Sunday's PTL games: key matchups include Cartwright vs. Gatens, Hubbard vs. Farokhmanesh

The Prime Time League tips off Sunday afternoon at North Liberty Recreation Center. There are the newcomers we all want to see such as incoming Hawkeyes Anthony Hubbard, Gabe Olaseni, Aaron White, Josh Oglesby. They'll have to face men like former Hawkeye Duez Henderson, Ex-Drake center Aliou Keita and Sports Illustrated cover model Ali Farokhmanesh over the next six weeks.

Outside of the coaches and players on the court, I'm not sure anyone (including myself) is preoccupied with who wins Prime Time League games. I'm more interested in watching the player vs. player matchups and observing next year's Iowa class.

Here a glance at Sunday's games and matchups with a dose of analysis and what I'm looking for from each game:

3 p.m. game (new gym) -- This game might be the most intriguing on paper. Starting Iowa point guard Bryce Cartwright on one team; starting Iowa off-guard Matt Gatens on the other. Cartwright led the Big Ten in assists during league action; Gatens was Iowa's leading scorer and the Big Ten leader in free-throw percentage.

The game also features Iowa newcomers Gabe Olaseni (with Cartwright) and Aaron White (with Gatens). Northern Iowa guard Marc Sonnen, who averaged nearly 25 minutes a game last year, joins Cartwright while starting UNI center Austin Pehl (who replaced an injured Lucas O'Rear midseason) will play with Gatens.

Along with Cartwright, Ray Swetella also will coach his son, Dain, and Iowa walk-on Steven McCarty, who is the cousin of Iowa sophomore Devyn Marble. Ron Nove coaches Gatens' squad, which could include Melsahn Basabe if he doesn't qualify for the national U-19 team (tryouts are next week).

• WHAT I WANT TO SEE: It's likely Cartwright and Gatens -- two Big Ten honorable mentions selections last year -- will face off for significant minutes. How will they compete against one another? I want to see Olaseni's athletic abililty against a strong inside presence like Pehl. White was the most underrated Iowa recruit this year. I want to see how he competes against Olaseni in the post.

4:30 game (old gym) -- Everybody wants a glimpse at incoming Iowa junior guard Anthony Hubbard, and here's your chance. He will form an explosive back-court tandem with UNI guard Anthony James, who averaged 12.4 points a game for the Panthers last year. They also pair up with former Clear Creek-Amana shot-blocking extraordinaire Alex Novak (Minnesota State-Moorhead) and ex-Iowa City High forward Malcolm Moore, who will attend UTEP this fall. On paper, Kevin Lehman's squad might have the deepest talent if Basabe doesn't play.

Hubbard and James will oppose Farokhmanesh, who will play in the PTL after a pro stint in Switzerland. He's joined by Iowa's Zach McCabe, UNI (and ex-Solon) guard Matt Morrison along with UNI incoming freshman Matt Bohannon (formerly of Linn-Mar). Dan Ahrens put together a roster that's less dynamic athletically but has top-notch on-court awareness and plays hard at all times.

• WHAT I WANT TO SEE: Hubbard and James might combine for 60 points every night, but I want to know how Hubbard will defend against a shooter like Farokmanesh. Hubbard will see plenty of shooters in the Big Ten, although most aren't as relentless at getting open. Hubbard is known for making plays off the dribble and fighting for rebounds in the post. I'll be watching that aspect of his game when he faces other teams, especially if he goes one-on-one with Basabe this summer.

4:30 game (new gym) -- I'm interested in how Kevin Sanders is going to blend Iowa post Devon Archie and guard Devyn Marble with former Hawkeyes Duez Henderson and Darryl Moore, Temple power forward Anthony Lee (who lives in Davenport) and Tennessee point guard Wes Washpun (formerly of Cedar Rapids Washington).

Randy Larson coaches the other squad, highlighted by incoming Iowa junior Eric May and incoming freshman Josh Oglesby (who might guard Washpun, his former CR Washington teammate). Iowa center Andrew Brommer also is on this roster, but he won't play for a few more weeks after recovering from knee surgery.  Former Hawkeye Jason Price also competes for Larson.

• WHAT I WANT TO SEE: Archie play hard for significant stretches on both ends of the court. He showed he can defend against Big Ten posts and dunk with authority. Has he developed an offensive game since March? All of Iowa's coaches talked up May's improvement on the I-Club circuit this spring. I'd like to see in what areas he's improved the most. We all know Oglesby is Iowa's best shooter the second he puts on the uniform. But how will he do guarding players like Marble and Washpun? Oglesby will defend players of their caliber and even better in every Big Ten game.