Idol Thoughts Lift Creighton

CHICAGO —  Maybe there’s something in the floor boards at the United Center that still springs magic for uniform No. 23.

Friday, with the clock winding down and the game on the line, Creighton guard Terrell Taylor took the ball at the top of the key, did a crossover dribble and popped a three-point shot with 0.2 of a second left to lift Creighton to an 83-82 double-overtime victory over Florida in a first-round Midwest Regional game.

“I swear,” Taylor said afterward, “that before the game I watched a DVD of Michael Jordan.”

Creighton (23-8) became the third No. 12 seed to defeat a No. 5, joining the upset ranks with Missouri over Miami and Tulsa over Marquette.

Creighton advances to Sunday’s second-round game against Illinois.

In 2000, No. 5 Florida needed a last-second shot to beat No. 12 Butler in the first round, then made a run to the national title game against Michigan State.

The Gators didn’t get bailed out this time, though, ending their disappointing season at 22-9.

“We had no answer for Taylor,” Florida Coach Billy Donovan said of Creighton’s junior guard.

Taylor certainly played like Jordan, his idol. He led all scorers with 28 points after finishing the first half without a point. He was 0 for 5 from behind the three-point line in the first half but made eight of 10 long shots in the second half and the two overtime periods.

Not bad for a reserve, huh? That’s right. Taylor earned the Missouri Valley Conference’s sixth-man award this year only because Creighton Coach Dana Altman had benched the guard for disciplinary reasons.

“He didn’t do what we asked him to do over the summer and fall,” Altman explained.

Taylor did everything that was asked Friday.

Florida seemed in control of the game when center Udonis Haslem’s two free throws gave the Gators an eight-point lead with 2:42 left in regulation time.

But two three-point shots by Taylor in the last 1:33 tied the score at 69-69. It was tied again, at 73-73, after the first overtime, but Florida appeared to have held off the pesky Bluejays when Matt Bonner’s basket and free throw with 45 seconds left gave his team an 82-78 lead.

Taylor, though, cut that lead to two with his basket with 35 seconds left, setting up the dramatic finish.

Creighton got the ball back with 29.4 seconds left when Florida guard Orien Greene was called for a five-second violation on an inbounds pass.

With 4.5 seconds left, Florida’s Justin Hamilton nearly made a steal against Ismael Caro but deflected the ball away and just clipped the out-of-bounds line.

“You don’t know how close that was,” Donovan said.

After a timeout, Creighton put the ball in play and Taylor made a Taylor-made move on defender Brett Nelson.

“I did a little crossover move and got a good look,” Taylor said.

Good look?

“Looked like a pretty contested shot to me,” Altman joked.

Donovan screamed for a technical foul after Creighton players left the bench to celebrate with 0.2 of a second left, but didn’t get the call.

“I didn’t see anybody run on the floor,” Altman said with a grin.

Florida tried a full-court pass but couldn’t get off a final shot.

Creighton was able to hang with the more talented Florida team by making 13 of 30 three-pointers.

“It’s the great equalizer in college basketball,” Donovan said of the three-point shot.

Kyle Korver, Creighton’s leading scorer this season, finished with 16 points before fouling out.

Haslem led Florida with 20 points.