2015-16 Preview #1: Creighton

[Edrick]

There's really no chance the Jays won't be picked 9th.

There's a big gap around 7th.

[warriorfan4life]

There's really no chance the Jays won't be picked 9th.

There's a big gap around 7th.

I think it would be foolish to have Creighton anything lower then 7th/8th. They were significantly better then DePaul last year (85th in the Pomeroys compared to 167th for DePaul), just terribly unlucky in close games. They also have a group of strong newcomers in Watson, Huff, Harrell, and Patton (and the new JUCO commit could be a nice wild card), plus solid returnees in Milliken, Groselle, Zierden (if healthy), and Hegner. I had them a clear 7th, but St. John's looks to be an intriguing roster (that is young and pretty size deficient, but possessing lots of skill and shooting), so it may become a toss-up for 7th and 8th.

[FlyJays]

There's really no chance the Jays won't be picked 9th.

There's a big gap around 7th.

I think it would be foolish to have Creighton anything lower then 7th/8th. They were significantly better then DePaul last year (85th in the Pomeroys compared to 167th for DePaul), just terribly unlucky in close games. They also have a group of strong newcomers in Watson, Huff, Harrell, and Patton (and the new JUCO commit could be a nice wild card), plus solid returnees in Milliken, Groselle, Zierden (if healthy), and Hegner. I had them a clear 7th, but St. John's looks to be an intriguing roster (that is young and pretty size deficient, but possessing lots of skill and shooting), so it may become a toss-up for 7th and 8th.

I think that's a reasonable assessment. St. John's is going to struggle without Obekpa on defense, I believe, but they do have some intriguing pieces. Who plays the 5 for them?

The Jays will be much improved talent-wise next season, but it's still going to be tough to crack anything higher than 6th when you look at the league as a whole. It's going to take Huff and Watson a little bit to get used to Big East play, I think. They were great players at Nevada and Boston U, respectively, but this is a big jump up. The same can be said for Patton. By all accounts, he'll be a major impact player by the time he's done at Creighton, but I'm not sure that's this year. He'll certainly play meaningful minutes, but to expect him to walk in and be an all-league player is foolish. 2016-17 brings us a real chance to finish top 3 again, with a minimally changed roster (Milliken the lone big loss) that has a year to gel, plus the addition of Marcus Foster and any new recruits.

As a side: I think people are underestimating the importance of having Milliken as a returner. He led the Jays in scoring in league games last year (12 ppg), but because we stunk up the place so bad, it went largely unnoticed among conference fans.

[gtmoBlue]

While I expect Creighton to do a "Butler-esque" turnaround this coming season. The evidence of last season coupled with several new players, makes it easy to predict that the Jays stay near the bottom. Especially as many attempt to minimize their respective teams losses this off season. Fair enough.

However, since all the league teams lost significant players and also bring in many newcomers as well, there will be much variance and fluctuation in the BE. After CU wins @ Indiana - heads will turn and begin to take notice. Imo the Jays will finish in the top 3 in conference play. The BE will do okay OOC, but will not be as tough in league play as last season.

[R Jay]

Edited original post to include the addition of G Malik Albert and to indicate that C Geoff Groselle is walking on this season.

[TBC Alum]

Do ya think CU fans are excited for the coming year?

[handdownmandown]

It's Edrick; of course he is picking us ninth - it's part of who he is.

[sciencejay]

Groselle is walking on this year? What gives? It's not like his dad is the coach...

[R Jay]

Groselle is walking on this year? What gives? It's not like his dad is the coach...

The fact that he's in graduate school now and tuition is less than undergraduate is probably a pretty big factor. However, I would think that this is a pretty strong statement about how close the team is and how much respect there is for Mac. Not to mention how much he enjoys Creighton.

[Edrick]

I wasn't picking CU for anything, only saying where they will be picked. They simply aren't getting picked preseason higher than anyone other than perhaps DePaul. Who exactly would they get picked over and by whom?