Busting Brackets
Fansided

Iowa Basketball: Where do the Hawkeyes need to improve for 2018-19?

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 28: The Iowa Hawkeyes bench reacts in the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 28: The Iowa Hawkeyes bench reacts in the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 10: Ryan Kriener #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots a free throw. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 10: Ryan Kriener #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots a free throw. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

3. Free throws should be free points

Lastly, for such a good 3-point shooting team, Iowa was dreadful from the free throw line last season. They shot just 69.5% from the charity stripe as a team, a rate that ranked 253rd in the nation. This is despite the fact that Bohannon and Moss were 85+% shooters on just over two attempts per game each.

The biggest culprits in causing this poor shooting were Cook (66.1% on 5.5 FTA), Luka Garza (68.1% on 4.1 FTA), and Cordell Pemsl (67.1% on 2.4 FTA). It seemed as though the team could only be confident in two shooters on the whole roster. That is simply not enough for the team to hold onto late leads, something that is necessary for a bubble team. Yes, that’s right, I just said Iowa will be a bubble team in 2018-19. This is only if Cook returns, in my opinion, but the roster is talented enough and now experienced enough to make it happen.

In games decided by single digits this past season, Iowa went just 4-8. This could easily be improved by a win or two if the team just simply shot the ball better from the free throw line. There are capable shooters on the roster but they need to consistently spend time knocking down the easy ones.

Next: Early analysis of Gavitt Games matchups

It might not be easy for the Hawkeyes to excel in all of these parts of the game but subtle improvements can go a long way. The Big Ten will be stronger in 2018-19 than it was this past season and the experience of the young Iowa stars needs to show.

Home/Iowa Hawkeyes