McDermott Leads Blue Jays into March Madness

By Marc Faisant

After a stellar senior season, the presumptive National Player of the Year, Creighton University forward Doug McDermott finds himself in elite company. After recently passing Oscar Robertson and Hersey Hawkins on the all-time NCAA scoring list, McDermott is one of 8 players in in NCAA history to score 3,000 career points and needs another 55 points to crack the top five.

A lock to be included in the Big Dance, as the Creighton Blue Jays head into their first Big East tournament, they are guaranteed a minimum of two more games. Of course it is always dangerous to project victories this time of year, but, for the sake of argument, let’s say that the Blue Jays beat DePaul and the winner of Xavier vs. Marquette and advance to the Big East Final. (As the #2 seed, they are projected to do just that.)

Doug McDermott (Getty Images)

With the first round NCAA tournament game, that is at least four games for McDermott to ascend up that list.

Pete Maravich was a freak of nature and his scoring record is untouchable. In 83 games (with no three point line), he scored 3,667 points for LSU from 1967-1970. Numbers 2 and 3 on the all-time list, Freeman Williams and LaSalle legend, Lionel Simmons, are not within reach unless Creighton makes some noise this March.

Currently, McDermott is 206 points behind Simmons and 238 behind Portland State’s Williams. Coming off a 45 point night against Providence on Senior Night, it is not out of the question for McDermott to climb up to #2 on the all-time list.

For now, McDermott and his Creighton Blue Jays need to focus on DePaul tonight at 7 pm.

NCAA Division I Top 10 scorers (all-time)
1) Pete Maravich, LSU: 83 games, 3,667 points
2) Freeman Williams, Portland State: 106 games, 3,249 points
3) Lionel Simmons, La Salle (Pa.): 131 games, 3,217 points
4) Alphonso Ford, Miss. Valley State: 109 games, 3,165 points
5) Harry Kelly, Texas Southern: 110 games, 3,066 points
6) Keydren Clark, St. Peter’s (N.J.): 118 games, 3,058 points
7) Doug McDermott, Creighton: 140 games, 3,011 points
8) Hersey Hawkins, Bradley: 125 games, 3,008 points
9) Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati: 88 games, 2,973 points
10) Danny Manning, Kansas: 147 games, 2,951 points

Cardinals’ Buckles suffers another ACL injury

The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team has lost one of its reserves. Rakeem Buckles, a junior forward, will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL.

He is expected to miss all of the 2012-13 season, as well. He suffered the injury in his left knee during Monday’s game against Marquette.

Last season, he suffered another ACL injury, as he tore his ACL in his right knee.

He had an MRI on his knee on Tuesday, which shown the damage. It was originally thought to have been a hyper-extended knee.

In 11 games this season, he was averaging 4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

“I don’t think any of us could imagine this happening to such a fine young man,” Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. “All of us are just crushed. We had thought he had just hyper-extended the knee when he had turned for a simple block out and it turned out to be terribly wrong. We will stay close to Rakeem so we can keep his spirits high.”