Outlook: It was a season of ebbs and flows for Greg McDermott last year. Creighton had two separate 4-game losing streaks during conference play, but a sizzling hot finish helped the Jays check in with a respectable 9-9 Big East record. Had they made some noise in the in the conference tournament, McDermott would’ve put his dancing shoes on for the third year in a row, but Creighton ran into an even hotter Xavier squad in the opening round of the Big East championship. All in all, it was a pedestrian year by Creighton standards – a testament to how highly McDermott has lifted this program – but both the near-term and long-term time horizons look rather promising in Omaha.

The flame that fueled last year’s late surge was freshman point guard Marcus Zegarowski. While veteran Davion Mintz was the man most pegged to dominate the ball handling duties last season, Zegarowski’s playmaking quickly debunked those projections. After Damien Jefferson injured his foot against Marquette on January 9th, Zegarowski was thrust into the starting lineup and seized his opportunity with unwavering confidence. The Massachusetts native would never look back and remained a fixture in the top-5 of the core rotation for the remainder of the season. Zegarowski missed three games in the middle of February with a hand injury (all of which the Jays lost), but McDermott didn’t hesitate to reinsert him into the lineup once he was fully healed. Creighton would go on to win five of its final six conference games before racking up two more victories in the NIT over Memphis and Loyola under Zegarowski’s masterful offensive direction.

While Mintz’ steadying presence makes him a reliable offensive facilitator, Zegarowski’s unrivaled passing and playmaking lifts the Jays’ offense to new heights. His handle and vision are next level good and he consistently creates high quality shots for his teammates. By solidifying the point guard position, Zegarowski will unlock the full potential of what is undoubtedly the strength of the 2019-20 roster: the wing corps. Mintz is a serviceable complementary filler on the perimeter, capable of playing on and off the ball, but it’s Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitch Ballock, and SEMO import Denzel Mahoney who pack the real scoring punch.

Alexander’s initial explosion last year was cooled by a mini sophomore slump during conference play, but he still had plenty of jaw-dropping moments throughout the season. Much like Zegarowski and Jefferson, Alexander was banged up during the latter half of Big East action, which likely explains the dips in both his scoring production and efficiency. Still, few guards in the country evolved more demonstrably in the shot-making department than Alexander did last year, and he promptly asserted himself as the driving force of the Jays’ race car-paced transition attack.

With all the offensive ammo back on the perimeter, putting points on the board shouldn’t be an issue. It’s the other side of the ball that will ultimately determine the destiny of the 2019-20 campaign.

So, how confident am I in Creighton’s defensive prognosis, you ask?