4 Takeaways From Day 2 of the 2026 College Basketball Crown

MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA (LAS VEGAS) — With 7:23 remaining in a game that felt more and more like a foregone conclusion, a fan behind the Creighton bench held up a sign for all to see. On a white background and written in blue letters, the message was equal parts clear and concise: “THANK YOU Coach Mac!!!” The sign, of course, referred to Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott, who won his 366th game for Creighton on Thursday night by pulling away from Rutgers, 82-69, in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown. Last month, the 61-year-old McDermott announced his intention to retire at the end of this year, calling it quits on an exceptional career that included 10 NCAA Tournament appearances with the Bluejays and 14 seasons featuring at least 20 victories. For now, though, McDermott’s legendary run continues thanks to a second-half surge against the Scarlet Knights. His team will move on to face West Virginia in the semifinals on Saturday. Here are my takeaways from Day 2 of the College Basketball Crown: 1. Creighton comes to life in the second half to prolong Greg McDermott’s tenure Because of when the College Basketball Crown takes place each year — roughly three weeks removed from the end of most conference tournaments — there is an element of strategy involved when it comes to preparation. Some coaches have chosen to afford their players extra time off following a grueling five-month season. Others have preferred to parlay whatever momentum their programs might have into additional practices that can play an important role in player development. There is no universal, or universally accepted, approach. How and when Creighton might prepare for this year’s event was draped with an extra layer of uncertainty once McDermott shared his decision to retire at the campaign’s end. That meant it was fair to wonder about the Bluejays’ collective level of focus given the impending transition from McDermott, who has been at the helm since 2010, to associate head coach Alan Huss, previously named the coach in waiting. “Obviously, there’s a little emotion involved,” McDermott said during the postgame news conference in response to my question about what the last few weeks have been like. “Last practice in the facility back home and all that. But like I told the guys when we decided to do this, ‘We’re going to have fun with this.’ We did a lot of workouts, we had a few practices, we wanted them to enjoy this experience. We’re gonna be around for the weekend now — at least for a couple more days — so we’re going to have fun together.” And they certainly had fun after halftime on Thursday night, exploding for 51 second-half points and shooting a sizzling 61.5% from the floor. Everything, it seemed, ran through the hands of point guard Nik Graves, who poured in a season-high 28 points and also dished out eight assists. Graves had 25 of those points in the second half, which underscores just how much of an influence he had down the stretch, repeatedly irritating Rutgers’ defenders with pump fakes that drew fouls. Now, the Bluejays have an opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time since late December — and perhaps send McDermott out with a championship. [CBB CROWN: 4 Takeaways From Day 1] 2. Talented freshman class gives Steve Pikiell a strong foundation at Rutgers Unlike the two freshman phenoms who were clearly one-and-done prospects from the moment they stepped foot on Rutgers’ campus last season — guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey, the Nos. 2 and 5 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft — the Scarlet Knights have a collection of rookies that should develop quite nicely in the years to come. The backcourt trio of Harun Zrno (6.6 points per game), Lino Mark (5.6 points per game) and Kaden Powers (6.1 points per game) all made at least 28 appearances this year and averaged at least 15.7 minutes of playing time per outing. Together, they should enter next season as one of the more promising young cores in the Big Ten — assuming head coach Steve Pikiell can keep them together once the transfer portal opens next week. “We have a new administration and a new president, and our resources have changed,” Pikiell said during the postgame news conference in response to my question about keeping his roster together. “I’m looking forward to a lot of these guys returning. We’re going to add some pieces for sure, going in the portal. But I think it was a valuable experience this year for those guys that logged a lot of minutes. They got better as the year went on with everything. I’m very hopeful in this new era that good things are going to happen for us and we’ll be able to compete in the market.” Though the Scarlet Knights were ultimately upended by Creighton on Thursday night, running out of gas in the second half after leading by as many as 10 in the early stages, the freshmen offered yet another glimpse of their collective potential. Mark chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds, pacing the offense at times with his speed and explosiveness in the open court. Powers scored six points and snagged three rebounds, flashing a comfortable mid-range pull-up that followed a quick first step. Zrno, who did not play until the second half, scored three points in limited action. The biggest challenge facing Pikiell and his staff between now and the end of the month could be keeping those three players from entering the transfer portal. Rutgers will need them to avoid a fourth consecutive losing season next winter. 3. Ebuka Okorie needs more help if he returns to Stanford There were so many possessions on Thursday night when Stanford point guard Ebuka Okorie, the ACC’s leading scorer at 22.8 points per game, searched and probed and hunted for openings on the offensive end. He maneuvered around screens at the top of the key, gave the ball up just to get it back seconds later and worked tirelessly off the ball to create separation from whichever West Virginia defender was hounding him on that particular possession. In some respects, nothing about the nature of Okorie’s effort was unusual. He arrived at the College Basketball Crown as Stanford’s only healthy player averaging more than 11.1 points per game and owned the 13th-highest usage rate in the country among freshmen this season, according to Torvik. His collegiate résumé already included seven 30-point games and first-team All-ACC honors for a program that finished 20-12 overall and 9-9 in the conference. In the 82-77 overtime loss to West Virginia, he scored a game-high 34 points and dished out five assists on a night when no other teammate topped 12 points. “Ebuka is an incredible player,” West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge told me after the game. “He’s everything we thought he was going to be. We did everything we could to keep the ball out of his hands, and he still had 34 points.” Whether Okorie will return to Stanford for another year has been a popular topic of conversation in college basketball circles. He could choose to enter the NBA Draft, where he projects as a second-round pick given his relatively slender frame (6-foot-2, 185 pounds). He could choose to explore his options in the transfer portal, where other power-conference schools would certainly throw seven-figure offers Okorie’s way. But a source close to the Cardinal believes Okorie will either remain at Stanford or turn pro. Should head coach Kyle Smith and his staff be fortunate enough to retain Okorie, they’ll need to surround the budding star with more scoring punch than what Stanford had this season. A high school recruiting class that ranks No. 16 nationally represents an excellent start. The Cardinal have already signed four players rated among the top 165 nationally, according to 247Sports, including four-star forward Aziz Olajuwon, the No. 62 overall prospect. Olajuwon chose Stanford over Houston, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati, among others. 4. The future of West Virginia’s program hasn’t arrived yet One of the biggest statistical disparities between West Virginia and Stanford entering Thursday’s game came in a category most fans wouldn’t typically consider: maturity. The Mountaineers were the second-oldest team in college basketball this season, according to KenPom, with 2.86 years of Division I experience per player. The Cardinal rank just 268th in that same category with only 1.07 years of Division I experience per player. For first-year head coach Ross Hodge, formerly of North Texas, the group he brought to Las Vegas this week included six seniors and one fifth-year senior — meaning there will be significant roster churn for the Mountaineers in the coming weeks, especially once the transfer portal opens on April 7. The team that Hodge puts on the floor next fall is going to look markedly different than the one that finished the regular season 18-13 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12, unable to win consecutive games after Jan. 21. Regardless of what Hodge accomplishes in the transfer portal, the player to watch is incoming freshman point guard Miles Sadler, a five-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Sadler committed to the Mountaineers over Tennessee and Oklahoma, among others, and instantly became the highest-rated signee in program history, according to 247Sports. If Sadler lives up to expectations, then Hodge will have an elite floor general to build around as West Virginia chases its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2023 and first March Madness victory since 2021. “When we put this team together,” Hodge told me after the game, “when we started hitting the portal, we wanted to recruit guys that had been part of winning and loved basketball and loved each other. If that’s kind of your makeup, and you really love basketball and you love being around other people, then you have an ability to stay together through really tough times. This group has embodied that and really set a standard for future teams in the program.” 4½. What’s next? Here are a few storylines to watch ahead of the semifinals: Oklahoma vs. Baylor (Saturday) — One did it the easy way, one did it the hard way. Oklahoma trailed an undermanned Colorado team by double digits early and needed overtime to finally dispose of the upset-minded Buffaloes, leaning on a strong defensive effort to reach the semifinals. Baylor, meanwhile, coasted through its quarterfinal game against Minnesota thanks to balanced scoring from each member of the Bears’ leading trio: Tounde Yessoufou (19 points), Obi Agbim (17 points) and Cameron Carr (15 points). West Virginia vs. Creighton (Saturday) — Over the course of McDermott’s highly successful tenure at Creighton, his teams have ranked among the top 35 in offensive efficiency 10 times. And while this year’s group hasn’t quite reached that threshold — the Bluejays entered The Crown ranked 73rd nationally — nobody would dare question the program’s prowess at that end of the court. Such a pedigree sets the stage for a fascinating semifinal clash with West Virginia, whose defense ranks 17th in overall efficiency after beating Stanford on Thursday night.