OMAHA, Neb. – Following his 37-point effort in Creighton's 96-70 thumping of Kansas City, Doug McDermott, the nation's top returning scorer and two-time First Team All-American, said he thought he left a lot on the table.
That should scare some future Bluejay opponents.
"I missed a lot of shots that I should have made," McDermott said.
McDermott hit 15 of 25 and was 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. The 10 3-point attempts were a career-high for McDermott.
Trinity Hall paced Kansas City with 15 points as five Kangaroos scored in double figures.
Freshman Martez Harrison scored 12 for UMKC, Frank Williams contributed 12 and Nelson Kirksey and Isaac Kreuer each added 10.
Point guard Austin Chatman had 12 points for Creighton to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds, and Isaiah Zierden added 10 points for the Bluejays (2-0).
Creigton outworked the Kangaroos on the glass 51-35.
McDermott was limited to just 20 minutes in his first game Friday due to foul trouble, a 107-61 drilling of Alcorn State. He still managed 20 points against the Braves.
That wasn't the case against UMKC as McDermott was charged with just one personal foul, and the Jays limited the 'Roos to just nine free-throw attempts.
Kansas City (0-2) attempted a school-record 53 free-throw in its opener, an 81-76 loss to Division II Emporia State.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott said he was thrilled with the way his team continues to adapt to new rules that allow for freer offensive play and has led to a staggering amount of free throws so far this season.
"I was most pleased with the fact that we were able to keep them off the free throw line," Greg McDermott said.
"Kansas City in their exhibition game and their first game combined attempted 93 free throws, so I was concerned about our ability to keep them off the line," he added.
Kansas City coach Kareem Richardson, in his first season at UMKC after assisting under Rick Pitino last season at national champion Louisville, said he was impressed the way Creighton played defense and is going to look to learn from that style of play.
"Creighton kind of plays more of a packed defense, and they do an excellent, excellent job of showing the refs their hands, and they don't foul," Richardson said.
"They take the contact on with their chest, and I'll be honest with you, I'll probably take a look at their half-court defense and take a page out of their book," he added.
The Bluejays shot 52 percent in the game while limiting Kansas City to 38 percent.
McDermott scored the first nine Creighton points of the game as the Bluejays took a 16-8 lead.
But the Kangaroos went on a 12-2 run sparked by 3-pointers from Kirksey and Caleb
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