No. 23 Creighton officially will begin life after Ryan Kalkbrenner on Wednesday when it hosts South Dakota in the team's season opener in Omaha, Neb.

Replacing Kalkbrenner, a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, wasn't the only assignment for head coach Greg McDermott. He also saw the departures of Steven Ashworth, Pop Isaacs and Jamiya Neal from a team that recorded 25 wins for the second season in a row and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the fifth consecutive year.

The cupboard is far from bare, however. Creighton, which was picked to finish third in the Big East preseason coaches' poll, likely will rely heavily on Iowa transfers Owen Freeman and Josh Dix, Charlotte transfer Nik Graves and sophomore Jackson McAndrew this season.

Freeman, a forward, was selected to the p

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