Iowa Hawkeyes Preview

Date: Tuesday, January 7th

Time: 8:00pm CST

Location: Iowa City, IA

2018-19 Season: 23-12 (10-10 Big Ten)

2019-20 Season: 10-4 (1-2 Big Ten)

Coach: Fran McCaffery (10th Season)

Mascot: Hawkeye

Previous Season:

The mighty Hawkeyes of Iowa had a fairly decent run last season with some ups and downs as the season came to a close. They ended the season in sixth place in the Big Ten standings. With that, made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before falling to Michigan. From there they made the NCAA tournament where they earned the 10th seed in the South Region. They pulled off a first round upset against #7 seeded Cincinnati. Their season was ended by the #2 Tennessee Volunteers in the second round.

Current Season:

Fran has Iowa playing fairly good basketball again this season. They are 3rd in Kenpom for offensive efficiency and 98th in defense. Their four losses this season have been to respectable squads. DePaul, #7 San Diego State, #19 Michigan, and #20 Penn State. Yes folks, Penn State is ranked.

As one can see from their Kenpom ranking, Iowa has made it bread and butter this season on offense. They have yet to score less than 68 points in any of their outings and averaging 81.1 points per game. This while shoointg 46.1% from the floor.

However, they struggle on the defensive side of the ball. Giving up roughly 70.4 points per game. That is, however, one spotbetter than Nebraska who is currently at the bottom of the Big Ten at 75.2 points per game.

They are lead by junior Luke Garza. The 6’11” 260 pound center is averaging 22.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. The points lead the conference. His rebounds trail only Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu. He’s a threat that Nebraska will need to figure out how to contain if they want to have a chance in this match up.

Also of note is Joe Weiskamp at guard. Joe is a sophomore who is averaging 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He’s shooting 45.9% from the floor and 41% from beyond the arch.

The one two punch of Garza and Weiskamp will keep Nebraska’s defense on it’s toes the entire night. The fact that they both are accurate in their shots also does not bode well for Nebraska. If these two get on a roll, it could be a long night for the Huskers.

Prediction:

It all depends on what Husker squad shows up. However, I don’t like the chances. Even if this is a Big Ten road game for the Hawkeyes. Rutgers proved that last week. Iowa 93 Nebraska 77