My thoughts on Iowa basketball after 2 games.
Last year they were a bubble team that played like a tourney team at the end of the year. A weak schedule and some bad losses kept them out, but they made a solid run in the NIT that ended in a beating by a talented Baylor team.
They lost Eric May, and I think we can all agree that isn't a huge loss. They added Jok and Uthoff. In my opinion Uthoff will make this a better team. He is a good shooter, pretty decent off the dribble, good rebounder, and his length is benefit on the defensive side. I think Jok is going to be a very good player, but he is a freshman and will struggle this year. I think he can be effective as a spot up shooter, which is something Iowa needs. Bottom line, I would take either on my team.
Offensively they are going to attack the lane and draw a lot of fouls. They are a good shooting team from the line, so this strategy will be effective. So far it appears that they still won't shoot well from outside. If this improves they can be a very good offensive team.
Defensively they are long and do a good job protecting the rim. I think they give up way too many open 3's and good teams will take advantage. I also think they will struggle defending really athletic teams, like in the Baylor game last year.
In my opinion, the Hawks will be better than they were a year ago. That being said they play a tougher schedule and their record may be about the same. I think the 4 seed/top10 predictions that I have heard from some people are absurd at this point. In my opinion they probably fall somewhere between a bubble team and border line top 25.
I think the Iowa/ISU game will be very interesting. Iowa's strength (getting to the line)could exploit one of our biggest potential issues (foul trouble). However, if they allow us 25-30 3's and we are knocking them down, I think we win this game. If it was a road game I would probably feel different.