Iowa Hawkeyes
Big Ten (17-16, 8-10)
Iowa had a pretty good season in 2011-2012. Coach Fran McCaffery is still implementing his up-tempo style of play, but at times it worked out quite well for the Hawkeyes. This is a team that beat Wisconsin twice and added home victories against Michigan and Indiana. Those quality wins got the Hawkeyes into the NIT. But for every big win there was a bad loss…or two. The most obvious example was the home loss to Campbell by 16 points.
Big Wins: 12/31 at Wisconsin (72-65), 1/14 Michigan (75-59), 2/19 Indiana (78-66)
Bad Losses: 11/23 Campbell (61-77), 11/29 Clemson (55-71), 1/26 Nebraska (73-79)
Coach: Fran McCaffery (2 seasons at Iowa)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Hawkeyes like to outscore the opposition and that has worked. Senior guard Matt Gatens averaged 15.7 points per game and knocked down 42.4 percent of his attempts from long range. Gatens can do more than shoot and will use his 6-5 frame to get to the basket. With Roy Devyn Marble by his side, Gatens leads a big, multi-dimensional backcourt that can score in a variety ways. Bryce Cartwright is the point guard who makes the offense tick. Cartwright is not much of a scorer, but he does a great job keeping the offense under control and dishes out 4.5 assists per game with only 2.5 turnovers. For a team that runs, having a point guard that can keep the turnovers to a minimum is extremely important.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The frontcourt has plenty of scoring punch too. Zach McCabe, Melshan Basabe and Aaron White are all decent scorers. Basabe is the one player who stays in the paint, while White and McCabe are capable of stepping outside and knocking down the mid-range jumper. However, the problem in the frontcourt is their ability to rebound. White leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest, but this is a Hawkeyes team that has been consistently beaten on the glass in the Big Ten. The road to Madison Square Garden will not be easy for Iowa and they need to stay strong in the paint if they want make a serious tournament run.
Probable Starters:
Bryce Cartwright, Senior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 4.4 apg
Matt Gatens, Senior, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 1.9 apg
Roy Devyn Marble, Sophomore, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.8 rpg
Zach McCabe, Sophomore, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Aaron White, Freshman, Forward, 10.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Melsahn Basabe, Sophomore, Forward, 7.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Eric May, Junior, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Josh Oglesby, Freshman, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 1.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.1 (73rd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.0 (271, 12)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.3 (99, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.1 (264, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (231, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.6 (69, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.8 (80, 5)
Rebound Margin: 0.5 (169, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (57, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (112, 7)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Iowa 2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Northwestern State
Iowa 2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Cincinnati
Iowa 2004 NIT First Round loss to Saint Louis
Iowa 2003 NIT Opening Round win over Valparaiso
Iowa 2003 NIT First Round win over Iowa State
Iowa 2003 NIT Second Round loss to Georgia Tech
Iowa 2002 NIT First Round loss to LSU
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
