Creighton Basketball: 5 reasons why Bluejays are 2020-21 title contenders

The More the Merrier

Another thing that has, at times, eluded the Jays from reaching the upper-echelon of college basketball is depth. Creighton seems to always be riddled with season-ending injuries, diminishing hopes of promising playoff chances. This preseason was no different, with two of Creighton’s highly-touted 2020 recruiting class (Modestas Kancleris and Rati Andronikashvili) being ruled out for the season from injuries sustained in practice.

However, they still hold more quality depth than their roster has carried for quite some time. A clear starting five in Zegarowski, Ballock, Mahoney, Jefferson, and Bishop is bolstered by newcomers and returnees alike.

Antwann Jones, the former Memphis standout, transferred to Creighton after his Memphis team lost to the Jays back in the 2018-19 NIT. Jones said he loved the Creighton fan base and their offense was something he wanted to be a part of after seeing them decimate his Memphis squad.

Jones has true isolation scoring ability and can soak up four different positions defensively. Especially with COVID riddling the season, having someone that can play four different positions and score at all of them is incredibly useful.

Shereef Mitchell, a sophomore point guard out of Omaha and breakout candidate, has developed a lot of his skills this season as well. Undoubtedly one of the quickest players in all of college hoops, Mitchell is an excellent defender and a one-man fast break. His defensive prowess and hands will provide trouble for the majority of point guards Creighton will see. Pairing him with Duke transfer Alex O’Connell, the Jays will have nothing to worry about in the backcourt.

O’Connell does not have his waiver to play from the NCAA, but it is likely that all transfers will be granted eligibility as soon as December 14th. In the frontcourt with Epperson and Kalkbrenner behind Bishop, the Jays have more real depth Omaha has seen in a long time.