NCAA Basketball: Way-way-too-early 2019-20 preseason top-25 rankings

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers looks on in the second half during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal against the Auburn Tigers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The Iowa Hawkeyes huddle. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

I bought into Iowa two years ago. Didn’t work out. I bought into Iowa last year. Kind of worked out. I am buying into Iowa once again heading into 2019-20. Good idea or bad idea? In my opinion, I jumped the gun a bit on expecting the Hawkeyes to be a Big Ten contender during each of the past two seasons but now is the right time for them to take the next step. With the majority of the roster returning for this coming season after a relatively strong 2018-19 campaign, I think it is reasonable to predict a preseason top-25 ranking.

This, though, might rely on whether or not Tyler Cook elects to return to school. Cook was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Hawkeyes during this past season and there is a relatively high potential that he chooses to pursue a professional career. If that does occur, then that will greatly impact Iowa’s hopes for next season but there is still plenty of talent on the roster. This most notably comes in the form of the tremendous starting trio of Luka Garza, Jordan Bohannon, and Joe Wieskamp.

All three of these players averaged in double figures a year ago and should only improve with another year of experience underneath their belts. The Hawkeyes are also going to return a couple of other potential breakout candidates in Isaiah Moss and Connor McCaffery while bringing in a relatively strong recruiting class. Most notably, 6-foot-8 Pat McCaffery will be coming in next season as the No. 71 ranked recruit in the class.

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