Big East Basketball Power Rankings: DePaul, Butler exceeding expectations

Another team that has disappointed a bit out of the gates, Creighton holds a 2-1 record after the first two weeks. Their lone defeat came in a true road game against Michigan and there’s no real reason to worry about that even if it was a poor efficiency performance. The Bluejays offense continues to look like one of the best in the entire country as they play with great pace and can absolutely light it up from beyond the arc. Creighton’s starting backcourt of Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski is combining to average 36.4 points per game to begin this season.

With that said, though, they rank just 276th in the nation in average height. Undersized big man Christian Bishop and transfer Kelvin Jones are holding down the center spot in the absence of Jacob Epperson (injury) but their lack of size will be a major weakness against more physical opponents. That much was evident against Michigan as Jon Teske dominated the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. The Big East might not boast the same caliber of giants that it used to, but there are still several capable threats at the “5” in the league. Additionally, the Bluejays are starting 6-foot-5 Mitchell Ballock at the “4” and he can be outmatched defensively as a result of his size as well.

Creighton currently ranks 91st in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency as they have been dominated in the paint. Although they are not sending opponents to the free-throw much, they are allowing teams to finish on 56.9% of their 2-point attempts (311th nationally). That will likely continue to be an issue moving forward as a result of the aforementioned lack of size.

While I am definitely still a firm believer in head coach Greg McDermott’s offense, it is hard to project a major improvement defensively in the coming months. Making strides in that area will be essential to rising in these power rankings but it is hard to determine a gameplan that could remedy their problems. There is, though, plenty of time to find a solution. Sitting at a 2-1 record with the lone loss coming to Michigan is not a terrible place to be.