Welcome to “Huge Ten offseason at a look,” a team-by-team take a look at the convention at first of the summer time. We’ll study roster motion for every Huge Ten roster and provides an early outlook for every Huge Ten program for the 2024-25 season.
Beforehand: Penn State, Minnesota, Illinois
In the present day: Iowa (19-15 general in 2023-24, 10-10 in Huge Ten play)
Iowa missed the NCAA match and completed No. 57 within the remaining KenPom scores for the 2023-24 season. Fran McCaffery is getting into his fifteenth season in Iowa Metropolis and has by no means superior to the Candy Sixteen or gained a convention title.
Iowa roster motion
Gamers returning with eligibility remaining: Brock Harding, Josh Dix, Owen Freeman, Pryce Sandfort, Ladji Dembele, Even Brauns, Riley Mulvey
Gamers departing as a result of exhausted eligibility: Ben Krikke
Gamers testing the NBA draft: Payton Sandfort
Gamers who departed through the switch portal: Tony Perkins (to Missouri), Patrick McCaffery (to Butler), Dasonte Bowen (to St Bonaventure)
Gamers arriving through the switch portal: Drew Thelwell (from Morehead State), Seydou Traore (from Manhattan)
Gamers arriving through highschool: Cooper Koch (247Composite prime 80), Chris Tadjo
Iowa at the moment has two scholarships open for subsequent season except Sandfort opts to return for a fourth season. He’s at the moment projected as a second-round choose in most mock drafts. The deadline for Sandfort to decide is Might 29, 2024, at midnight ET.
What to love about Iowa
If Sandfort returns, he’ll be probably the greatest wing scorers within the Huge Ten. He shot near 38 % on 3s final season and had one of many prime 20 offensive scores within the convention in league play.
However there are items on this roster past Sandfort. Freeman was the Huge Ten’s freshman of the 12 months and was extremely environment friendly and productive in his first season. With an offseason of improvement, it’s honest to count on him to lift his recreation to a different stage.
Dix returns as a succesful shooter within the backcourt who was a starter. The youthful Sandfort, Pryce, must be extra productive with a season of expertise beneath his belt. Two switch portal additions, Thelwell and Traore, must be starters from day one. Thelwell ought to begin on the level, with Traore taking Krikke’s minutes on the 4.
What to query with Iowa
If Sandfort stays within the NBA draft, there’s likelihood Iowa is likely one of the backside three groups within the Huge Ten subsequent season. It’s no exaggeration to state that Iowa’s probabilities to be aggressive within the convention subsequent season hinge on his determination.
Within the greater image, it’s additionally honest to surprise if Iowa has already hit its peak beneath McCaffery. His groups have produced high-level offenses on an annual foundation however haven’t defended nicely sufficient to make any noise within the NCAA match. Final season, Iowa completed 157th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive effectivity rankings.
If Iowa struggles once more subsequent season, the dialog across the program’s path beneath McCaffery will intensify.
Iowa’s outlook for the 2024-25 season
Right here’s Iowa’s Huge Ten schedule for subsequent season:
Residence: Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, WashingtonAway: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USCHome/Away: Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin
The Hawkeyes are at the moment No. 50 in Bart Torvik’s scores for subsequent season and that features Sandfort returning to highschool, which most consider is the expectation. If he leaves, the Hawkeyes will seemingly drop 20 spots within the rankings.
If Sandfort comes again, the trio of him, Freeman, and Dix is a strong one to construct round. The Hawkeyes are hoping Thelwell can seamlessly take over for Perkins, which might be a stretch on condition that Perkins was a second-team All-Huge Ten choice final season.
Even when every little thing goes proper for Iowa subsequent season, the Hawkeyes are seemingly a fringe NCAA match crew in 12 months 16 of the McCaffery period.
Filed to: 2024-25 Huge Ten preview, Iowa Hawkeyes
