Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: 2019-20 preseason power rankings

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 16: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate the 74-72 win over the Seton Hall Pirates during the Big East Championship Game to claim the Big East title at Madison Square Garden on March 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 16: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate the 74-72 win over the Seton Hall Pirates during the Big East Championship Game to claim the Big East title at Madison Square Garden on March 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 03: Zegarowski #11 of Creighton shoots. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 03: Zegarowski #11 of Creighton shoots. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

4. Creighton Bluejays

I really like Creighton to be a contender in the Big East this season. While I do have them slotted in my second tier of the league, I strongly considered moving them up another spot or two in these rankings. With sensational guard play and intriguing frontcourt pieces, head coach Greg McDermott has an exceptionally fun roster on his hands capable of wreaking havoc on defenses. Quite simply, Creighton’s offense should be electric this season.

Junior guard Ty-Shon Alexander is at the core of this excitement. He is fresh off a superb sophomore campaign as he emerged as the true star of this team. Alexander should reprise that role while sophomore Marcus Zegarowski takes a sophomore leap into stardom. Sticking with Creighton’s sensational backcourt, they also feature a few other talented upperclassmen that will be very difficult to cover.

Senior guard Davion Mintz nearly averaged double-figures per game last season and should be a full-time starter once again. Additionally, Mitchell Ballock is a known perimeter threat and incoming transfer Denzel Mahoney (SEMO) can certainly pack a punch offensively as well.

My concerns regarding the Bluejays, though, lie in the frontcourt. Without Martin Krampelj manning the center spot, the program will need to turn to Jacob Epperson to fill the role. And while the 6-foot-10 junior has shown flashes of excellence over the years, he has struggled to stay on the floor. Over two years with the program, he has only competed in 21 games and has played 250 total minutes.

If he is forced to miss time again this season, that leaves Creighton very thin in the frontcourt with Christian Bishop as the lone other proven high-major frontcourt option. Adding grad transfer Kelvin Jones (Idaho State) will hopefully help with their issues at center but Creighton is generally undersized. It seems likely that only three players over 6-foot-5 will find minutes in the rotation.

This could leave Creighton vulnerable inside and their defense could suffer as a result. Their offense will be phenomenal…but can they consistently get stops? That will be the question that determines where the Bluejays finish.

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