BIG EAST TEAM PREVIEW #2 CREIGHTON BLUE JAYS

The 2025-26 season will mark the 16th year of the Greg McDermott era at Creighton. They've made the NCAA tournament a total of 11 times in his tenure and have not missed the tournament since the 2018-19 season. Creighton does lose their top four scorers from last season, but McDermott reloaded, bringing in a very talented transfer portal class, which should be one of the best in the conference.

Projected Lineup:

G Nik Graves (Charlotte transfer)

G Josh Dix (Iowa transfer)

F Blake Harper (Howard transfer)

F Jackson McAndrew

C Owen Freeman (Iowa transfer)

Head coach Greg McDermott landed a pair of Iowa transfers to help lead his team next season. 6-foot-5 shooting guard Josh Dix is one of the best true shooting guards in the country. With the Hawkeyes last season, he averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 42.2 percent from deep. They also brought in 6-foot-10 center Owen Freeman. When healthy last season, Freeman was one of the best big men in the Big 10 conference. He was limited to just 19 games due to injury last year, but he averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds when he was healthy.

Creighton brought in two more transfers from the mid-major level that should also have a huge impact. Nik Graves transfers in from Charlotte, where he was among the best guards in the American Athletic Conference. Graves earned first-team all-conference honors and averaged 17.5 points per contest. Blake Harper transfers in from Howard with three years of eligibility remaining. In his freshman season, he won the player of the year in the MEAC conference. On the season, Harper averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Expect Harper to get NBA looks if he can adjust well to Big East competition. Jackson McAndrew is the top returning player from last year's squad. A four-star recruit in the 2024 class, he averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in his freshman season.

I'm expecting Creighton to have another high finish in the Big East conference this season. They're transfer portal class is very good and could be the best in the conference. This year's Creighton team could have one of the best scoring offenses in the entire country if their transfers can mesh well together.

Prediction: 3rd in Big East