NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois rises, Dayton keeps impressing

Creighton has jumped out to a strong start this season behind the stellar play of arguably the best offensive backcourt in the country. Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, and Mitchell Ballock are all elite-level shooters that bring a little something different to the offensive end of the floor. Zegarowski is a great scorer but also the team’s leading playmaker, Alexander is a big-shot maker, and Ballock boasts the range and confidence to pull up from anywhere on the floor.

With these three leading the way, the Bluejays are one of the most potent offensive squads in the nation.

During this past week, Creighton went on the road to defeat Providence before returning home and completing a season-sweep of Xavier. The Bluejays are now riding a three-game winning streak that warrants attention in the Top 25 power rankings and brings their record to 16-5 (5-3 BE) on the season. They are still trailing the likes of Seton Hall and Villanova in conference play but Creighton is a very good team that only appears to be improving.

This is largely due to the fact that the Bluejays are growing on the defensive end of the floor. While they still lack size in the frontcourt, they have become more accustomed to playing small-ball and understanding how to use their speed to their advantage defensively. Christian Bishop and Denzel Mahoney, most notably, have been integral to this improved success defensively.

Creighton still ranks 96th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, though, so there is definitely more room to develop.