By mid-December, Creighton was suffering through six-straight defeats. On Jan. 11, the preseason No. 9 team was 9-8. Now in March, the Bluejays are comfortably above .500, third in the Big East, and aiming to win their first-ever national championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took them a while, but the Bluejays came together much better in the back half of the campaign. They have one of the nation\u2019s best big men in Ryan Kalkbrenner and a healthy helping of scoring options to overwhelm opposing defenses. Xavier, UConn<\/a>, Arkansas, and Providence have all learned this the hard way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last National Championship:<\/strong> None<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last Final Four:<\/strong> None<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2023 Title Odds: <\/strong>+3500 (as of March 6, 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opponents shouldn\u2019t expect many second-chance opportunities against the Bluejays. This is one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the nation, averaging nearly 29 defensive boards every game. Creighton is a good rebounding team overall, but it especially excels at boxing out on the defensive end. If a team is having a below-par shooting night against Creighton, it probably won\u2019t be able to rely on second-chance points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creighton excels on the defensive side in general. Its five starters have all contributed at least 1.5 defensive wins shares this season. The Bluejays don\u2019t generate a ton of steals or block an abnormal number of shots, but they stay in front of the ball, rotate well, and box out after the shot goes up. This team also plays very clean defense \u2013 Creighton has committed the third-fewest personal fouls per game<\/a> in the nation. Its efforts have Creighton in the top 15 for adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom<\/a> and T-Rank<\/a>. Also, Kalkbrenner is a special defender.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Creighton Will Make a Run<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n