Iowa transfer expected to pick Creighton over Gonzaga, Auburn, Michigan

Owen Freeman is the top-ranked center in the transfer portal

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Owen Freeman is the No. 1 ranked center in the transfer portal according to On3.com | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes transfer Owen Freeman is expected to commit to the Creighton Bluejays, according to On3.com's latest predictions from Joe Tipton.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were reportedly one of four "schools to watch" in the race for the top-ranked center in the transfer portal, though after Freeman scheduled a visit with Creighton this week, it appears Greg McDermott should be considered the front-runner.

On3's Tipton predicts Freeman will pick Creighton, which is losing Ryan Kalkbrenner to graduation this spring. Kalkbrenner earned All-Big East honors three times and was a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year recipient during his five-year college career in Omaha, Nebraska. He finished second in program history in career points (2,443), rebounds (1,146) and blocks (399).

According to Tipton, the Michigan Wolverines and Auburn Tigers were also in the mix for Freeman. Coincidentally, those two teams are about to square off against each other this Friday in Atlanta in the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

I placed a prediction for Iowa transfer Owen Freeman this morning.

Michigan, Auburn, and Creighton have been involved with the portal's top center.

Read (On3+): https://t.co/8ixgsfOqzK pic.twitter.com/bI7CAp5CGM

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 26, 2025

As for the Zags, they hope to run back their starting frontcourt for at least one more season, as Braden Huff and Graham Ike are both eligible to return for the 2025-26 season. That tandem combined to score almost 33% of the team's total points from last season, with Ike leading the way at 17.1 points per game, followed by Huff's 11.0 points per game.

Ismaila Diagne's return for his sophomore season would certainly bolster Gonzaga's frontcourt defensively. The 7-foot-tall center from Senegal contributed rim protection and provided more size in the paint down the stretch of the regular season, most notably in a road game against the Santa Clara Broncos, and even played minutes for the Zags in the NCAA Tournament.