NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top 25 power rankings for 2022-23 season

2021-22 season record: 23-12 (12-7 in Big East)

Considering how much the roster turned over last season and young they were overall, one can’t help but expect a major jump from the freshmen core. That includes point guard Ryan Nembhard, who hopefully will be back around the start of next season after suffering an injury at the end of the regular season.

Forward Arthur Kaluma and center Ryan Kalkbrenner is going to be one of the best frontcourts in the country and they’ll get even more chances to produce, now that Ryan Hawkins is moving on. Freshman guard Trey Alexander isn’t the shooting outgoing guard Alex O’Connell was but he’ll become a double-digit scoring option next season as well.

Either Rati Andronikashvili or Shareef Mitchell will round out the starting lineup, which on paper will be the best in the Big East, or at least until Villanova lands a star point guard from the transfer portal. Speaking of the portal, the Bluejays are another scoring wing away from becoming a consensus preseason Final Four threat.

It was thought that the golden core for Creighton Basketball was in 2021 when they went to the Sweet 16 for the first time in decades. But this unit may have an even higher ceiling overall. Assuming they all stick around for another year or two, the Bluejays will be a major problem for the Big East. And if Kaluma looked how he did against Kansas in the Round of 32 (24 points and 12 rebounds) on a regular basis, he’ll be a contender for Big East Player of the Year.