Northern Iowa Basketball: In Depth Look at Sophomore Guard Tywhon Pickford

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – NOVEMBER 10: Tywhon Pickford #4 of the Northern Iowa Panthers battles Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a loose ball during their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 10, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Expectations for Pickford in 2018-2019

If the Panthers expect to be better this year, they will need to improve their numbers across the board. The sophomore guard is going to be a big catalyst for the improvement of the shooting numbers. Pickford is viewed by many as one of the more natural scorers in this conference. The efficiency and his shot should improve as he has now been in the program for over a year, getting the instruction he needs to fix his shot.

The Panthers are going to be looking to Pickford to be their leader this year. Even though he is only a sophomore, other players will flock to the best players on the team. Pickford is going to be given the ball in clutch situations and expected to go score and win a game or tie a game. He did show in a couple of games last year that he can make shots under pressure.

If the sophomore guard expects to take his game to the next level, he will need to be aggressive and drive the ball to the basket. The 75 free throw attempts, which equates to 2 per game is not enough for Pickford or the Panthers to be successful this year. The guard will look to double that number this year.

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If the sophomore can improve on his free throw numbers, as well as continue to rebound at a high level, he will find himself on the All-Conference first team. If the guard can take a large step forward in scoring the Panthers should improve their overall record, and Pickford will put his name on the map in the Missouri Valley conference.