I see 6 legits and question marks
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We have 11 scholarship players (2 scholarships went unfilled).
I count 8 legit rotational players and 3 question marks.
I think we should be pretty comfortable with the starting 5.
Ulis or Bowen
Perkins
PMac
Kris
Filip
Those available off the Bench:
Ulis or Bowen
Connor
Payton
3 question marks on the Bench
Josh Dix -- will he be ready/healthy?
Riley -- we really need him; what can he give us?
Josh Ogundele -- how many minutes can he give us?
I count 8 legit rotational players and 3 question marks.
I think we should be pretty comfortable with the starting 5.
Ulis or Bowen
Perkins
PMac
Kris
Filip
Those available off the Bench:
Ulis or Bowen
Connor
Payton
3 question marks on the Bench
Josh Dix -- will he be ready/healthy?
Riley -- we really need him; what can he give us?
Josh Ogundele -- how many minutes can he give us?
Feel pretty good about Riley and Dix after they get a few months under their belt. Dix as a tall SG should have good value off the bench and Riley is being prepped for at least a defensive Center role - unclear how much offense to expect from him. Think Woodbury probably in terms of his offense/defense expectations.
Ogundele I'm not expecting anything from, as he has few refined skills as evidenced by his face up jumper in the B10 tournament and his bull in the china shop approach down low. He is a physical body and can do some good things in spots but not someone you can count on (but can always hope for surprises!). He may become important if Riley or Filip go down with injury, however.
Ogundele I'm not expecting anything from, as he has few refined skills as evidenced by his face up jumper in the B10 tournament and his bull in the china shop approach down low. He is a physical body and can do some good things in spots but not someone you can count on (but can always hope for surprises!). He may become important if Riley or Filip go down with injury, however.
He may become important? If either of those guys go down he is going to have to show up and show up big time. I don't usually worry about scoring with Fran's teams but this one might struggle from time to time and defense will probably be a another bug-a-boo for us
Depth at the 5 is of the utmost concern IMO. I think Ulis can be serviceable, Bowen has loads of talent, and Connor could fill in if needed.
Mulvey and Josh O are the huge question marks and at least one of them will be needed to log a lot of minutes off the bench.
Josh really came up big (no pun intended) in the B1G tournament. If he can keep his health and his focus this season, I don't see why he can't be a regular contributor.
Riley hasn't really been in a position to shine under pressure nor has he shown a lot in the few minutes he's been in but he's still young. A summer and a set of fall practices under his belt could help him get up to speed.
Yes, unless they just have Kris back up the 5 spot and increase minutes for others. Depends on Ogundele growth and the matchups that game. Unless we’re facing a big offensive post we may just stay small.
I have a hunch we might see true Freshman Amarion Nimmers (preferred walk on), a 6'3" combo guard, in pre-mop up action.
When the game is in hand? I think that's when we see Sophomore Luc Laketa (preferred walk on) and RS Freshman Carter Kingsbury (preferred walk on).
I think last off the bench will be Junior Dante Eldridge (assistant coach Courtney Eldridge's son), a walk on.
BirdistheWord
HB Legend
I believe Ulis is more than serviceable. His biggest weakness is shooting. But for the most part has been an excellent ball handler, passer, rebounder, FT shooter, and defender. With no improvement in shooting, he is still quite valuable, IMO. With even slight improvement in shooting (e.g. consistently make layups, short floaters and a few more short jumpers) and we are in great shape. True freshman dont usually step in and start wire to wire in the B1G, so doubtbul for Bowen, but would love to be wrong if he is really that good.
BirdistheWord
HB Legend
Nimmers does seem to be a wild stallion, I like the upside.
I think the starting line-up will be strong. I assume there is a good battle going on between Ulis and Bowen and it will make both of them better players. I don't think we need a lot of scoring from whoever starts at PG, so whoever is the best a facilitating, running the team, not turning it over, and playing solid D is who I want. If they can get to the rim and score and hit some open 3's at 35% clip, all the better.
I think Sandfort makes huge jump as the 6th man. Hard to fathom he won't have some big scoring games with the way he shoots. Hopefully his D has improved because than they would have a really deadly player. I think the back-up PG will be solid in whoever doesn't start and we know with Connor what he will bring - toughness, leadership, being able to calm the team down off the bench, and someone who can play 1 - 4 when needed. Having that sort of player that doesn't need a lot of minutes but is smart and a winner is a big plus for any team.
That is 8 solid in the rotation.
I think the biggest wildcard and what could really make this team pretty good is Mulvey. I don't have any expectations for Big O, so he is out of the picture in my mind. He is simply a guy who can burn fouls and body up against big Centers when needed for 3-5 minutes. I would love to be proven wrong.
With Mulvey, even if he can just be a good Defender who can hit the boards and score 6-8 pts per game, that will make a big difference. They have plenty of scoring with Murray, PMac, Perkins, and Sandfort (and I believe Rebraca is going to expand his Offensive game to closer to the 9-10 pts PPG area) but having a strong, somewhat mobile big guy who can defend and control the boards for 15-20 minutes a game would be huge and I think that is why Mulvey is the biggest - and most important - unknown.
I think Sandfort makes huge jump as the 6th man. Hard to fathom he won't have some big scoring games with the way he shoots. Hopefully his D has improved because than they would have a really deadly player. I think the back-up PG will be solid in whoever doesn't start and we know with Connor what he will bring - toughness, leadership, being able to calm the team down off the bench, and someone who can play 1 - 4 when needed. Having that sort of player that doesn't need a lot of minutes but is smart and a winner is a big plus for any team.
That is 8 solid in the rotation.
I think the biggest wildcard and what could really make this team pretty good is Mulvey. I don't have any expectations for Big O, so he is out of the picture in my mind. He is simply a guy who can burn fouls and body up against big Centers when needed for 3-5 minutes. I would love to be proven wrong.
With Mulvey, even if he can just be a good Defender who can hit the boards and score 6-8 pts per game, that will make a big difference. They have plenty of scoring with Murray, PMac, Perkins, and Sandfort (and I believe Rebraca is going to expand his Offensive game to closer to the 9-10 pts PPG area) but having a strong, somewhat mobile big guy who can defend and control the boards for 15-20 minutes a game would be huge and I think that is why Mulvey is the biggest - and most important - unknown.
If they can play decent defense, I think this team can be effective without a true center. It might cost a game or two during Big10 play, but the goal is to make (at least) the 2nd weekend of the NCAAs.
Brach, Perk, Pat and Connor Mc, Sandy and Kris. I like the chances of Bowen getting big minutes and Mulveys been endorsed by Keegan. Hoping one of Ulis, Dix or Nimmers rises up to get significant roles. Also hoping for a great story from anyone unexpected.
A shorter rotation has an upside for F McC. He tends to play too many players. The line up changes were painful to watch.
We really need Bowen to be B!G playable this season. Riley does need to step up and show some real improvement. I think he can but I could be wrong. Gabe may have minute limitations but he certainly can play with the big boys for a few minutes at a time.
We really need Bowen to be B!G playable this season. Riley does need to step up and show some real improvement. I think he can but I could be wrong. Gabe may have minute limitations but he certainly can play with the big boys for a few minutes at a time.
Ulis is already in the top 5. Bowen will play good minutes off the bench, as will Sandfort. There are your top 8. Any other minutes will be hard-earned, hopefully by one of the big guys. I doubt we'll see much from the others including walk-ons this year but anything would be great.
Dean Oliver, Horner, Gessel and JBO all started from day 1.
Right now I'd take Bowen over all of them except Oliver just based on athleticism and talent.
I also think Ulis is plenty capable of starting and probably should have already been starting.
I like this point guard situation better than at any previous point under Fran.
Yep, I'm of the opinion that Iowas best lineup is Kris at the 5 Sandfort at the 4.
If you press the right buttons with that lineup the opponent will eventually have to take their center out of the game.
JBo was not initially a starter....it took some games that season for everyone to realize how terrible Christian Williams was.
When you wrote Gabe I am guessing you mean Josh Ogundele.
We open with a couple cupcakes (Bethuuuuuuuuuuuuuune Cookman & NC A&T). Then games get tougher:
Nov 16: at Seton Hall
Nov 25: Clemson
Nov 26: Cal or TCU
Nov 29: Georgia Tech
Dec 6: Duke
Dec 8: Iowa State
In the tougher games, I am not sure Fran can go past a 10 man rotation. We shall see.
Gesell was a darn good player. Undervalued by a lot of Iowa fans, imo.
Games where Filip and/or Kris get in foul trouble will be when depth may be an issue. Iowa could go small with Payton and/or a second small guard but rebounding will suffer. One or both of Josh O and Riley really need to provide some quality minutes for those times.
I see 5. PMac, Kris, Perkins, Rebraca, Sandfort I think we've seen enough to have a pretty good feeling that they'll be solid to great rotational players. Ulis really didn't play much in conference play last year and the advanced stats were not good. Bowen is a freshman and I don't know how fair it is to have big expectations for him. Connor played well at the end of last year but I don't think it's also fair to put some real expectations on him. But there are always guys that surprise me going in to season and I'll be curious to see who that is.
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I think for the offense to click we need scoring from the PG... and as we saw with JBo being reinstalled at PG is having a point that you have to pick up at 30 feet opens the floor making it easier for easy post feeds and cutters to not get caught up in the clogged middle.
I agree - I think there is a clear-cut 8 (I am including Bowen in that) with the hope Mulvey can make a jump
I somewhat agree but I don't think the PG needs to be a big-time scorer. We need them to be able to hit the open 3 with some consistency and/or be able to penetrate and score/dish (which JBo was not able to do). If Bowen is as advertised and can get it in the lane - and he has the ability/awareness to kick out if not going to the rack to score - it will help a ton. I like Ulis as a steady player but unless he has improved his shot and ability to create, I see him as more of a nice back-up PG (which is why I am hoping the competition with Bowen has pushed him and upped his game).
Offense is not really anything at this point that I worry about with Fran's teams. I am hopeful the team can bring consistent defensive intensity and rebound.
I just don't see it with Josh but would love to be wrong. Mulvey seems to have more potential in different ways offensively and defensively. Josh's value seems to be specifically as a space eater/defender in short spurts.
That's what Iowa really needs this year, someone who can come in and forse opponents to deal with a completely different type of player. it really threw off Purdue's game in the B1G Championship game. If Josh O takes a baby step forward and is able to come in healthy in and good shape, he's make an impact and could even be disruptive to what other teams might game plan against Iowa inside.
Agree with the above discussion about a clear 8 man rotation with Mulvey hopefully being the 9th man. IMO, 8-9 is perfect and does not need to be stretched out to force a hockey sub situation--most good teams in CBB don't play more than 8 on a regular basis.
I think this is where Payton's flexibility to play the 2-4 really helps. Iowa's best 3 players are Perk, PMac, and Kris--if we can stagger their rest by moving Payton around that could really make us dangerous. I expect all 4 of those players to see 25+ minutes per game with Kris being closer to 30-32. In order to get Payton to his 25, Fran will need to move him around the lineup.
I think this is where Payton's flexibility to play the 2-4 really helps. Iowa's best 3 players are Perk, PMac, and Kris--if we can stagger their rest by moving Payton around that could really make us dangerous. I expect all 4 of those players to see 25+ minutes per game with Kris being closer to 30-32. In order to get Payton to his 25, Fran will need to move him around the lineup.
Agree with most of what has been said. We don't have proven depth, except at 3/4, so staying healthy is going to be especially important. To be a B1G contender, I believe Bowen and Mulvey need to ready to contribute. I feel good about the team being in the top half of the B1G, but have hope to be be a real contender in a year where there is no clear top couple of teams.
Why are some of you so down on Josh O? He came up big for Iowa when they needed him, and he came back when he could have gone elsewhere. He's now going into year 3, apparently healthy, and Iowa really needs him this season and next. I think he takes the next step like other bigs before him have.
Have a little faith!
🙂
Have a little faith!
🙂
I hope to be wrong. Would be great if he does take that next step. I just see him as a limited player (especially offensively). I think a big piece of that is his conditioning. If he has worked really hard to where he can play more than a few minutes at a time, than maybe there is a role for him to play 6-10 minutes a game. But based on what we have seen, I see Josh O at best as a career back-up Center playing ~10 minutes per game.
I wasn't aware that Josh had turned down offers to go elsewhere. I thought he came back because the Portal cupboard was bare.
I hate to put so much on one player, but I think the success of this team will rely on Kris being at least the better part of what Keegan supplied last season and, most importantly, staying out of foul trouble. Also, we tend to forget how much he contributed last season. Who will fill that slot? Sandfort, perhaps. I trust McCaffery to get the most out of what he's working with, but just don't know how much that is as of now. Overall, I think the B1G is going to be down a notch, so that may help.
Hawks really need Mulvey and O on the glass. May have to hide them on defense with a lot of zone. Offensively Hawks will have enough weapons where those two just need to convert hustle/bonus points and keep teams honest in the paint.
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