Why does Creighton want McDermott? Look at Dana Altman's career.

We wait to see if Greg McDermott makes the move today from Iowa State to Creighton.

Why would Creighton be in such a hurry to hire someone whose Big 12 record at ISU is 18-46? Well, maybe precedent suggests McDermott is a natural fit there, and not just because he won in the Missouri Valley Conference at Northern Iowa.

The Bluejays' last coach, Dana Altman, came to Creighton from Kansas State of the Big 12. In four years at K-State, Altman's Big 8 record was 19-37.  (He did get to one NCAA tourney and two NITs in his four seasons, whereas McDermott's Cyclones have yet to play in the postseason.)

Altman voluntarily "dropped" down to the mid-major, and just ended his 16-year run at Creighton when he took the Oregon job last week. His teams had winning records in MVC play in each of the last 14 years, and reached seven NCAA tourneys.

Clearly, McDermott hasn't been in his comfort level when it comes to dealing with Big 12 recruits and keeping them together and content. Those issues are present in the MVC, but not to the same degree. With the great fan support, arena, and winning tradition at Creighton, little suggests McDermott couldn't have a long and successful run there.

As for what Iowa State would do if he does leave ... it's simple. You find a coach who has a half-dozen Big 12-type players who will follow him to Ames and be eligible to play right away. Nothing to it.

Here's a segment I did for Monday's KCRG-TV 11:30 a.m., newscast: