After the end of the 2012–13 season, Creighton left the Missouri Valley to join the Big East. In his fourth year at Creighton and first in the Big East, McDermott would lead Creighton to a runner-up finish in the Big East regular season and tournament. The Bluejays were ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation, and finished sixth nationally in home attendance for the third consecutive year. The Bluejays lost to Providence 65-58 in the finals of the Big East tournament, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the West Region, the highest NCAA Tournament seed in Creighton history. Creighton would defeat UL Lafayette 76-66 in the first round, and lose to Baylor 85-55 in the second round.