Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Building each program’s Mount Rushmore

By Brian Foley

KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 15: Doug McDermott
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 15: Doug McDermott /

Mount Bluejay

Creighton History: 1 Elite Eight, 3 Sweet 16’s

F Bob Harstad (1987-91)
Stats: 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists

Harstad led the Bluejays to two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances in the late-80’s and early-90’s. Harstad averaged at least 8.5 rebounds in all four seasons and scored over 22 points per contest as a junior when he won the Missouri Valley Player of the Year award. He is also second in career rebounds and third in career points in Creighton history, and his No. 30 is one of four numbers retired by the University.

G Kyle Korver (1999-2003)
Stats: 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals

Before Korver became one of the best shooters in NBA history, he was a great scorer for Creighton around the turn of the century. Korver’s four years were smack in the middle of Creighton’s six-year run in the NCAA Tournament under current Oregon coach Dana Altman. He shot 45.3% from three for his career in Omaha and also earned Missouri Valley Player of the Year awards during his junior and senior seasons.

F Doug McDermott (2010-14)
Stats: 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

McDermott is not only the finest player to ever come through Creighton but also one of the best players to ever play college basketball. The three-time conference Player of the Year (twice in the Missouri Valley Conference, once in the Big East) is fifth on college basketball’s all-time scoring list with 3,150 career points. His trophy case is overflowing, and in 2014, he was named the AP National Player of the Year by the largest voting margin ever. McDermott’s teams never made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but his on-court accomplishments carried Creighton from the mid-major Missouri Valley Conference to the superior Big East. The Bluejays’ entire athletic department will reap the benefits for years to come.

F Paul Silas (1961-64)
Stats: 20.5 points, 21.6 rebounds

In the early 1960’s, Silas led Creighton to two Sweet 16’s in three years. His No. 35 uniform is retired by the school and he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Silas was named a third-team All-American as a senior in 1964 and he is seventh in rebounds in NCAA history. He carried the Creighton torch into the NBA and went on to win three NBA championships with Boston and Seattle.

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