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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) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 01: Head Coach Greg McDermott of the Creighton Bluejays speaks with Mitch Ballock #24 during a timeout against the St. John’s Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

An early look at the 2020-2021 Creighton roster

The Big East should be a beast next season as Villanova and Creighton do battle for both conference and national supremacy. Greg McDermott should have all five of his starters, as well as sixth man Denzel Maloney, back for another run at glory.

The only rotation player that is graduating is center Kelvin Jones, but his shoes should be filled by 6-foot-11 forward Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is Creighton’s top recruit next season. Kalkbrenner and Jacob Epperson should work well together to add some more size to the Bluejays, which was one area where they were lacking this season.

The Bluejays’ offense should also get a shot in the arm with the healthy return of Davion Mintz, who was forced to redshirt this season due to an ankle injury. Mintz had started in his sophomore and junior years for the Bluejays, who will now look forward to having him provide some serious scoring punch off the bench.

All of that firepower should make Creighton very scary, with ESPN’s Jeff Borzello rating them No. 2 on his way-too-early preseason top 25 poll. The only team ahead of Creighton is Villanova so the Big East could well be a beast again with those two titans jousting for conference supremacy.

Even if Creighton doesn’t claim the Big East title they could be a massive threat for the national championship if everyone stays healthy. Few teams in the country have as much experience and upside as Creighton, which will now face the burden of significantly heightened expectations entering the 2020-2021 campaign.

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