Fansided

Creighton basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 early preview

By Mike Phillips

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 12: Marcus Zegarowski #11 of the Creighton Bluejays shoots the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates during a Big East Conference game at Prudential Center on February 12, 2020 in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 12: Marcus Zegarowski #11 of the Creighton Bluejays shoots the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates during a Big East Conference game at Prudential Center on February 12, 2020 in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Creighton basketball
Marcus Zegarowski #11 of the Creighton Bluejays (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Despite getting picked to finish seventh in the Big East’s preseason coaches poll, Creighton had a magical year to claim a share of the conference’s regular-season title.

College basketball’s preseason polls can hold some meaning but more often than not they are barely worth the paper they are printed on. The same can be said of preseason coaches polls, like this year’s Big East one that ranked Creighton seventh out of 10 teams.

The Bluejays didn’t let that slight bother them, putting together an electric offensive attack that powered them to the top of the Big East standings. Fox Sports’ Vin Parise thinks Gregg McDermott will be the conference’s Coach of the Year, an honor well-deserved considering how lightly the league took Creighton prior to the season.

Solid non-conference results helped Creighton build some confidence heading into Big East play, but the Bluejays did hit a rough patch, dropping three of four in early January to go 2-3 in conference play. Creighton rebounded from that disappointment nicely by going 11-2 the rest of the way to secure a share of the Big East title.

There was also a tremendous chance the Bluejays could have made noise in March as Creighton displayed their tournament bona fides by sweeping Seton Hall and splitting with Villanova in conference play. An injury to Marcus Zegarowski would have been an issue, but Creighton’s offensive firepower would have been a huge problem for opposing teams in the NCAA Tournament.