Madison Square Garden, the die-hard hoopsters who take in the Big East Tournament no matter the teams or the conference makeup. His 35 points are the most every by a player in their Big East Tournament debut. His 27-point first half was the seventh time this season that McDermott’s scored 20 or more in a stanza. He also became only the sixth player ever to record three straight seasons of 800 or more points.
We’ve run out of superlatives describing Doug’s abilities and efforts the past four years. But if the sounds of a broken record are this sweet, I never want the repetition to stop.