The Iowa Hawkeyes fell short of the NCAA Tournament last season. They went through an up-and-down journey with a young team which showed its fragility at a lot of positions. Their defense was nonexistent in a home-court loss to TCU in the postseason NIT tournament. On other occasions over the course of the season, it was their offense which fell short. An inevitable degree of frustration accompanied the failure to make the NCAA Tournament, but in a broader context, the season offered hope for the future. Iowa simply hopes that it can build on last season and take the necessary steps for this season, which is just about to begin.
Offseason Changes
The Hawkeyes of last season had Peter Jok’s scoring and shooting and his diverse array of talents, but they did not have quite enough to surround him. Iowa was an incomplete team at both ends of the floor. Players sometimes stood around and watched Jok, a problem with a lot of teams which aren’t good enough to make their postseason tournament. The star player does so much and is expected to carry the load to the point that the other players subconsciously wait for something to happen instead of making it happen and taking the initiative to generate offense. Something which happens at various levels of college basketball is that young players get frozen in the final minutes of games. They watch the sequence of action instead of remembering to tend to their specific task on the court. There were a lot of times when the Hawkeyes didn’t tend to their task. With a team full of seniors, that would have been unpardonable, but for the team Iowa is bringing back in Jok’s absence, it’s a case of young players who should be more seasoned.
Will Succeed If…
Freshman Luke Garza is a newcomer, but he can provide a lot of help to the Hawkeyes’ returning players. With Jok no longer a part of the equation, a big season from a promising freshman can be just the thing to stabilize the Iowa lineup and also give the returning players the knowledge that they will have help, support and reinforcement from other sources. That sense of balance is crucial to developing a team full of players who are comfortable in their roles and therefore will be much more focused in the final minutes of games last season. Garza – if he plays well – can make the difference for Iowa in close-shave games this coming season.
Won’t Succeed If…
The Hawkeyes’ three-point shooting doesn’t rise to the occasion. Jok was a player who could score from so many places on the floor. Now Iowa will have an offense which won’t count on one person nearly as much. Ball movement and few turnovers are important, but one gets the strong sense that if the Hawkeyes shoot well, they will space the floor, which will lead to very good shots and a restored sense that the offense is going in the right direction.
Roster
Ahmad Wagner
Maishe Dailey
Jack Nunge
Jordan Bohannon
Isaiah Moss
Tyler Cook
Charlie Rose
Austin Ash
Ryan Kriener
Riley Till
Brady Ellingson
Dom Uhl
Connor McCaffery
Cordell Pemsl
Nicholas Baer
Luka Garza
Schedule & Outlook
The Hawkeyes face Virginia Tech, Iowa State, and Colorado among their bigger non-conference opponents. That first test against Virginia Tech comes at the end of November. It will be on the road and it will be showcased on ESPN2. The Indiana and Iowa State tests will also be on the road – both back-to-back – on December 4th and December 7th. That’ll be a rough stretch for Iowa and all three of those games are likely to result in losses.
The Hawkeyes should have an advantage over Iowa State, given how much talent ISU has lost this season. All in all, Iowa should be a comfortable mid-range seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s growing pains should lead to this year’s harmony and production.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
