NCAA Basketball: UConn, Purdue rise on top 25 power ranking after Feast Week

7. Creighton (6-1)

With the talent this team has this season, it’s not surprising that Creighton has been a highly regarded team this season. When you consider their performance in Maui this past week, it’s clear that the praise and regard were not misplaced; Creighton is a very good basketball team.

Let’s get right into that three-game performance in Maui, starting with a 76-65 win over #21 Texas Tech on Monday, with all five starters scoring in double-digits, led by Arthur Kaluma’s 18-point effort. The Bluejays got an even more impressive win the following day, winning a 90-87 slugfest over #9 Arkansas. Ryan Nembhard had 25 points, Ryan Kalkbrenner had 21, and Baylor Scheierman added 20 in an outstanding offensive performance for the team. Despite a strong second-half effort, Creighton came up just short in an 81-79 loss to #14 Arizona in the title game despite 20 points from Nembhard and a double-double from Scheierman.

The Bluejays just played well against three ranked teams at the Maui Invitational and it’s hard to ask for much more from any team in the nation, let alone one that plays like that. Creighton has one of the best starting five’s in the entire country, brimming with talent and experience at every position, as evidenced by some of these recent performances. They’ll get a fourth straight high-impact game, heading to Texas this upcoming week for what might be their hardest team of the entire regular season.