Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Preseason conference power rankings 2023-24

By Jerran Anderson

Apr 8, 2023; Hartford, CT, USA; UConn Huskies fans line the streets for parade through downtown Hartford in the teams honor after winning the NCAA Championship. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2023; Hartford, CT, USA; UConn Huskies fans line the streets for parade through downtown Hartford in the teams honor after winning the NCAA Championship. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Creighton Basketball
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Creighton Bluejays

Last season: 23-14, 14-6 in the Big East

The Creighton Bluejays made noise out of the Big East this past March after finishing third in the standings and earning a No. 6 seed in the South region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They made it to the Elite Eight before March sealed their fate this past season. A nailbiting game that ended on a buzzer-beater should have the Bluejays hungry for more. They’ll start as the No. 2 team in the preseason conference power rankings heading into 2023-24.

Creighton returns six players from last year’s roster including the lethal trio of Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman. They’ll also add Isaac Traudt (Virginia) and Steven Ashworth (Utah State) out of the transfer portal.

Kalkbrenner should challenge for the Big East Player of the Year award given his prowess on the defensive end. He’s already got two conference Defensive Player of the Year awards under his belt and led the conference in blocks (72) this past season. Look for his presence to continue to grow as the anchor and lead option as he looks to up his stock in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Scheierman’s scoring cooled a bit this past season to 12.8 ppg but he still managed to average 8.3 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.0 spg on 36.4 percent shooting from deep. He ranked 25th in double-doubles across of all of college basketball with 13. Look for better efficiency from him shooting basketball to carry this squad over the hump as another player with potential in the 2024 NBA Draft as a late pick in the first round.

Alexander should continue to grow entering Year 3 in college basketball. He shot a career-high 41 percent from deep across 37 starts while averaging 13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.1 spg as a sophomore. He’s got All-Big East first-team potential should his trajectory continue to rise.

The Bluejays will pose a huge challenge for many foes in the conference. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them overtake the top spot given the potential of adding Ashworth to the backcourt. They’ve got some sneaky depth that could overcome a ton of opponents as they look to return to the NCAA Tournament and make another run in March this upcoming season.

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