Sunday, March 09, 2014

Doug McDermott's Career-High 45 Lifts Creighton over Providence

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 8, 2014

Just when it appears that Doug McDermott can do no more to secure college basketball's player of the year honors, he goes beyond the pale with an over-the-top performance such as his 45 points in Saturday's 88-73 victory over Providence.

McDermott hit 17 of 25 shots against the Friars, scoring more than half of his team's points, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and six of nine from the foul line. The senior forward continues to lead the nation in scoring, upping his average to 26.5 points per game.

Saturday's tour de force featured seven boards and a pair of assists, and was a season-and-career-high for McDermott, eclipsing the 39 he had against Villanova on February 16 and the 44 he put up against Bradley in the 2011-12 season. His output helped the Bluejays snap a two-game losing streak and solidified a second-place finish in the Big East for Creighton at 14-4. Interestingly, 16-2 Villanova's only conference losses were to Creighton. Both will have first round byes in the upcoming Big East tournament.

McDermott also became just the eighth player in Division I history to reach 3000 points in his career, making his final appearance at the CenturyLink Center an historic one, passing Oscar Robertson and Hersey Hawkins into seventh place on the all-time scoring list.

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