Iowa Hawkeyes
Big Ten (21-10, 12-6)
Iowa had one of the more surprising seasons of any program in the country. Most expected them to finish somewhere in the middle of the conference standings, but they came out storming early and never really relented in their quality of play. Sweeping a very good Michigan State team was a good indicator that the Hawkeyes were for real. Coach Fran McCaffery has been coaching at Iowa for a long time and this has to be considered one of his best coaching jobs since he has been in Iowa City. There is certainly talent on this roster, but he is certainly getting more out of them than anyone could have predicted. They climbed from unranked into the top five nationally mid-season. What an incredible rise.
Big Wins: 12/29 Michigan State (83-70), 1/2 at Purdue (70-63), 1/14 at Michigan State (76-59)
Bad Losses: 2/17 at Penn State (75-79), 2/24 Wisconsin (59-67), 2/28 at Ohio State (64-68)
Coach: Fran McCaffery
Why They Can Surprise:
As previously mentioned, this team is battle tested. The Big Ten at the top is a very good conference and Iowa took care of business playing the top six teams. They played a difficult schedule and were able to win on the road. That is all the preparation they need to prepare for a deep tournament run. Jared Uthoff, the team’s best player, and Adam Woodbury are experienced low-block players that can create opportunities offensively for themselves as well as their teammates. They can play close to the basket and open up the perimeter for the outside shooters. As a team they finished in the top four in the Big Ten in three-point shooting percentage. Iowa are among the most efficient teams in the country. They do not turn the ball over, and they find the open man. Peter Jok, who has really come on this year, will need to continue his great play as well. They are so well-balanced with scorers and rebounders that they will give any opponent fits.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The key to beating Iowa is stopping Uthoff. Maryland was able to hold him under ten points for the first time all season when the Terps beat Iowa for their first conference loss. He’s so dynamic offensively that half-court sets sputter when he is not clicking. Foul trouble for the big men could also spell an early upset. Losing Uthoff or Woodbury would take away experience and production on the inside. Iowa would not necessarily become one-dimensional because of their depth, but scoring inside becomes more of a challenge since most of the other interior players are freshmen. Starting point guard Mike Gesell also needs to stay efficient. He has the ability to stave off runs by hitting clutch mid-range shots and will need to be an offensive threat in high pressure situations.
Probable Starters:
Mike Gesell, Senior, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 6.3 apg
Anthony Clemmons, Senior, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 3.6 apg
Peter Jok, Junior, Guard, 16.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Jared Uthoff, Senior, Forward, 18.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg
Adam Woodbury, Senior, Center, 7.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Dom Uhl, Sophomore, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Nicholas Baer, Freshman, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Brady Ellingson, Freshman, Guard, 2.9 ppg
Ahmad Wagner, Freshman, Forward, 2.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.5 (51st in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (102, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.2 (118, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (75, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (69, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.2 (35, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.8 (100, 8)
Rebound Margin: 1.1 (154, 9)
Assists Per Game: 15.9 (37, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.2 (12, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Davidson
2015 NCAA Third Round loss to Gonzaga
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 3/6
