Iowa Hawkeyes
Big Ten (21-11, 12-6)
Iowa had an up-and-down season all year in the Big Ten. An average record in a widely-considered average conference left the Hawkeyes on the bubble for most of the year. More often than not Iowa has looked like a tournament team. They have also had their head-scratching moments as well. Fran McCaffery is a coach that can get his players prepared for any postseason. They play good team basketball, albeit inconsistently, and will have to play smart to advance in the tournament.
Big Wins: 12/3 at North Carolina (60-55), 12/30 at Ohio State (71-65), 2/8 Maryland (71-55)
Bad Losses: 11/21 vs Syracuse (60-63), 2/12 Minnesota (59-64), 2/15 at Northwestern (61-66)
Coach: Fran McCaffery
Why They Can Surprise:
More than anything, Iowa has a shot to win some games because they have played a lot of quality opponents this season with mixed success. They beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill, which is very difficult for non-conference opponents. They have also beaten Ohio State twice, Michigan on the road, and wiped the floor with Maryland. Those are all wins that the Hawkeyes can build on for tournament play. They know they can compete with good teams. They are fundamentally sound with Mike Gesell dishing the ball well from the point guard position. They are also very good from the foul line, and they make teams pay for weak fouls. Aaron White and Adam Woodbury are solid front court upperclassmen that provide leadership with their play on the floor.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Iowa has not seemed to find a good rhythm all season. Even after the big wins mentioned above, the Hawkeyes could never create any momentum. They lost at home to Northern Iowa early in the season. Sandwiched between two tough games against Wisconsin was a tight loss to Purdue. After their impressive win against Maryland, they proceeded to lose at home to Minnesota in the middle of Big Ten play. Iowa has trouble scoring at times and it costs them against average teams. Frankly, they just do not have much talent as upper tier teams.
Probable Starters:
Mike Gesell, Junior, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 3.9 apg
Peter Jok, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg, 1.3 apg
Aaron White, Senior, Forward, 16.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Jarrod Uthoff, Junior, Forward, 12.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Adam Woodbury, Junior, Center, 6.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Josh Oglesby, Senior, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 1.5 apg
Gabriel Olaseni, Senior, Center, 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Anthony Clemmons, Junior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 1.9 apg
Dominique Uhl, Freshman, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.8 (107th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.7 (58, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.2 (192, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.2 (29, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (232, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.6 (207, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (26, 5)
Rebound Margin: 3.8 (61, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (53, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (55, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round loss to Tennessee
2013 NIT First Round win over Indiana State
2013 NIT Second Round win over Stony Brook
2013 NIT Quarterfinal win over Virginia
2013 NIT Semifinal win over Maryland
2013 NIT Final loss to Baylor
2012 NIT First Round win over Dayton
2012 NIT Second Round loss to Oregon
2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Northwestern State
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Cincinnati
2004 NIT First Round loss to Saint Louis
2003 NIT Opening Round win over Valparaiso
2003 NIT First Round win over Iowa State
2003 NIT Second Round loss to Georgia Tech
2002 NIT First Round loss to LSU
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
