Big East Basketball: Buy or sell UConn, Marquette, Villanova and Xavier?

Creighton

When the season began, Creighton was listed in the top 10 of virtually everyone’s preseason polls and the expectations were sky-high for a Bluejays program that just has never had this level of hype. After a 6-0 start and a spot in the title game of the Maui Invitational, it looked like the Bluejays really would live up to that hype, but then things took a turn. Creighton lost six straight games, including a really tough one at home against Nebraska, and now sit just 3-3 early on in Big East play.

Part of the issues earlier in the season was the loss of Ryan Kalkbrenner (14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) who missed three games due to injury during that losing streak. All five starters for Creighton are talented, experienced, and play great basketball; and all five are averaging double-digit points already. Transfer Baylor Scheierman (13.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg), last year’s Summit League Player of the Year, has fit well with these Bluejays, while sophomore guards Trey Alexander (12.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Ryan Nembhard (11.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) continue to play promising roles.

Creighton’s abysmal run through early December has put a black eye on their season and tarnished those early expectations. Once considered a Top 5 team, they sit just 9-8, having already lost on the road to Connecticut, Marquette, and Xavier, with tougher games ahead in the league. On paper, this is a team with legitimate talent in the starting lineup, but a team that just doesn’t seem to have it this season, especially if their lineup isn’t intact. We’re selling the Bluejays as contenders, though a late run and some key victories could still get them into the Big Dance.

Sell