Friday’s exhibition against No. 16 Iowa State will be the first chance fans of No. 23 Creighton men’s basketball will get to see many of the team’s newcomers in Bluejay uniforms.
Transfers and freshmen tend to dominate the discussion in the preseason, and rightfully so with so much movement in college basketball. Creighton has nine of them this year on a 16-man roster. However, don’t lose sight of the returners who have been putting in work over the offseason too.
Junior forward Isaac Traudt is one whose summer work has translated into a high level of play in practice thus far.
“It’s been insane,” Iowa transfer Josh Dix told Hurrdat Sports. “I hope to be on his team every single day, because the way that he’s shooting the ball, it’s like, every time he shoots and you’re on the other team, you just put your head down because it’s going in. In some of the drills we do, you’ve got to get a stop, and if Isaac’s on the other team, it’s tough, man. It’s tough.”
Traudt, a Grand Island native, spent a redshirt year at Virginia before transferring to Creighton ahead of the 2023-24 season. He averaged 8.8 minutes per game as a redshirt freshman, chipping in 2.9 points per game while shooting 42.1% from deep. Traudt earned a larger role as a sophomore last year, playing in all 36 games with four starts while averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds and shooting 38.4% from 3 in 15.8 minutes per game.
Competition for minutes looks to be even tougher this season, but Traudt is making a strong case for himself.
“He’s shot the ball at a high, high level, so it’s been fun to watch, and defensively, I think he’s made some strides,” Coach Greg McDermott said. “Certainly, his communication is at a really high level right now. He’s playing with a ton of confidence, so it’s been fun to see. Isaac’s one of those guys who can be over with the top group, he can be with the second group that particular day, and it doesn’t make any difference. He has the same approach every single day. I think he’s been prepared for every practice and he really, I think, has built off what was a very good season last year.”
Traudt has always been confident in his shot, but he said it’s felt good to see the ball go through the rim at such a high rate heading into the season.
“It definitely shows that I’m able to help this team shooting the ball, but also defensively and with communication too,” Traudt said. “I feel like I’m in a good spot, but ultimately happy with the team’s growth so far, and think we’re stepping in the right direction.”
Creighton has been short-handed in the frontcourt for much of the offseason, and fans won’t see Iowa transfer Owen Freeman at the five against the Cyclones as Creighton continues to be cautious with his return from knee surgery. Traudt and Jasen Green have played multiple positions in workouts and practices and could be options at center depending on the matchups and development of the young bigs.
“I think we’ll both be able to play some five; with me, it’d be more of a five-out kind of, five shooters on the floor, and with him, it’d be more probably defensive versatility, if they have a bruising five man,” Traudt said. “So I think we both bring different looks to the team, and we’ll be able to contribute together.”
Friday will be the first of two meeting this season for McDermott and his former assistant, T.J. Otzelbeger, the head man for Iowa State. The Bluejays and Cyclones will play each other at the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas in late November. McDermott said he never would have scheduled the exhibition had he known about their tournament draw.
“T.J. and I both really went at the promoter in Vegas to get him to switch it, but it was already done,” McDermott said. “I guess it’s like playing a conference game; you play a team at home and then you go on the road. It’s not like T.J. and I don’t know each other’s stuff inside and out anyway, so it’ll be a fun game for our fans … It’ll be a pretty cool environment for October.”
Iowa State will be without starting point guard Tamin Lipsey. Creighton could be without a pair of likely starters as Jackson McAndrew is doubtful in addition to Freeman sitting out. Even so, Friday will be a valuable data point for the staff after months of seeing the Bluejays compete against each other.
“Obviously you want to get some guys on the floor and play in front of a crowd and see how they react,” McDermott said. “We’ll throw a lot of different combinations out there. The most important thing is we get something out of it and nobody gets hurt. That’s the most important thing, because it’s an important part of our growth, and that’s why you play the exhibition games.”
The Cyclones went 25-10 last season, earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round and finishing 17th in the final AP Poll. Their top two scorers are gone, but they returned their other three double-digit scorers in forwards Joshua Jefferson (13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.1 assist per game) and Milan Momcilovic (11.5 points per game. 39.6% from 3) plus Lipsey. Last season, the Cyclones finished 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 19th on the other end, according to KenPom. Iowa State has ranked in the top 15 nationally in forcing turnovers every year of the Otzelberger era.
This is the second year in a row Creighton has faced another top-25 team in a preseason exhibition. The Bluejays defeated Purdue 93-87 last season, building a double-digit lead in the second half before letting a group of mainly reserves hold off a late Boilermaker rally.
“What I liked about last year, we didn’t play [Ryan Kalkbrenner] much at all the second half, and it was a close game with five minutes ago and we found a way to win it against — they left most of their guys out there. So it was a great growing experience for the guys that were out there during that time to be able to execute and find a way to win against what turned out to be a very good basketball team.
“We’re going to play a lot of guys, we’re going to do our thing. There are certainly going to be some peaks and valleys to these games because of the amount of new players that we have and guys that are in some different spots, but you also desperately need to play somebody else, so that part of it will be really good for us.”
Tipoff at CHI Health Center Omaha is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday. Nebraska Public Media will televise the game for those in-state, while Creighton will offer a stream behind a $7.99 paywall for fans outside of Nebraska.
