MVC Tournament 2013 results and bracket: Creighton defeats Wichita State in championship

Creighton won a thriller over Wichita State on Sunday, automatically sending Doug McDermott and Co. to the NCAA Tournament.

By Scott Coleman@scottcoleman55 Mar 10, 2013, 7:04pm CDT

The Creighton Bluejays are the latest team in the country to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They would've earned an at-large bid regardless of their result on Sunday afternoon, but Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott and Co. can now rest easy come Selection Sunday.

Playing in front of a packed house at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO, Creighton won the Missouri Valley Conference by knocking off Wichita State, 68-65.

The Bluejays held a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half, but Wichita State made one final run in the closing minutes. With the score 66-65 in Creighton's favor, Jahenns Manigat made a layup to put his team up by three. Malcolm Armstead hoisted a three-pointer at the buzzer, but it clanked out, securing the win for the Jays.

McDermott did not have his best game on Sunday. The senior forward had 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Manigat led Creighton with 16 points. Ethan Wragge picked up the slack off the bench, scoring 15 points in limited action.

Despite the loss, Wichita State should still be a solid bet for the NCAA Tournament. A seed in the 8-12 range seems likely for the Shockers.

This is the second straight year Creighton has won the MVC. The full tournament bracket can be found here.

First Round

No. 9 Drake defeats No. 8 Bradley; No. 7 Missouri State defeats No. 10 Southern Illinois

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Creighton defeats Drake; No. 5 Indiana State defeats No. 4 Evansville; No. 2 Wichita State defeats Missouri State; No. 6 Illinois State defeats No. 3 Northern Iowa