Welcome to The Sports Bank’s third annual college basketball season preview series. Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75 power conference teams and top 36 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
Fran McCaffery is very close to helping the Iowa Hawkeyes turn the corner and become a NCAA Tournament caliber team. The addition of a pair of key freshmen has the Hawkeyes’ future looking rather bright.
IOWA HAWKEYES
Last Season: T-7th, 8-10 in Big Ten, 18-17 overall
Predicted Big Ten Finish: 8th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Adam Woodbury (Fr)/Zach McCabe (Jr)/Gabriel Olaseni (So)
PF: Aaron White (So)/Melsahn Basabe (Jr)/Kyle Meyer (Fr)
G/F: Roy Devyn Marble (Jr)/Eric May (Sr)
SG: Josh Oglesby (So)/Patrick Ingram (Fr)
PG: Mike Gesell (Fr)/Anthony Clemmons (Fr)
Gone: PG-Bryce Cartwright, SG-Matt Gatens, PF-Devon Archie, F/C-Andrew Brommer
2012-2013 Outlook:
Getting 7’1 big man Adam Woodbury to stay home and play for Iowa rather than heading to a perennial power like North Carolina or Ohio State was a huge recruiting pickup for McCaffery. The lefty is a skilled back-to-basket player and while he is nowhere near a finished product, should contend for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor.
The Hawkeyes have solid depth inside to put alongside Woodbury. Aaron White is a stretch four who lit it up in Iowa’s two NIT games and seems the most capable to replace the scoring ability of Matt Gatens. Melsahn Basabe digressed in his sophomore campaign but is still a dangerous weapon off the Iowa bench as is Zach McCabe. Gabriel Olaseni and freshman Kyle Meyer add even more depth inside but will likely find it difficult to crack the regular rotation.
Iowa also returns some decent talent on the wing. Roy Devyn Marble is easily one of the most versatile players in the Big Ten and can play multiple positions which is a wonderful weapon to have. Josh Oglesby and Eric May both saw quality minutes off the bench a year ago. Each player can light it up from deep and they figure to compete to replace Gatens’ starting spot. Freshman Patrick Ingram is more of a slasher who could steal some minutes due to his ability to attack the rim.
The biggest question mark will come at the point where freshman Mike Gesell will be handed the keys right away since he is a capable scorer and distributor. How well he transitions to running the show at high level college basketball could determine whether Iowa makes a major leap this season or remains a slightly below five-hundred team in the Big Ten. There isn’t a whole lot of experience at the point with freshman Anthony Clements in a reserve role but Marble is capable of setting the table when needed.
Home state kid Jared Uthoff also transfers in from Wisconsin after a controversial exit from Madison. The versatile forward must sit out this season but will be another puzzle piece for McCaffery in 2013-14 when they should take the next step as a program.
Player to Watch: Aaron White
While balance will be a huge asset for the Hawkeyes this season, every team needs a go-to option or someone who can catch fire and carry the team offensively when they struggle. Last season, Gatens was that guy more times than not but this year that role shifts over to White who also led the team in rebounding. He is not the lights out shooter that Gatens was but is capable of making things happen on his own.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/20 vs. Western Kentucky (Cancun Challenge)
11/21 vs. Wichita State/DePaul (Cancun Challenge)
11/27 at Virginia Tech (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
12/7 vs. Iowa State
12/15 vs. Northern Iowa (in Des Moines)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#62 Valparaiso Crusaders
#63 Illinois Fighting Illini
#64 Arkansas Razorbacks
#65 Wichita State Shockers
#66 George Mason Patriots
#67 Virginia Cavaliers
#68 Villanova Wildcats
#69 Maryland Terrapins
#70 Marshall Thundering Herd
#71 Iona Gaels
#72 Northwestern Wildcats
#73 Oklahoms State Cowboys
#74 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#75 USC Trojans
#76 UConn Huskies
#77 Harvard Crimson
#78 Xavier Musketeers
#79 Ole Miss Rebels
#80 Clemson Tigers
#81 Oregon State Beavers
#82 Texas A&M Aggies
#83 Providence Friars
#84 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#85 Oklahoma Sooners
#86 Lehigh Mountain Hawks
#87 Washington State Cougars
#88 Long Beach State 49ers
#89 Belmont Bruins
#90 Vanderbilt Commodores
#91 Dayton Flyers
#92 Houston Cougars
#93 UCF Knights
#94 Old Dominion Monarchs
#95 Oregon Ducks
#96 LSU Tigers
#97 South Carolina Gamecocks
#98 Seton Hall Pirates
#99 Georgia Bulldogs
#100 DePaul Blue Demons
#101 Boston College Eagles
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.