Creighton Basketball: Projecting the starting lineup

The Creighton Blue Jays are one of the most interesting teams in the Big East. How will Creighton construct their lineup and replace their many departures?

Creighton has one of the most interesting rosters as they prepare for life without Justin Patton and Maurice Watson. The Blue Jays had a very strong 16-17 season where they earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, a mid-season injury to Watson limited Creighton’s upside as the Blue Jays struggled to find a suitable PG to replace him.

Many players were forced into uncomfortable roles or roles they were not ready for in order to plug the gaping hole at PG. Hopefully, this issue will be addressed this season as well as a replacement for star center Justin Patton. Patton unexpectedly left early for the NBA Draft after just his redshirt freshman season. This left Coach McDermott to scramble for a replacement since no one could have realistically expected Patton to be so good so quickly.

The Blue Jays also must fill Cole Huff’s spot in the starting lineup. While Huff’s departure is not as impactful as Watson’s or Patton’s, Creighton will have to replace his 9.3ppg and sharpshooting (46% from three).

Key reserves Zach Hanson and Isaiah Zierden have also graduated which means the Blue Jays will need to incorporate four or five new players into their rotation. This is no small feat, but luckily Creighton has lined up suitable replacements at every position.

This article will look at the Creighton roster and analyze the players competing for minutes at each position. Predictions with explanations will be given for each starting position.