No. 23 Creighton is entering the season with lots of new faces and the same high expectations

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Coach Greg McDermott and his staff undertook a major roster makeover with the departures of last season's top four scorers. That doesn't change the expectations, which are always high for a program that's won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament five straight years, has nine consecutive top-four finishes in the Big East and enters the season ranked No. 23.

Iowa transfer Owen Freeman will take over as man in the middle for four-time Big East defensive player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner. Freeman required surgery for a summer knee injury but is expected to be ready for the regular season. Charlotte transfer Nik Graves replaces Steven Ashworth at point guard. Transitioning from the 49ers' slow-tempo offense to the Bluejays' free-flowing system has been his biggest adjustment.

In addition to Freeman and Graves, the Bluejays added guards Josh Dix (Iowa), Blake Harper (Howard), Austin Swartz (Miami) and Liam McChesney (High Point). Dix (14.4 ppg) is a 42% 3-point shooter projected to start at off-guard. Harper (19.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.4 apg) was Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player and rookie of the year. Besides Kalkbrenner and Ashworth, the Bluejays lost starters in Jamiya Neal, Pop Isaacs, Mason Miller and Frederick King.

McDermott also brought back Alan Huss as head coach in waiting. Huss played for the Bluejays and previously was on McDermott’s staff for six seasons. He was 56-15 in two seasons as High Point’s head coach. McDermott, 60, has not indicated when he plans to step away.

The Bluejays open against South Dakota on Nov. 5 and play at No. 21 Gonzaga on Nov. 11. They face Baylor on Nov. 24 and No. 16 Iowa State on Nov. 25 in the Players Era Men's Championship in Las Vegas. They visit Nebraska Dec. 7 and Kansas State comes to Omaha on Dec. 13. The Big East opener is Dec. 17 at Xavier.

The top returning scorer is Jackson McAndrew, who entered the starting lineup after the fifth game and averaged 7.8 points as a freshman. ... Jasen Green averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds and will play multiple positions. Bluejays were 19-6 when he was a starter. ... McChesney is a rare seventh-year junior. He redshirted his first season at Utah State (2019-20) and had his second season end in the sixth game because of a leg injury. He transferred to Illinois State, played two seasons and moved to High Point for two years. He never played at High Point because of a heart issue.

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