You’ve heard the excuses. You’ve seen the numbers.

Nebraska football and basketball are behind the eight ball because of their location. There are 1.8 million people within the borders and that’s just not enough to stockpile elite programs.

Husker football, which benefited from Johnny Rodgers, Dave Rimington, Zach Wiegert, Eric Crouch and dozens of other in-state standouts, has signed a grand total of one native son each of the past two years.

Husker basketball, which surged in the 90s thanks to Nebraskans Rich King, Bruce Chubick, Andre Woolridge and Erick Strickland, hasn’t signed an in-state high school player since 2002. Eleven years!

Football has let a few quality prospects get away recently: Trevor Robinson, Harland Gunn, Kyle Dooley, among others. But the state is producing …

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Creighton sophomore Jake Peter was one of 24 players named to the 2013 Olerud Award watch list for the 2013 Two-Way Player of the Year Award presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Olerud Award, presented on June 29 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual Night of Champions, recognizes baseball players who excel on the mound and in the field.

Peter leads Creighton at the plate with a .381 average and also has a team-best 1.54 ERA in 12 appearances. He also leads the Bluejays in hits (56), total bases (72), saves (6) and opposing batting average (.098).

Serving as the Jays’ starting second baseman and closer, Peter earned his first victory on Saturday and …

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So, so much to tackle over the weekend, from Big Ten divisions to NBA playoffs to college baseball. We’ll cover it all. But let’s start with the NFL Draft and those 63 picks from the SEC.

I’m sure you’ve heard the stat by now. The ACC’s 31 picks in the draft were matched only by the SEC West (31) and the SEC East (32). The SEC has dominated the college football polls. They have dominated National Signing Day. Now they’re dominating the draft, too.

I have no doubt that the SEC is the nation’s best football conference. By far. But at some point, its reputation will exceed its performance. I look at the NFL Draft numbers and wonder if we’ve reached that point.…

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Rain on Friday has altered Creighton’s weekend series at Missouri State.

Saturday’s doubleheader originally scheduled for noon was pushed back to 4 p.m. The Bluejays (26-13, 12-3 Valley) are in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference as they open their six-game road trip. They are 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Drake with two weeks of conference play remaining.

— World-Herald News Service…

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It’s Friday! We’re loaded with goodies, from Rick Pitino’s body art to Alex Gordon’s bomb. We hit Gardner v. Robinson and the resurrection of a college football tradition, an NBA trend and a big announcement for the Omaha sports scene. But first, an anniversary.

Today is exactly three years since Bruce Rasmussen called a press conference to announce his new head men’s basketball coach:

“Doug McDermott,” said the Creighton A.D.

Seriously, Rasmussen accidentally said Doug instead of Greg. Maybe his subconscious knew something we didn’t. Because Papa McDermott’s three years at Creighton have been defined by his son.

At the time, everybody thought Doug was a nice little Missouri Valley recruit. Maybe he’d even play as a freshman! Three years later, he has lifted the …

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Creighton fans got their wish when Doug McDermott announced Thursday that he was returning for one more year.

Now, can they get the same for Grant Gibbs?

Gibbs said Creighton has begun a process that might end with his getting a sixth season of eligibility from the NCAA. The school has sent Gibbs’ records to a law firm that specializes in dealing with NCAA issues.

“If they indicate it’s worth it,” Gibbs said, “we’ll probably pursue it.”

Gibbs spent two seasons at Gonzaga before transferring to Creighton. After sitting out a season, Gibbs played the past two seasons for the Bluejays, starting every game and leading the team in assists each season.

His five-year NCAA clock has expired, but Gibbs’ injury history could put him …

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Doug McDermott decided to return for his senior season. He announced the decision on Thursday.

* * *

…

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[View the story "Live reaction: Doug McDermott announces basketball future" on Storify]…

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What would you do if you were Doug McDermott?

If NBA Draft night was two months away and all you had to do to be a professional basketball player was bypass your senior season.

If you dreamed about walking in the footsteps of Jordan and Kobe before you were big enough to shoot a free throw.

If you had a chance to be one of college basketball’s top five scorers of all-time. A three-time All-American.

If your last game at CenturyLink was your Mona Lisa, a 41-point, 15-for-18 outburst against your arch-rival.

If you couldn’t possibly top that. Couldn’t possibly prove more.

If your program was moving up to join the big boys of the Big East — and you had a chance to …

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The Creighton volleyball team closed out the spring exhibition season with a bang by knocking off Nebraska.

The Bluejays won a hard-fought match 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-13 in Lincoln in their final outing of the spring.

It may have only been an exhibition, but coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said it didn’t feel that way. With a packed house, a radio broadcast and the officials calling it by the book, the match had a prime-time feel.

“It definitely had a fall feel, which I think was good,” Booth said. “We’ve got some kids who haven’t played a lot … and I think that’s great experience for them that I think will pay dividends in the fall.”

Not only did the Jays win, but they did …

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