Iowa Preview Capsule
Eds: With BKC–Iowa Preview
By The Associated Press=
Iowa
Last season: 14-19
Nickname: Hawkeyes
Coach: Fran McCaffery
Conference: Big Ten
Who’s gone: Forward Ahmad Wagner, guard Brady Ellingson.
Who’s back: Forward Tyler Cook, who led the team in scoring (15.3 points per game), rebounding (6.8) and field goal percentage (.566), returned for his junior season after flirting with the pros. Fellow junior Jordan Bohannon averaged 13.5 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 43 percent on 3s a year ago. Six-foot-11 center Luke Garza (12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds a game) could take a big step forward as a sophomore, but he was slowed by a cyst on his spleen in the offseason and may not be ready for the opener.
Who’s new: Freshman Joe Wieskamp, the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Iowa, is a scoring wing who will likely start immediately for a team seeking an infusion of elite-level talent.
The Skinny: The Hawkeyes were arguably the worst defensive Power Five team in America a year ago. They have their top nine scorers back this season, but if those guys don’t learn how to get stops it won’t matter much.
Expectations: Iowa is a 250-to-1 longshot to win the national title. The Hawkeyes would probably settle for 20 wins and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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For more AP college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25
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