LINCOLN — Nebraska knows full well that Creighton forward Doug McDermott averages 23.7 points a game and shoots 63 percent from the field, including 56.5 percent from the 3-point line.
Doing something about any of that, though, when NU and No. 22 CU meet in Omaha on Sunday is a different matter.
"He is a very, very good player," Husker coach Doc Sadler said Friday. "He competes to win. You can tell in the San Diego State game that he willed them to a win.
"You don't see that with a lot of players. And he's not the only thing they've got."
Sadler sees an NBA future for McDermott, the son of Creighton coach Greg McDermott. A comparable case: Mike Dunleavy, a coach's son who played at Duke before becoming a first-round NBA draft pick.
"If Doug continues his skill development like he probably can, he's a lot like the Dunleavy kid was, but he's much more physical," Sadler said. "Doug is not one to shy away from physical play. He's a tough kid."
Nebraska forward Brandon Ubel, at 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, has been assigned to guard the 6-7, 220-pound McDermott.
"He's shooting an unbelievable percentage from the field and from 3," Ubel said Friday. "But he's also capable of driving and posting up, too. He makes good quick moves."
Nebraska's defensive strategy sounds pretty basic.
"I'm going to try to not let him catch the ball in the post," Ubel said. "Just contain the dribble and see where it goes from there. We've got to respect all their shooters, so we can't give too much help."
Creighton's team shooting of 52.9 percent overall and 45.1 percent on 3s has created room for McDermott to move.
"He's so hard to go after because he's all over the floor," Sadler said. "He has a great feel of the game."
The patience McDermott shows inside after catching the ball also is a concern.
"It's what you want to see out of a post player, especially if you're a coach or a teammate," Ubel said. "He waits for his angles, and he waits for you to make a mistake. I've got to stay fundamentally sound, and not go for any fakes."
Nebraska (4-2) will have to shake off a disappointing 55-53 home loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday.
"We got it all out of us in practice yesterday," Ubel said with a wry smile. "We had a very intense practice — very defensive oriented. So we got it out of our system."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
RSS Feeds