Creighton Basketball: Biggest takeaways from Cayman Islands Classic championship run

3. Questions still remain for the Bluejays

There’s no denying it, what Creighton has already been able to accomplish in the 2018-2019 season is truly remarkable. With that being said, the new season is still young and there are still questions I’m waiting for to be answered.

Beginning with the biggest one, how successful can this squad be with the little production they are getting from their big men. After the victory over Clemson, the top five leading scorers for the Jays are all guards. The three forward/centers that have seen consistent playing time (Martin Krampelj, Jacob Epperson and Sam Froling) are only averaging a combined 15 PPG and 9 RPG. On top of that, the Jays bigs are simply being dominated on defense and they’ve shown very little capability of being able to defend around the rim. Going forward, opponents will figure this out and if Creighton wants to be a legitimate contender, then their big boys down low will have to improve, and improve quickly.

Next, sophomore guard Mitch Ballock is one of the two returning starters on this Jays squad, but up to this point, I ask myself, where is the real Mitch Ballock? Before the season, Ballock was expected to be the one to step up on offense, not Alexander. After averaging just 9 PPG in the first four games, Ballock bounced back with 23 points, 7 rebounds an 6 assists, a wonderful performance but one that McDermott and company expect from him. Then, in their game Wednesday against Clemson, he finished with a dismal 4 points. Consistency is key and McDermott will need that from Ballock going forward.

Lastly, can the Jays bench be a viable weapon for the Jays throughout the season? One of the keys off the bench has been freshman guard Marcus Zegarowski as he’s looked as confident as a senior shooting and handling the ball. But beyond Zegarowski, there hasn’t been much consistency on either end of the floor. When the bigger games come around and conference play begins, the Jays will need centers Jacob Epperson and Sam Froling to contribute more than they have. On top of that, Syracuse transfer Kaleb Joseph and Rice transfer Connor Cashaw have been everything but impressive up to this point. McDermott has no choice but to give all these guys opportunities, but the guys need to start taking advantage of them.

All in all, the players, coaches and fans should be ecstatic with the start to the season the team has had, and at the least, the future looks very bright for this team, and this group will win a lot of games on their journey.