NCAA Basketball: Reevaluating preseason top 25 power rankings of 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
9. Creighton (23-12, 6-seed, Sweet Sixteen)
Preseason expectations were at an all-time high for this Bluejays program this year. They brought back four young and talented starters and added a mid-major star in Baylor Scheierman, creating what some think might be the nation’s best starting rotation. In fact, all five have averaged at least 11.8 points per game this season, even though the regular season didn’t exactly progress as Creighton or Greg McDermott anticipated.
After a 6-0 start, the Bluejays lost their next six games, falling in the finals of the Maui Invitational before dropping some tough games without star center Ryan Kalkbrenner. With their lineup back intact, they had an impressive stretch in Big East play, winning 8 games in a row at one point. They finished the regular season with a very impressive 14-6 mark in that tough league but fell to Xavier in the conference semifinals. Thought to contend much higher this season, the Bluejays settled for the 6-seed they were given, but haven’t hung their heads by any means.
Their talented starting rotation has led them to a pair of wins in the Big Dance, knocking out NC State in the first round before scoring an upset over Baylor in round two. What’s impressive about Creighton is how each of their five starters are immensely talented, with both Ryan Nembhard and Kalkbrenner having 30-point games in the Tournament already. Additionally, the Bluejays draw 15-seed Princeton for a very winnable Sweet Sixteen matchup and could be headed to their first Elite Eight since 1941, when the Tournament only had 8 teams!