The earliest dominos to fall in the Transfer Portal aren’t always the biggest, but Wednesday has given us another major addition for the Big East. After two seasons in Iowa’s frontcourt, Owen Freeman will transfer to Creighton, joining Greg McDermott’s program for his junior season.
Originally from the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, Freeman was a natural fit for Iowa, located not far west from his hometown. He won a state title in Illinois and chose the Hawkeyes over a number of other offers, a long litany of schools including Marquette, Notre Dame, and several Big Ten schools.
Freeman’s freshman season got off to a solid start, with him earning a spot in Iowa’s starting lineup by December. He’d average 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while making 61% of his field goal attempts. This all came in a 19-win campaign for a Hawkeyes team leaning heavily on senior talent like Ben Krikke and Tony Perkins.
NEWS: Iowa transfer Owen Freeman, the top-ranked center in the portal, has committed to Creighton, he told @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 26, 2025
The 6-10 sophomore averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game this season. https://t.co/MUxgtk7NGO pic.twitter.com/MEf8vn00JK
The expectation was for Freeman to take a step forward in his sophomore season and he certainly accomplished that, though it wasn’t exactly the season he wanted. He played just 19 games before a finger injury ended his season early in February. Before that, he had been averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game as a full-time starter in the frontcourt.
His injury did not help matters for a Hawkeyes team that tied for 12th place in the Big Ten and opted to make a head coaching change in recent weeks. Fran McCaffery was relieved of his duties after fifteen seasons and Freeman entered the Transfer Portal quickly thereafter, with a few more seasons left to really prove his strength.
Numerous schools reached out to Freeman in recent days, but he’s committed to joining Creighton for next season. The Bluejays recently saw their own season end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and have been a more successful program than Iowa in recent years, including an Elite Eight just two years ago.
What’s more important for Creighton is that Freeman steps into a major role after the departure of center Ryan Kalkbrenner. One of the Big East’s best players in recent years, Kalkbrenner was a shot-blocking center with great efficiency figures who won four straight Defensive Player of the Year awards. Freeman trends similarly and we’ll see if the Creighton staff can get the absolute best out of him next season when fully healthy again.
McDermott and his staff have utilized the Portal with excellence in recent years, even when losing their own talent, and hit a home run early with this addition. While the Bluejays took a hit with Pop Isaacs and Mason Miller entering the Transfer Portal, Freeman becomes a major piece and the first big reason why Creighton can keep competing for Big East supremacy next season.