Hawkeye Basketball: An assessment five games in

In a year of transition, the only constant for the Iowa men's basketball team is inconsistency.

Such is life for a team with a new coach in Fran McCaffery, a shift in philosophy and basically six new players contributing key minutes.

Here's a look at some pressing issues:

Point guard controversy? Cully Payne and Bryce Cartwright have split time almost down to the minute. Payne, a sophomore, has each start but has hit just 28.6 percent of his shots and is averaging 3.8 points. His assist-to-turnover ratio is strong at 17-to-8.

Cartwright, a junior-college transfer, is the third-leading scorer at 9 points a game but has 14 assists to 13 turnovers.

Against Long Beach State. Cartwright had 17 points to Payne's none. Cartwright played 30 minutes to Payne's 13. Payne had a couple of early fouls, but Cartwright stepped in and hit 8 of 16 shots and had only three turnovers.

This scenario gets tricky for McCaffery if Cartwright's numbers continue to dwarf Payne's production.

How about the post? Four players have mixed results. Senior Jarryd Cole started strong with 17 points, eight rebounds and 30 minutes against South Dakota State. In the next four games, he had 17 points and averaged 19 minutes. Red-shirt junior Devon Archie had a double-double against Xavier (10 points, 11 rebounds) but produced four points and seven rebounds in the last two games. Freshman Melsahn Basabe averages nearly 20 minutes but has one 10-point game and one shutout. Junior Andrew Brommer has had two games of six points and two games with none.

This position is a work in progress.

Mount McCaffery erupts. McCaffery has been hit with two technicals, one more than Iowa had last season. He's blown up at officials an hit clipboards. It's unknown if McCaffery's fiery enthusiasm is a much-needed wake-up call for the program or will become a detriment if it's a common occurrence. We shall see.

Bench points, minutes rise. More than half the points in the last two games have come from bench contributors. Reserves scored 42 of 72 against Long Beach State. Cartwright and freshmen Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe each played more than half the game. Two of the three leading scorers - McCabe and Cartwright - primarily come off the bench.

Gatens' impact. Junior Matt Gatens had a solid debut against Xavier with 15 points and three assists in 27 minutes. He followed with four points in 34 minutes and four points in 20 minutes. One wonders how surgery on his left hand has impacted his play. One thing is certain; if it's bothering him, he'll never tell anyone.