Before I launch into my thoughts about Creighton’s second round win over Cincinnati and subsequent third round loss to Duke in the 2013 NCAA tournament, check out what my father wrote me, unprompted, Monday morning:
It was truly unfortunate that our CU kids ended up replicating last year’s game with the Tar Heels. To spend another season aiming for a shot at making history and then not playing up to your capacity. It’s enough to ruin the concept of creating a goal from the very beginning.
So, I choose to view things from a different perspective…
I’ve watched Creighton basketball pretty much for 45 years. Over those years we’ve had a few coaches (Red, Sutton, Tony, Dana, and Mac) who have provided the “magic” moments. I’m talking about those periods in a game when the Bluejays move to an elevated level of play. The scoring runs when everything works on offense and we’re stopping them on defense. The media calls that period a “run” … I think of it as “magic.” It’s during those live moments (at the Civic, Qwest, Link) when you can feel the crowd and the truly pure moments of success / accomplishment. The excitement can be unreal at times.
I’ve come to realize that’s the best part of the CU basketball experience for me — those special minutes.
Accordingly, I rate this season the best ever. Never have I seen so many magic moments in a season. That’s what I would tell those kids who might not be too upbeat right now.
There you have it.
Those “magic moments” carried the Bluejays to 57 wins the past two seasons. That’s a gaudy number, one not to take lightly considering how quickly the tide can ebb for even the best D-I basketball programs in the country.
Win #57 was one of the most difficult during that time, with the Jays gutting out a physical, mistake-ridden win over Cincinnati thanks to some timely shooting and increased defensive pressure.
The Bluejays committed seven turnovers in the first seven minutes of Friday afternoon’s second round game against the Bearcats. Known as one of the peskiest defensive teams in the nation, Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati squad hounded the Bluejays for 40 minutes. However, so many of the Bluejays’ 10 (!) first-half turnovers were caused by Creighton’s own sloppiness and not anything special shown by UC.
The Jays would turn it over three more times in the last five minutes of the half, too, missing a few opportunities to open up a large lead. That’s right: even with 10 turnovers, Creighton headed to the locker room at halftime up five over Cincinnati.
Ethan Wragge went 4-5 from long range against Cincinnati in a 2013 NCAA tournament win against the Bearcats
The Bluejays hit shot after shot, when they weren’t busy giving the Bearcats the ball. CU shot 63% from the field and 56% from three-point range. Doug McDermott scored 14 and Ethan Wragge came off the bench to drill all three of the bombs he shot from deep behind the arc. Jahenns Manigat wasn’t forcing shots; rather, he dished six assists in the first 20 minutes. As a team, the Bluejays assisted on all 12 of their made field goals.
Meanwhile, the offensively challenged Cincinnati squad many of us had read about in the days leading to the tournament turned out to be very real. Blessed with athleticism superior to that of the Bluejays, the Bearcats settled for jump shots instead of slashing to the rim. Granted, Gregory Echenique played outstanding defense in the front court all weekend in Philadelphia. But too many times Cincinnati settled. It showed in a 36% first half shooting percentage. Had his defense not collected so many of Creighton’s mistakes, Cronin’s team could have found itself in much worse trouble than down five at the break.
Manigat had bottled up Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati’s most dynamic scorer, in the first half, holding him to three points. But Kilpatrick managed to get going in the second half, scoring 16 and giving his teammates a boost. The Bearcats hit almost 50% of their shots in the second stanza while the Jays went cold — CU shot just 30% in the second half.
Still, the Bluejays never trailed after intermission. A McDermott layup with just under nine minutes to play gave CU its largest lead of the day at eight points, but a Kilpatrick bucket with 3:31 to go tied the game and forced the Jays to take a timeout. On the ensuing possession, Grant Gibbs found fellow senior Echenique for a hoop, and then Echenique stole the basketball from Kilpatrick to eliminate a Cincinnati possession. The Jays couldn’t convert on the other end, but Echenique snared a defensive rebound on the Bearcats’ next possession and McDermott would subsequently earn and make two free throws.
Friday’s game came down to free throws, and Creighton calmly converted 19 of 21 shots from the charity stripe. McDermott led the way, hitting all eight of his free throws. He had trouble making shots from the field in the second half (2-7) but managed to do damage anyway.
Doug McDermott made all 23 of his free throws against Cincinnati and Duke in the 2013 NCAA tournament (WBR/Spomer)
Still, McDermott was involved with a play that almost ruined Creighton’s NCAA tournament run. Up six points and with the ball on an inbounds play with 53 seconds left in the game, McDermott got double-teamed in the corner by Cincinnati’s press. As he tried to create separation and hold his ground, UC’s Shaquille Thomas flopped to the ground, the victim of a flagrant 1 foul as assessed by the officiating crew.
It was a terrible call in real time. And replays confirmed just how horrible the decision was to whistle McDermott. Regardless of the rule, Thomas flopped and was rewarded with two free throws.
The Basketball Gods were not pleased, so they tightened the rim a bit and Thomas missed both free throws. Still, Kilpatrick drilled a three to end the possession and pull the Bearcats to within three with 51 seconds left.
The final minute of the game felt like an eternity, but the Bluejays did almost everything by the book. Sure, Manigat got tied up and turned over with 24 seconds left and the Jays up 3. But CU hit all but one of their free throws in the last minute and held on for the victory — marking the first time in school history the Bluejays collected wins in consecutive NCAA tournaments.
Unfortunately for Creighton, the second half offensive woes Friday carried into Sunday evening’s game against No. 2 Duke. The Bluejays converted just 30% of their shots from the field in the second 20 minutes against Cincinnati. Two days later, CU made just 30% of its field goals against the Blue Devils, dooming a potential upset bid that seemed bolstered by a few other factors.
If you would have told Creighton fans before the game that the Bluejays’ defense — not their offense — would be good enough to beat Duke, I’m not sure how many would have believed you. But the Jays’ defensive effort against the Blue Devils was admirable. Duke scored fewer points (66) than their season average (78.1) and shot worse from the field (38.8%) and from three-point range (35%) than their season averages (47.9% and 40.5%, respectively).
Individually, Manigat hounded Seth Curry into a poor first half shooting the basketball (1-7 from the field). Echenique more than held his own in the paint against All-ACC performer Mason Plumlee. And Ryan Kelly was a non-factor in his matchup with McDermott, scoring just 1 point and spending most of the evening in severe foul trouble.
But in the end, the Bluejays’ bread and butter went stale. The nation’s leading three-point shooting team managed to make just 2 of 19 shots from long range (10.5%), by far the Jays’ worst performance of the season. Overall, CU made just 30% of its shots from the field, also a season-worst percentage.
The Jays led 21-20 with 3:19 to play in the first half, but a 9-2 run by Duke — capped by a prayer three-pointer by Tyler Thornton at the buzzer — gave the Blue Devils momentum entering the break. Creighton cut the deficit to two early in the second half, but as they chucked miss after miss from long range the Devils extended their lead methodically.
Coach K’s defense smothered McDermott into his worst shooting night of the season (4-16 from the field, 25%). For just the third time all season, Wragge didn’t attempt a three-point shot, just two days after hitting four of five attempts against Cincinnati.
Duke was content to leave guards Manigat and Austin Chatman open for shots, and those two couldn’t convert. Manigat followed a 1-6 performance against the Bearcats by going 1-7 against Duke. He missed all eight three-pointers he shot in Philly. Chatman went 2-11 from the field — and 3-16 on the weekend — while making just one of his six three-point shots.
So there will be no Sweet 16 berth in 2013. But despite that being a very publicized goal of the Bluejays men’s basketball program, this season was a banner one — literally. Would I have been the first to jump in a car and hike it to Indianapolis this weekend? Surely. But anything can happen in the Big Dance (see: Florida Gulf Coast).
When I look back on 2012-2013, I’ll think about Creighton basketball’s ultimate mic drop: winning the regular season and tournament championships in the school’s final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
I’ll remember watching an All-American, McDermott, do his thing night in and night out, saving some of his best individual games when his team need them most (in Vegas; in Omaha against Wichita State for the regular season title; at Arch Madness; against Cincinnati).
I’ll remember how the Jays rallied around Josh Jones when his basketball career came to an abrupt end.
And I’ll remember reveling in the new horizons awaiting Creighton Bluejays basketball in the Big East. Because while this season was full of magical moments, a move up in the college basketball pecking order has the Bluejays poised for plenty of magic in the years to come.