Here’s a link to all the previous articles in the series:

16. Texas A&M Aggies

17. Cincinnati Bearcats

18. Illinois Fighting Illini

19. Indiana Hoosiers

20. Texas Tech Red Raiders

21. Kentucky Wildcats

22. Texas Longhorns

23. Marquette Golden Eagles

24. Kansas State Wildcats

25. Miami Hurricanes

26. Ohio State Buckeyes

27. Xavier Musketeers

28. BYU Cougars

29. Maryland Terps

30. St. John’s Red Storm

31. UCLA Bruins

32. Oregon Ducks

33. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

34. Florida Gators

35. Ole Miss

36. USC Trojans

37. Grand Canyon Lopes

38. Providence Friars

39. Mississippi State Bulldogs

40. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

41. Memphis Tigers

42. McNeese Cowboys

43. Michigan State Spartans

44. Michigan Wolverines

45. VCU Rams

46. Dayton Flyers

47. St Mary’s Gaels

48. Washington Huskies

49. UCF Knights

50. Louisville Cardinals

51. Boise State Broncos

52. Clemson Tigers

53. New Mexico Lobos

54. Arizona State Sun Devils

55. Utah State Aggies

56. Colorado State Rams

57. Seton Hall Pirates

58. SMU Mustangs

59. South Carolina Gamecocks

60. Nevada Wolfpack

61. TCU Horned Frogs

62. Villanova Wildcats

63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

64. Saint Louis Billikens

65. Syracuse Orange

66. Nebraska Cornhuskers

67. Pittsburgh Panthers

68. Iowa Hawkeyes

69. NC State Wolfpack

70. Butler Bulldogs

71. Princeton Tigers

72. Virginia Cavaliers

73. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

74. Oklahoma Sooners

75. West Virginia Mountaineers

76. Georgia Bulldogs

77. UAB Blazers

78: Wisconsin Badgers

79. San Diego State Aztecs

80. Missouri Tigers

81. Northwestern Wildcats

82. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Here’s where our analysts ranked the Bluejays:

Cody	Kam	Maxwell	Steven
17	19	34	12

It feels like another year with more of the same for Greg McDermott. He’s been phenomenal over the course of 15 years with the Bluejays, allowing them to constantly compete and thrive with the best the Big East has to offer. He’s missed the tournament just three times since 2012 and has won a whopping ⅔ of his games at the helm. However, he’s had 1 issue. Despite Creighton being a mainstay when it comes to appearing in NCAA tournaments, the Bluejays have had trouble sustaining success in March. In his 9 Creighton tourney appearances, McDermott has failed to crack the Final Four and has just 1 Elite 8 and 2 Sweet 16 appearances. He’s not worried about his job safety due to his ability to provide continuity, but I wonder if this could be the year his squad finally breaks through. Let’s look at the roster and find out.

Creighton lost a couple of very notable pieces to the NBA this past offseason. Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander now play for the Celtics and Nuggets after phenomenal careers with McDermott. While replacing that backcourt is no easy feat, McDermott will likely be ecstatic to return one of the best rim protectors in college basketball, Ryan Kalkbrenner. Kalkbrenner has been a steadily improving force over his four years in Nebraska, becoming a deterrent for rim attackers and an elite screen and roller who can dominate the glass on both ends. It’s unlikely that he carries the mantle offensively, but his impact cannot be understated. Frederick King also returned. Although he will likely be used sparingly to spell Kalkbrenner off the bench, he can still be an effective force on the glass, allowing Kalkbrenner to be more aggressive in the paint without fearing too much of a dropoff should he happen to get into foul trouble. As Mason Miller and Steven Ashworth are back, the Jays also retained some lights-out shooting. Miller led the Big East in 3-point %, shooting a whopping 45% from beyond the arc, and will look to continue to expand his role in the starting lineup as he continues to improve. Ashworth was a productive and creative force for the Jays after coming over from Utah State, making the jump to a high major for the first time in his career. He’ll likely be the primary beneficiary of the giant holes left by Scheierman and Alexander as he looks to finish his college career off with another tournament run. Miller and Ashworth highlight one of the strengths of this Creighton team. They have a variety of guys who can and will shoot the cover off the ball. Returner Isaac Traudt is another likely rotation player at 6’10 who fits this mold. He appeared in 25 games for the Jays last season and shot the ball at 42% from beyond the arc. It’s yet to be seen what roles the other returners will be able to carve out, but it’s worth mentioning 6’8 sophomore Jasen Green, who averaged 7 minutes per game last season. Josh Townley-Thomas, a 6’10 redshirt JUCO transfer, could also provide frontcourt length alongside Green, although if he cannot shoot, he likely won’t see a role with Kalkbrenner and King in the picture. The Jays also retained a pair of redshirt guards who will look to provide depth in Shane Thomas and Sterling Knox. It’s yet to be seen how many minutes will be allocated their way, given some of the other notable incoming talent we’ll get to shortly, but they will be competing for rotation minutes.

Regarding incoming talent, McDermott may not have had the splashiest offseason compared to other schools, but he was prudent in his acquisitions. The Jays brought in Pop Isaacs, an experienced guard from Texas Tech, alongside Jamiya Neal, who was an Arizona State standout. Isaacs has likely been brought in to take over point guard duties. However, given that McDermott started the trio of Ashworth, Scheierman, and Alexander last season, it’s likely that Neal could compete with, or start alongside Mason Miller. Traudt may compete with Miller and Neal for one of those spots, but McDermott likely opts to go with the developing sniper and the high-value transfer over the rangey sophomore.

Creighton’s freshman class is a bit flashier than its transfers and even more intriguing. Jackson McAndrew, at 6’10”, is a highly touted recruit who can shoot the cover off the ball. He could steal minutes from Traudt if he can prove himself early on or potentially sneak into a starting role if he can develop quickly. Larry Johnson is an exciting two-way guard out of Overtime Elite who can provide a spark off the bench, and his defensive intensity could garner him some minutes. Fedor Zugic is probably the most hyped and intriguing of the recruits. The 6’6 guard was a late add over the summer from Montenegro, but he displays an immense ability to create and distribute. If a freshman could sneak in and have a massive impact on this roster, it could be Zugic, whose length shocks the nation.

This Creighton team is scary. They have length, strong guard play, a vicious frontcourt, and a lot more depth than we’ve been accustomed to in previous years. With UConn likely taking a step back and a lot of unproven squads or shock coaching changes shifting the college basketball landscape, this could be the year that McDermott breaks through and goes on a run in March to propel the Bluejays to their first Final 4 in school history.