“CBSSports.com’s staff of five college basketball experts (Jeff Goodman, Doug Gottlieb, Gary Parrish, Matt Norlander, Jeff Borzello) were unanimous that Creighton would win the Missouri Valley Conference. Norlander also tabbed McDermott as his pick to win National Player of the Year.
Earlier in the day, the same CBSSports.com panel picked its top 100 players in the college game. That group selected McDermott as the nation’s No. 2 player, trailing only Indiana big man Cody Zeller. Illinois State’s Jackie Carmichael was No. 79 on the same list, the only other MVC representative on the list. In addition, Creighton will meet the group’s No. 7 pick, North Texas forward Tony Mitchell, when the regular-season opens on Nov. 9 at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Mitchell is also on the CBSSports.com list of preseason All-Americans, making the second team. McDermott is a first-team pick.
CBSSports.com wasn’t the only media outlet to name McDermott to its preseason All-America First Team, as NBC’s CollegeBasketballTalk.com did the same thing on Monday.”
