Greg McDermott's Final Dance: Creighton Chases Championship in Coach's Last Stand Before Retirement

Greg McDermott is going out swinging, and his Creighton team is ready to send him out the right way. The legendary coach, 61, is retiring after 32 years on the sideline, 16 of them at Creighton. On Thursday, he earned career win No. 646, and now the Bluejays are one victory away from the College Basketball Crown championship game in Las Vegas. Standing in their way on Saturday: a West Virginia team that just pulled off something special of its own.

McDermott's Emotional Final Run

Creighton (16-17) dismantled Rutgers 82-69 in the quarterfinals, with the Bluejays absolutely exploding for 51 second-half points. McDermott admits there's emotion baked into every possession now. "There's a little emotion involved," he said. "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."

His players get it. Nik Graves, who lit it up for a season-high 28 points on Thursday, said what everyone is thinking: "I want nothing more than to send coach out with three wins in a row. That's the same with the rest of the team." Josh Dix leads the Bluejays with 13.1 points per game, followed by Graves at 11.1. McDermott has given them one mission. They're hunting it.

West Virginia's Resilience Test

But West Virginia (19-14) is no pushover. The Mountaineers just pulled off a gutsy 82-77 overtime win over Stanford on Thursday, rallying from eight points down with less than three minutes left. In his first year leading the program, coach Ross Hodge has a chance to get West Virginia to 20 wins for the first time since the 2019-20 season, something that matters beyond just the record. "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. That's ultimately what you're fighting for this time of year."

Honor Huff, a fifth-year senior in his lone season with the Mountaineers, leads the way with 16 points per game. He dropped 21 on Thursday. Brenen Lorient adds 11.7, and Chance Moore averages 10.3 per night.

History Repeating

These two programs have only met twice, the last time coming in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when West Virginia won 63-61. The winner of Saturday's semifinal faces either Oklahoma or Baylor for the championship. For McDermott, it's one more chance at glory. For Hodge and the Mountaineers, it's a chance to keep climbing.

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