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2024-25 Creighton Bluejays Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship

by Ryan Cobbett - 10/23/2024

Creighton Bluejays basketball predictions Ryan Kalkbrenner

Last season, the Creighton Bluejays went 23-8 in the regular season and finished third in the Big East Conference with a 14-6 record, behind UConn and Marquette. After a dominant nonconference schedule, where the Bluejays took down Iowa, Nebraska, and Alabama, they hit a brief skid in conference play, losing their first two games before winning seven of their next eight. After a solid regular season showing, Creighton hit a big road bump in the first round of the conference tournament as they were upset by Providence. The Bluejays were eventually given the 3-seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, where they won their first two games against 14-Seed Akron and 11-Seed Oregon. Unfortunately, the Sweet 16 was as far as they would get, as they lost to 2-Seed Tennessee.

Creighton had a short bench in terms of players used. The Bluejays had only six players see consistent action, with four players averaging over 30 minutes a game. Baylor Scheierman led the team in PPG (18.5) and RPG (9). He also shot 87.6% from the free-throw line and had a 38.1% 3P%. Trey Alexander was second on the team in points, as the guard averaged 17.6 PPG, with Ryan Kalkbrenner right behind him with 17.3 PPG. Kalkbrenner had the seventh best FG% in the country, shooting 64.6% while also ranking second in the nation with 3.1 BPG. Steven Ashworth was the fourth Creighton player to average double-digits, as he averaged 11.1 PPG while shooting 90.7% from the charity stripe. Mason Miller and Francisco Farabello were the only other two to see consistent action and both players were reliable beyond the arc, shooting 42% or better from deep.

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Creighton Bluejays Basketball Key Additions/Losses

The Bluejays lost a lot this offseason, as their top two scorers, Scheierman and Alexander, are now in the NBA. Scheierman was the team’s leading rebounder, and Alexander was the team leader in assists and steals. This is also a huge blow as the Bluejays utilized six players consistently and now have to plug two holes left by two players who averaged 36 minutes per game or more. In addition to those huge losses, Farabello used up all of his eligibility, and depth guard Josiah Dotzler left for Saint Louis.

Despite losing two of their three best players, Creighton was not that aggressive in the transfer portal. Their biggest addition was guard Pop Isaacs, who averaged 15.8 PPG with Texas Tech last season. In addition to Isaacs, the Bluejays also brought in guard Jamiya Neal, who averaged 11 PPG with Arizona State. Neal and Isaacs both averaged over 30 minutes per game and should be capable of handling a bigger workload if Creighton opts to focus on a six- or seven-man rotation. The Bluejays also signed three Top 200 recruits from this year’s high school class. Four-star forward Jackson McAndrew (39th nationally) is joined by fellow four-star guard Larry Johnson (56th nationally) and three-star guard Ty Davis (200th nationally).

Creighton Bluejays Basketball X-Factors

Mason Miller- Miller averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG in his limited capacity. His compliment in Farabello is now gone, meaning Creighton has to fill his minutes. Miller should be the immediate answer, as he slides into the starting lineup and should see an uptick in his minutes. This could raise the floor for Creighton. Miller was the team’s best three-point shooter, averaging 45.4% from deep on 108 attempts. He totaled 125 shots last season, meaning 86.4% of his shots came from beyond the arc. Miller enters the season as the best three-point shooting option for Creighton, and they will need him to continue to be consistent as Kalkbrenner, Isaacs, and Neal all shot less than 30% from deep.

Creighton Bluejays Basketball Notable Games

Home- #1 Kansas, #18 Marquette, #3 UConn

Away/Neutral- #13 Texas A&M, #2 Alabama, #18 Marquette, #3 UConn

Creighton Bluejays Basketball Key Odds:

NCAA Champion: +4000

Final Four: +950

Conference Winner: +410

Wooden Award: Ryan Kalkbrenner- +3000

Wooden Award: Pop Isaacs- +25000

AP Top 25- 15th

Andy Katz’s Power 37- 16th

KenPom- 12th 

Creighton Bluejays Basketball Predictions

The Big East’s ‘Big Three’ might be reduced down to the ‘Main One’ as Creighton and Marquette are both taking steps back, at least on paper. Kalkbrenner should be one of the best players in the country, but they did not adequately fill the holes left by Scheierman, Alexander, and Farabello. At +410 to win the Big East, they might be worth some couch change, but UConn is still going to be the team to beat in the conference. They have a lot of tough nonconference games early on against #13 Texas A&M, #2 Alabama, and #1 Kansas, which means we should get a good understanding of what this team will look like early. It wouldn’t surprise me if they went 0-3 in such games and struggled to beat Marquette or UConn, especially with the lack of three-point shooting. Don’t have high hopes on the Bluejays.

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