Doug McDermott and Missouri Valley Madness

This only happens at mid-majors. First, Oregon hired Creighton’s head coach Dana Altman. So Creighton hired Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott and gave him a ten-year contract.  McDermott’s son – Doug (high school teammate of Harrison Barnes) – was committed to Northern Iowa, a school Greg McDermott had taken to three straight NCAA Tournaments before jumping to Iowa State. Doug de-committed from UNI, committed to his father at Creighton, and last year they both began their careers as Creighton Blue Jays. Got it? Creighton won 23 games and Doug led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and posted an impressive 109.5 offensive rating. Creighton ended their season in the CBI Tournament finals where they lost by a bucket to who else – Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks – and the circle was complete.

With a new year comes new expectations, and Creighton was picked by many to win the deep Missouri Valley Conference. And so far, neither Doug nor Creighton has disappointed. Creighton handily beat two bad teams by an average of 33 points, scoring an impressive 1.34 points per possession, while limiting their opponents to just 0.88 per possession. Then they faced a stout UAB team and beat them 70-60 in a 71 possession game. During this run Doug McDermott has averaged 20.3 ppg (despite only playing 37 combined minutes against their lesser two opponents) and has done this by shooting 65.6% on 2s, 55.6% on 3s, and is a perfect 4-4 from the line. And on Sunday they’ll take on Iowa in what should be one of the best games of the weekend.  This will help the country get a better gauge on Creighton, though luckily, the Blue Jays have a really solid schedule from here on out. Remaining on their out of conference schedule are San Diego State, Nebraska, Saint Joseph’s and Northwestern. If you’re not familiar with the McDermott’s by Christmastime then there is no one to fault but yourself.

But it’s not just Creighton and the McDermott’s who are making news. With Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Creighton and last year’s conference champion Indiana State it’s probable that the MVC will be a multiple bid conference this season. Wichita State plays Alabama tonight in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Missouri State already spanked Nevada and has a nice run looming on the horizon of Tulsa, Oral Roberts, New Mexico and Oklahoma State. Northern Iowa beat Old Dominion and then lost to a really good St Mary’s. Their out of conference schedule may be their downfall, with only Providence, Iowa and Iowa State left for opportunities to show off. Indiana State is in a similar position, but their schedule only leaves them with an all-or-nothing showdown with Vanderbilt.

Whatever happens in the Missouri Valley this year, it will be fun to watch, and come March multiple teams from the MVC may be dancing for the first time since 2007.

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