Hawkeyes men’s basketball team underrated in preseason ... again

IOWA CITY — Given the successes of the women’s and men’s teams of Iowa State and Iowa last season and the potential they have this season, I hereby declare this a basketball state.

Sorry, football. You had a good, long run.

Anyway, the college basketball season starts Monday. As it did at this time last year, Iowa is sitting on a better team than the nation and perhaps its own state realizes.

The Hawkeyes were picked ninth in last year’s preseason media poll and finished in a tie for fourth. This year, they’ve been picked seventh. Expect better.

That’s not said because the Hawkeyes shot 64.8 percent from the field and had a 118-72 exhibition win over Truman State here Monday. But it kind of is, because we saw enough of what makes for an interesting team.

Plenty of shooters, plenty of length, plenty of experience, enough depth, and a pace that is not what most of their opponents will be accustomed to playing.

Is enough defense there? Don’t know. Can the Hawkeyes counter the Big Ten’s four most-formidable big men, Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana, Hunter Dickinson of Michigan, Zach Edey of Purdue and Cliff Omoruyi of Rutgers? Maybe not.

But can the teams with those bigs offset what Iowa brings to the floor? Not necessarily.

The league race doesn’t start in earnest for two months, so let’s focus on what Iowa has entering nonconference play.

It has Kris Murray. The junior forward probably won’t match brother Keegan Murray’s 23.5 points per game of last season, but neither will anyone else in the Big Ten. That’s one high bar.

However, Kris is being named by some as the most-likely player to be taken first from the Big Ten in the 2023 NBA Draft, like Keegan was in June. Kris looked Keegan-ish Monday, making the scoring of 24 points look smooth and easy.

Good player.

The Hawkeyes have Tony Perkins. The junior guard averaged 10 points and three assists in Iowa’s Big Ten tournament title march and was a major reason Iowa took off in the final several weeks of last season.

"He’s a 6-4, 6-5 guard that can take you at any point,“ Kris Murray said Monday.

“He’s just a hard-nosed guard,” Iowa freshman point guard Dasonte Bowen said. “He’s always coming at you. I think he’s probably a tougher matchup (in practice) than anyone I end up playing this year.”

Of the 20 players on the preseason watch list for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon is the only Big Ten player. Of the 20 on the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard, none are Big Ten players.

It’s best not to take any of that too seriously in November, but it still could play right into the Hawkeyes’ hands.

Perkins started at the point Monday, allowing Iowa to start the veteran front line of Murray, Patrick McCaffery and Filip Rebraca. McCaffery averaged double-digit scoring last season.

Fifth-year senior Rebraca, who has played 123 college games and started every game last season for Iowa, should be more comfortable and productive with a Big Ten year under his belt. He looked that way Monday.

The team has shooters. Murray and McCaffery have shown they can make 3-pointers. Perkins can’t be left open behind the arc. Payton Sandfort has no hesitation to shoot, and with good reason. The same applies to freshman guard Josh Dix.

So who stuck all four of his first-half 3s Monday? Connor McCaffery.

The sixth-year senior made 16 of 26 3s from Jan. 31 to Feb. 28. But it’s his defense, leadership and toughness that makes him a well-known X-factor. Few opponents will have a veteran of that nature.

If you have a team with three, four capable 3-point shooters on the floor at the same time, you have a big part of what you need in modern-day basketball.

“As long as we’re unselfish, which we are,” said Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery, “then you’re going to get open 3s.”

College football in Iowa, play out your string. Winter is coming.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com