Sports

Creighton, McDermott set for Duke

PHILADELPHIA — Never.

That’s how long it has been since Creighton won back-to-back games in the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays thought they were on the precipice of school history a year ago, but lost to North Carolina in the third round. They’re back this year for another crack, as tonight they face Duke in a Midwest Regional game at Wells Fargo Center.

“Not a lot of people in the country believe we can pull this off,’’ junior forward Doug McDermott said.

The only way No. 7 seed Creighton (28-7) can pull this off is if McDermott carries his team the way he’s shouldered the load all season.

“He’s a highlight ESPN guy,’’ Duke’s Ryan Kelly said.

That’s quite an observation, considering McDermott plays in Omaha and Creighton isn’t exactly a regular on coast-to-coast broadcasts. Still, it is impossible to hide brilliance. The 6-foot-8 swingman does everything for the Bluejays and not just because he’s the son of coach Greg McDermott. He’s the nation’s leading returning scorer, averaging 23.2 points a game, shooting a ridiculous 56 percent from the floor, nearly 50 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the foul line. He leads the nation with 813 points and is the first Missouri Valley Conference player with more than 800 points in consecutive seasons since Larry Bird.

“McDermott is such a beautiful player,’’ Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s really one of the best offensive players I’ve seen in the last decade in college basketball because he’s a counter-puncher. They run stuff for him and if it’s not there he goes right to his counter-punch.

“And many of his shots are made before he gets the ball. They’re the most efficient offensive team in the country.’’

Duke (28-5) is favored, of course, because it almost always is. This is the first time the Blue Devils have ever faced Creighton, but there are some familiarities. Kelly, Duke’s senior shooting forward, and McDermott were roommates last summer at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas and took a look at each other’s moves.

“He’s in a class of his own as a scorer,’’ Kelly said. “There aren’t many players like him in the country.’’

Kelly did provide a vital service for McDermott.

“He always reminded me what time we had to be in the lobby,’’ McDermott recalled. “He was always good for that.’’