2024-2025 College Basketball Preview: Creighton Bluejays

Check out our entire college basketball season preview!

The college basketball season is less than three weeks away, and here at FTN Fantasy we have you covered for what promises to be another thrilling year of upsets and incredible finishes. I will be taking you around the country with a betting preview of the major conferences. I recap the betting trends from last season, list projected starters, preview the season, identify a key player, and reveal how I’m backing or fading each team.

Let’s continue with the Big East, home of the two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. This 11-team conference plays its conference tournament in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. While UConn has won two straight NCAA Championships, there has been a new regular-season conference champion in each of the past four seasons. The Big East is one of the few conferences that did not expand or contract, relying on its rich history and elite level of basketball that started 45 years ago.

Let’s continue with our betting preview for the Creighton Bluejays.

2024-2025 College Basketball Season Preview: Creighton Bluejays

Conference: Creighton
Head Coach: Greg McDermott (15th season)
2023-2024 Record: 25-10 (12-7)
ATS: 19-16
O/U: 18-17
Projected Starters: G Steven Ashworth; G Pop Isaacs; G Jamiya Neal; F Mason Miller; C Ryan Kalkbrenner

Head coach Greg McDermott has done a wonderful job with the Bluejays, posting back-to-back 14-6 conference records in the uber-competitive Big East. Creighton has averaged 23.6 wins per year over the past five seasons and reached the Sweet 16 or better in three of the past four campaigns. They lose their top two scores in Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander to the NBA but return their biggest player in both size and stature. The Bluejays success revolves around 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner who has earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award three straight seasons. He averages 17.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG and a massive 3.1 BPG, and will again be the catalyst on both ends of the floor. McDermott scored two huge transfers in Pop Isaacs (15.8 PPG, 3.5 APG) from Texas Tech and Jamiya Neal (11.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG) from Arizona State. Sprinkle in a top-30 freshman class that includes Jackson McAndrews (No. 1 in Minnesota) and Larry Johnson (No. 8 in California) and Creighton fans should be optimistic for another great season.

Key Player: Pop Isaacs

Isaacs is a gritty two-player from the Texas Tech program, a highly regarded four-star recruit entering college. He averaged over one steal per game in both seasons with the Red Raiders and is a fantastic (85%) free-throw shooter. He is not a typical Creighton player, bringing a significant defensive presence both on the ball and in the passing lanes. He also has elite late-game shot making skills, ascending him to the natural key player for the Bluejays. Kalkbrenner is great, but Creighton needs to replace Trey Alexander as the perimeter star, and that’s exactly what Isaacs brings.

Projection