With expectations through the roof the Jays look to finally finish the deal and win the championship. Creighton is coming off an Elite 8 run, where they lost to San Diego State on a questionable foul call at the end of regulation. The Jays are off to a 8-2 start with the only losses coming to an experienced Colorado State team and UNLV, where in both games the Jays could not buy a bucket. Their offense is a thing of beauty, recognized as one of the top offenses in the country. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein describes the offense as “appointment TV.”
The Jays offense is led by junior guard Trey Alexander and senior guard Baylor Scheirman. The duo is one of the most dynamic duos in the country. Alexander is averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Scheirman is currently the leading scorer in the Big East averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The most important piece of the Jays’ puzzle though is Senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Kalkbrenner is the reigning defensive player of the year in the Big East. Kalkbrenner is also one of three all Big East First Team returners along with Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek and Bryce Hopkins. Kalkbrenner’s best game came against Loyola Chicago where he had 29 points. Kalkbrenner is averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
The Jays lost 2 pretty big pieces when Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma hit the transfer portal. But, they recovered well by adding some transfers through the portal as well. The Jays picked up point guard Steven Ashworth from Utah State who was regarded as the best shooter in the portal. The Jays also signed Nebraska native Isaac Traudt, a former 4-star, from Virginia. The final transfer the Jays brought in was Jonathan Lawson from Memphis. Lawson won’t make a huge impact this year, but he is an important piece for the future.
The Jays also return some valuable role players in guard Francisco Farabello, forward Mason Miller, and center Fredrick King. These three will need to take a big jump this year if the Jays want to reach new heights.
The Jays haven’t had the hardest schedule but they have picked up big wins against Iowa, and at Oklahoma State and Nebraska. Against Iowa, Trey Alexander had a huge game posting a near triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Point guard Steven Ashworth had a breakout game against Oklahoma State when he posted 17 points on an efficient 6/9 from the field. And in the Jays 29 point win against the Huskers, Baylor Scheirman had 24 points with 6 threes.
The Jays are one of the top teams in the Big East and they look to prove it by winning the conference for the first time since 2020.
