After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons, Creighton coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement effective the end of the season.
Since the announcement, McDermott is devising a game plan he hopes will result in a few more wins. Creighton’s next chance occurs Thursday in Las Vegas when the Bluejays face Rutgers in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament.
The winner faces Stanford or West Virginia in a semifinal game on Saturday, and the title game is on Sunday.
Creighton (15-17) is hoping to get three wins to avoid just its second losing season since McDermott took over for Dana Altman following the 2009-10 campaign.
The Bluejays are playing their first game since a 72-61 loss to Seton Hall in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on March 12. Creighton shot 33.3% in that contest, one of seven times it was held under 40% this season.
“The reality of it is, you get to play college basketball once, and if somebody tells you (that) you get to play a few more games, then you play a few more games,” said McDermott, 61. “If they’re going to give us a chance to play, we’ll keep playing,”
Josh Dix led the Bluejays with 22 and Nik Graves added 15 against Seton Hall. Dix is entering Thursday following a pair of 22-point showings, while Graves reached double figures for the fourth straight game.
Rutgers (14-19) declined a bid to last year’s event when it was a 16-team field so Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could prepare for their NBA careers. After losing both, the Scarlet Knights finished with their highest loss total since 2017-18. They are hoping to avoid getting to 20 losses for the first time since 2015-16.
Rutgers is also attempting to follow Nebraska’s achievement in this tournament. The Cornhuskers won the College Basketball Crown last season and followed it up with their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
“The point is, you’re never that far away when you’re in a league like ours,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said of the Big Ten. “This league hardens you up. (The Cornhuskers) get off the mat, go to the Crown, win it, and they parlay that into this great season.”
Rutgers, which won two of its final three regular-season games, is playing for the first time since a 72-59 loss to UCLA in the third round of the Big Ten tournament on March 12. The Scarlet Knights shot 37.9%, the 13th time they were held under 40%.
Tariq Francis (16.9 points per game) is the lone Scarlet Knight averaging double figures. He is capable of putting up big numbers, as he showed with a 29-point outing against Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament along with a trio of 30-plus-point performances during the season against Penn, Oregon and Northwestern.
