Creighton rides McDermott to finish

Doug McDermott was everything he was advertised to be.

His supporting cast isn't too bad, either.

The Creighton All-America junior forward wasn't going to beat Wisconsin by himself Friday in the Las Vegas Invitational, even though he seemed to be a one-man gang in scoring a season-high 30 points. However, he did get help, as sophomore point guard Austin Chatman had a career night scoring and Ethan Wragge hit enough from the outside to force the Badgers to pay attention to someone other than him.

Ultimately, the 14th-ranked Bluejays rode McDermott to the finish line in posting an 84-74 win in front of approximately 3,700 at Orleans Arena. The win put Creighton (5-0) into today's 8 p.m. championship game, where it will face Arizona State (4-0). The Sun Devils handled the pressure defense of Arkansas (3-1) and cruised to an 83-68 win in Friday's other semifinal.

"It says a lot about our team," said McDermott, who was 10 of 23 from the floor and 9 of 10 at the foul line.  "Not many teams hang 84 on them, but we were doing a good job running in transition, and our energy was great.

"We don't get many opportunities to play Big Ten teams, so we're really excited to get this win."

Chatman, the only new starter for Creighton, took advantage of open space on the floor and burned Wisconsin for a career-high 14 points (his previous high was 12). That it came in such a high-profile game made it that much better.

"I think I played well," Chatman said modestly. "I just stepped up and made open shots. But it brings more confidence from my teammates when I'm hitting those shots. It helps my confidence, too."

The game was up for grabs with 6:55 left and Creighton clinging to a 63-62 lead. But the Bluejays went on a 15-4 run to extend the margin to 78-66. McDermott got things going by being aggressive and driving to the basket for a layup while Wragge, who finished with 17 points, made his fourth 3-point field goal.

"I was settling for jumpers in the first half," said McDermott, who was 1 of 5 from 3-point range in the first half and 6 of 15 overall from the field. "I made up my mind to drive it more in the second half."

Creighton didn't wilt against Wisconsin's physical play. And that was a key to hanging on.

"I thought we did a great job of matching their toughness," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "We had to if we were going to win. I was proud of how our guys stepped up."

It was a tough night for the Badgers (3-2). A career-high 27-point effort by center Jared Berggren was wasted, and senior forward Mike Bruesewitz, one of Wisconsin's mainstays, played just nine minutes after finding early foul trouble.

But in the end, Badgers coach Bo Ryan knew what did in his team.

"McDermott," he said. "He was the difference. He has a real feel for the game, and he made our guys look like they hadn't played before."

In Friday's other games, Longwood won for the first time in five tries this season, beating Florida A&M (0-5) in overtime, 86-83. And Cornell (2-4) had five double-figure scorers in an 89-55 victory over Presbyterian (0-5).

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.