Greg McDermott's Final Dance: Creighton Storms Past Rutgers With 51 Second-Half Points to Set Up West Virginia Semifinal

Greg McDermott is going out swinging, and his Bluejays just proved they're not ready to say goodbye. Creighton (16-17) torched Rutgers 82-69 on Thursday, with the squad exploding for 51 points in the second half alone. Now McDermott, who's retiring after 32 years as a head coach including his last 16 at Creighton, is one win away from a title run in Las Vegas. One win away from going out on top.

"There's a little emotion involved," McDermott said after earning career win No. 646. "But like I told the guys when we decided to do this, we're going to have fun. We wanted them to enjoy this experience. This has been a very enjoyable group to coach and be around and I think they really enjoy each other's company."

Graves Drops 28 to Send McDermott Into Overtime (In More Ways Than One)

Nik Graves made sure his coach sticks around for at least 40 more minutes. The Creighton forward dropped a season-high 28 points on Thursday, leading the charge in that devastating second-half performance. Josh Dix contributes 13.1 points per game to lead the team, with Graves chipping in 11.1 on the season.

"I want nothing more than to send coach out with three wins in a row," Graves said. And right now, that's exactly what this team is hunting for.

West Virginia's Resilience Put to the Ultimate Test

Standing in Creighton's way on Saturday is a West Virginia team that just proved it won't go quietly. The Mountaineers (19-14) rallied from eight points down with less than three minutes left on Thursday, grinding past Stanford 82-77 in overtime.

For new Mountaineers coach Ross Hodge, this run means a chance to deliver West Virginia's first 20-win season since 2019-20 in his first year on the job. More than that, it keeps the team together a little longer.

"Our group is about as resilient a group as I've ever been around," Hodge said. "Whether it's a tough loss or games where we're not playing very well and we look down and out, they have an ability to stay together and keep fighting for each other. Super thankful for them and appreciative that we get to have a few more team dinners and a few more film sessions."

Honor Huff, West Virginia's fifth-year senior, is leading the charge with 16 points per game. He scored 21 on Thursday. Brenen Lorient adds 11.7 points, and Chance Moore averages 10.3.

The two schools haven't met since the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when West Virginia won 63-61 in the first round. This time, the stakes are bigger. Winner advances to face either Oklahoma or Baylor for the title. Saturday's semifinal is going to be something special.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.