Creighton Bluejays

2023-24 Result: 25-10 (14-6 Big East), Sweet 16 Appearance

Key Additions

Pop Isaacs (Texas Tech)

Jamiya Neal (Arizona State)

Jackson McAndrew

Fedor Zugic

Greg McDermott has put together a nice roster in Omaha full of experience. The return of Ryan Kalkbrenner answered one of the most pressing questions of the offseason for McDermott. It was unclear whether he would declare for the draft or go into the transfer portal after Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander departed to give himself a better chance at a national championship, but he stayed loyal to Creighton. Guard Steven Ashworth is also coming back for his 5th season. Mason Miller, the only other significant rotation player returning, will be asked to step into a much bigger role this season in the starting lineup. The big gets to replace Alexander in the backcourt were Pop Isaacs from Texas Tech and Jamiya Neal from Arizona State, who will both be immediately slotted into the starting five.

Creighton finished just outside the top 100 in points per game allowed last season. They have one of the best rim protectors in the country back in Kalkbrenner, who averaged over 3 blocks a game in his last campaign. The losses of Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander will hurt their defense significantly, however. Trey Alexander had great versatility in the backcourt as a long, athletic guard. He also provided nearly 6 rebounds per game from the guard position. Scheierman averaged 9 rebounds a game, which was not replaced this offseason. Pop Isaacs will be a pest in the backcourt for the Blue Jays, but he will not provide everything that Alexander provided for them. Mason Miller will have to fill some big shoes on the glass, but it does not seem like that will be the case. Kalkbrenner will be asked to do a lot on the defensive end to make up for what the Blue Jays don’t have on the perimeter, but if he gets in foul trouble, expect Creighton to struggle on that end.

Offensively, everything will run through Kalkbrenner as well. He was their third leading scorer last season at 17.3 points a game. They lost 36.1 points per game from last season in Scheierman and Alexander, so they will need Ashworth to shoot the ball a lot more to make up for that. Isaacs and Jamiya Neal will help take some weight off and fill the lost points, too. Mason Miller will be massive in increased minutes with his ability to shoot it. He made over 45% of these threes last season, and he will get way more opportunities this season. The main concern offensively is their lack of wing scoring and depth. The majority of the scoring will come from the starting lineup, just as it did last season. As long as Kalkbrenner is on the floor, he will draw plenty of attention to get the ball to shooters like Ashworth and Miller. Isaacs and Neal will need to improve from the three point line for this team to reach its ceiling, but they will likely get a lot cleaner looks as role players in Omaha, so expect to see some improvement there.

Creighton will be in the mix for a Big East title this season with one of the best players in the country returning in Kalkbrenner. The losses of Alexander and Scheierman will be detrimental, but McDermott may have put the pieces together enough to fill the void, at least on the offensive end. The Creighton defense will likely take a step back this season, but with Kalkbrenner at the rim, that will never hinder them enough to not win basketball games. The Blue Jays should be in a great spot to compete for a Big East title and potentially make it to the second weekend in March if the matchups fall their way and the bench surprises.