MVCfans wrote:The Valley had an awesome non-conference season in Nov and Dec, but the lasting memory for folks now will be a terrible weekend of meaningless games during the Bracket Buster weekend. God I hate this event.
I think the lasting memory is a little different than that. Brackbusters wins clearly has bolstered Creighton and Wichita State this year.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... can-change"After disappearing late in his team’s recent losses, Doug McDermott gave Creighton 36 points and 11 rebounds in a home win over Long Beach State. Wichita State crushed Davidson.
And suddenly the Missouri Valley looks potent again. "
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the ... _xcQDevbYFWinner: Creighton
Still reeling from a three-game losing streak earlier this month, Creighton needed to beat Long Beach State to regain momentum heading into March and to avoid seeing its NCAA tournament seeding take another hit. The Bluejays got it done thanks to an efficient 36 points from star Doug McDermott and a clutch play in the final seconds from point guard Antoine Young. With the game tied and the clock ticking down, Young penetrated the Long Beach State defense, pulled up from seven feet when he encountered resistance and sank the go-ahead fallaway jumper with three tenths of a second left. The result was a satisfying victory, albeit one that continues to raise concerns about Creighton's suspect defense and sudden outside shooting woes.
Winner: Wichita State
Although Wichita State didn't draw the caliber of opponent it hoped to in BracketBusters, the Shockers made the most of their trip to Southern Conference power Davidson. They broke open a tight game early in the second half and rolled to a 91-74 win, remaining in good position to earn a No. 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. Balanced scoring has been one of Wichita State's strengths, but guard Joe Ragland carried the Shockers on Saturday. The 6-foot sharpshooter sank 11 of 14 shots, including a trio of threes, finishing with a game-high 30 points.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... ned-120218Creighton 81, Long Beach State 79: Speaking of fun, how much fun was this? The finish -- Antoine Young's brilliant left-handed, last-second game winner -- was merely the icing on the cake. The 40 minutes that preceded that shot were chock full of high-octane mid-major awesomeness. LBSU's Casper Ware, T.J. Robinson and Larry Anderson trading deep 3s and inside moves with Young and Doug McDermott? Yes, please.
We couldn't have predicted the ending, but we should have seen the entertainment value coming. These teams both excel most at one thing: scoring the basketball. That's what Creighton does. When the Bluejays don't put the ball in at a high rate, they lose, as they did in their recent three-game losing streak, culminating with a home blowout at the hands of Wichita State last weekend. The defense simply isn't good enough to save Creighton from an off night.
Fortunately, Creighton has Doug McDermott. McDermott has been great all season, though he's struggled of late, and it's no coincidence his team had lost three of its past four in that span. But on Saturday night, he was amazing. Not "amazing" in a "wow, this sesame chicken is amazing" sort of way; McDermott was actually, literally amazing. He scored 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting and added 11 rebounds, six of which on the offensive end. The most impressive came late in the second half, when McDermott flew to the hoop and somehow tipped in a wayward shot arcing halfway over his head. Once it was clear McDermott was on, LBSU coach Dan Monson ordered his charges to begin aggressively double-teaming the opposing coach's son. But McDermott's eager passing and ability to make plays without the ball in his hands -- see the aforementioned tip-in -- neutralized that strategy. He was just so good. And at the perfect time, too.
As entertaining as this game was, as memorably as McDermott performed, the good news for Long Beach is that a loss at Creighton hardly hurts its at-large profile. Chances are, this team will continue its blistering Big West pace and get to the NCAA tournament in academic, auto-bid fashion. But if something goes awry in the conference tournament, LBSU's crazy nonconference schedule -- the toughest in the country by, like, a lot -- should be more than worthy of the committee's respect. Whatever happens, we'll always have Saturday night in Omaha. What a game, man. What a game.
Wichita State 91, Davidson 74: Davidson, with that December win over Kansas in its back pocket, desperately needed a win here if it wanted to hold on to any scant hope of an at-large look. Obviously, that's done now.
Wichita State just keeps beating up on people. Forget the mid-major label -- there are few teams in the country, regardless of conference, playing as well as this team right now. How many? Five? Maybe six? If that? Anyway, before we move on, let's pause and reflect on the insane performance Joe Ragland unleashed Saturday. He scored 30 points and grabbed seven boards at the guard position. Even better? His points came on 11-of-14 from the field. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. He was about as close to offensive perfection as a college basketball player can ever get. Bravo, sir.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ ... 53157750/1Creighton: The last-second victory at home against Long Beach State helps offset its recent three-game losing streak. Plus, its Ratings Percentage Index number — which takes into account opponents' opponents — gets a little more lift from Long Beach State's non-conference schedule, one of the nation's toughest.
