Sports
Hawkeyes Basketball Ranked #4 in Big Ten Preseason Power Rankings by CBS Sportswriter
Hawkeyes, top five in the Big Ten again? Yes please.
Let the preseason hype continue I say!
The University of Iowa hasn't made the Big Ten Tournament since basically forever, but a strong NIT finish and lots of returning players has writers bullish on Hawkeye futures, including one CBS sportswriter who ranks the Hawkeyes in his top five.
Jon Rothstein’s Big Ten Offseason Notebook
BIG TEN PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS
1. MICHIGAN STATE
THE SKINNY: Adreian Payne’s return makes Sparty a Final Four contender.
2. OHIO STATE
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THE SKINNY: Take the pictures and put them away. We won’t see another Aaron Craft for an awful long time.
3. MICHIGAN
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THE SKINNY: Freshman point guard Derrick Walton will pick up where Trey Burke left off.
4. IOWA
THE SKINNY: The Hawkeyes will make the NCAA Tournament, and have the potential to do damage once they get there.
5. WISCONSIN
THE SKINNY: Death, taxes, and Bo Ryan.
And here's what he has to say about the likelihood of the Hawkeyes meeting expectations.
3. WILL IOWA LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS?
It’d be shocking it they didn’t. The Hawkeyes nearly made the NCAA Tournament last year and return their entire core while adding an impact forward in Wisconsin transfer Jarrod Uthoff. Iowa lost six conference games by five points or less last season, and an extra year of experience should go a long way for this group in close game situations. The biggest key for this team? Outside shooting. Fran McCaffery needs a reliable shot maker from deep, and a potential candidate to fill that role is freshman Peter Jok. The 6-5 small forward is an effortless shooter, and could compete with veteranJosh Oglesby for a “specialist” role in reserve.
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