For five years, Greg McDermott and the Creighton Bluejays were anchored by Ryan Kalkbrenner, one of the best defensive players in all of college basketball. However, the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is off to new pastures in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, leaving coach McDermott without his defensive anchor for the first time this decade.
Creighton will begin the post-Kalkbrenner era looking for a win against Gonzaga on Nov. 11 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. It will be Gonzaga’s third game of the season — following Texas Southern on Nov. 3 and Oklahoma on Nov. 8 at the Spokane Arena — and Creighton’s second following a home game against South Dakota on Nov. 5.
The Bluejays and Zags have long been connected, as two of the most prolific non-football programs in college basketball. The two have shared some epic matchups in previous years — including a home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in a pair of Zag victories, as well as a matchup in the 2021 NCAA Tournament that Gonzaga won, 83-65, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The two have also shared a pair of players, with Grant Gibbs transferring from Gonzaga to Creighton and blossoming into one of the program’s all-time leaders in assists, while Ryan Nembhard did the same about a decade later, leaving Gonzaga after setting — and resetting — the program’s single-season assist record.
It’s rare to find a team in a power conference willing to play Gonzaga at The Kennel, but Creighton and coach McDermott are prepared to get their feet wet early in the 2025-26 season, with a roster that includes a nice mix of nine newcomers and seven returners.
Here is a look at Creighton’s projected starting lineup and rotation for this upcoming season.
PG: Nik Graves
SG: Josh Dix
SF: Blake Harper
PF: Jackson McAndrew
C: Owen Freeman
Coach Mark Few and the Zags won’t have much time to scout this new look Creighton roster, although they are familiar with the team’s biggest transfer portal addition — Owen Freeman — having pursued him heavily at the onset of the offseason.
Freeman averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 19 games last year at Iowa, and will represent a nice early season challenge for Gonzaga bigs Graham Ike and Braden Huff.
Dec 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Owen Freeman (32) controls the ball as Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Joining Freeman is breakout candidate Jackson McAndrew, who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder among returners. McAndrew and Freeman are one of the toughest frontcourts Gonzaga will face all season long, and will test the duo of Ike and Huff right out of the gates.
The rest of Creighton’s projected starting lineup includes three transfer portal additions: Blake Harper from Howard, Nik Graves from Charlotte, and Freeman’s teammate from Iowa, Josh Dix.
Dix is a sharpshooter who scored 14.4 points on 42.2% shooting from three last year for the Hawkeyes. Gonzaga’s struggles defending the perimeter last year were well-documented, and stopping Dix from getting open looks will be key in this matchup.
Harper was a menace at Howard last year, averaging nearly 20 points per game while also shooting threes at above a 40% clip, while Graves averaged 17.5 points in the American Conference last year at Charlotte.
Dec 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Howard Bison guard Blake Harper (7) reacts on the court in the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Creighton has key returners set to fill depth roles this upcoming season, including Montenegran wing Fedor Zugic, who showed flashes of excellence in his first season last year. The team is also expecting a jump from 6’8 forward Jasen Green and 6’4 sophomore guard Ty Davis, while Miami transfer Austin Swartz and High Point transfer Liam McChesney could fill in around the margins as well.
As if that wasn’t enough, Creighton also added one of the top-ranked freshmen in the Big East in Hudson Greer, a 6’6 wing who 247Sports ranked No. 58 in the 2025 class. Greer should fill a role right away for the Bluejays, while a pair of international signees in Kerem Konan (Turkey) and Aleksa Dimitrijevic (Serbia) add size and depth in the frontcourt.
Creighton has been to the NCAA Tournament as a single-digit seed each of the past five years, and will once again compete alongside UConn, Saint John’s, and Marquette for a top seed out of the Big East.
This game will be a great test for both clubs early in the 2025-26 season, and will give local fans a chance to see a (likely) top 25 team at The Kennel in mid-November.
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