VILLANOVA, Pa. – Creighton coach Greg McDermott said he made an “awful mistake” for using language that caused pain for the players “that look to me as a mentor and as a leader.” He was on the bench for the Bluejays for the first time since he apologized on social media for urging his players over the weekend to “stay on the plantation.”
“We need to get back to Omaha and regroup a little and have some more conversations, which we need to have so that I can help them and they can help me,” McDermott said.
McDermott’s use of a phrase evoking slavery overshadowed what was expected to be fantastic showdown between the top two teams in the Big East.
Justin Moore scored 24 points and helped No. 9 Villanova capture the Big East title with a 72-60 win over 12th-ranked Creighton.
“The pain I saw in their eyes was immense,” McDermott said after the game. “That’s a cross that I’m going to have to bear for a while. I’m going to come out of this on the other end a better person because of it. But it’s going to be a process.”
