Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Iowa (Projected: 16th in Big Ten)
Iowa nearly snuck through the backdoor into the NCAA Tournament last season, but in 2024-25 it will take a lot more work from Fran McCaffery. The Hawkeyes lose four of their top seven guys from last season and the Big Ten becomes one of the deepest conferences of all time with 18 teams who should all be competitive.
The duo of Payton Sandfort (16 ppg, 7 rpg) and Owen Freeman (11 ppg, 7 rpg) should get Iowa fans excited for this upcoming season. Sandfort weighed his professional options this offseason before returning to Iowa and will now have a second straight season as the team’s leader. Sandfort’s talent is undeniable and his experience in the Big Ten (now coming back for a 4th year) should bode well for the Hawkeyes this season. Freeman broke out into the spotlight this past year as a freshman, winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award (shared with Mackenzie Mgbako).
Josh Dix (9 ppg) is among the returners for the Hawkeyes as well, a starter for 20 games in the backcourt last season as a sophomore. Promising sophomores Brock Harding (3 ppg, 3 apg) and Pryce Sandfort (2 ppg) return and should have increased roles this season. The returners list is rounded out by Ladji Dembele (2 ppg), Even Brauns (1 ppg) and Riley Mulvey (Redshirt).
Mentioned earlier were the four key departures from Iowa’s 2023-24 squad. The biggest loss was senior point guard Tony Perkins (14 ppg, 5 apg), who transferred to Missouri. Ben Krikke (14 ppg, 5 rpg) started all 34 games for Iowa last season after transferring in from Valparaiso but has now graduated. Patrick McCaffery (9 ppg) started 15 games at Iowa last season but transferred to Butler this summer. Dasonte Bowen (4 ppg) is the fourth and final player to depart, playing a key role off the bench in the backcourt this past season.
With just four players on their way out, Fran McCaffery didn’t have to do too much damage in the transfer portal. McCaffery secured commitments from two D1 transfers and a local JUCO transfer this offseason. Drew Thelwell (10 ppg, 6 apg at Morehead State) was the big commitment, a vastly experienced floor general that will fill Tony Perkins’ role well. Thelwell gives this team a much needed boost in experience and has NCAA Tournament pedigree from his time at Morehead State. Seydou Traore (12 ppg, 8 rpg at Manhattan) also joins the program, a sophomore who impressed throughout his freshman campaign at Manhattan. The final transfer commmitment came from JUCO transfer Dante Eldridge (9 ppg, 5 apg at Kirkwood CC).
Coach McCaffery landed commitments from two high school recruits this year, both of whom could have an instant impact in 2024-25. Cooper Koch (4*, NAT 83) could start in the frontcourt next to Owen Freeman this season, and would instantly create one of the best young frontcourts in the conference. Forward Chris Tadjo (3*, NAT 172) is the other commitment, a guy that will be in the frontcourt rotation alongside Koch, Freeman, and Seydou Traore.
The Hawkeyes were a pleasant surprise in the Big Ten last season and are definitely capable of being the same this season. I like the core group of players Iowa has this season but I’m worried about the inexperienced depth of the roster at this point in time. Six of the 10 players I project to be top contributors are freshmen or sophomores and the Big Ten should prove to be a bit of a gauntlet this season. It’s very possible and probably likely some of the sophomores blossom into real contributors for the Hawkeyes, but it’s a wait-and-see situation for me.
We know what Iowa will get from Payton Sandfort and Owen Freeman, but the rest of the roster is where the question marks lay. “Which of the young guys will take ownership of the vacant roles?” and “How will the transfers translate to the Big Ten?” will be asked plenty before the season tips off. The X-factors on this team for me are Brock Harding and Pryce Sandfort. Harding and Sandfort both showed their potential throughout their freshman seasons, but will now either be called upon to start or play good minutes off the bench. If both pan out, Iowa will be in the midst of the fight in the middle of the Big Ten. If not, the Hawkeyes may struggle with a lack of experienced depth.
For me, the Big Ten is about as even of a conference this year as I have ever seen before. The top five or six teams are a step ahead of the other 12 teams, but all 18 have a realistic chance at reaching the NCAA Tournament with the amount of quality games on the schedule and evenly spread talent in the conference. I’ve got Iowa placed at 16th in the conference right now, but I think anywhere from 10th to 18th is reasonable.