Iowa basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Hawkeyes

Season Outlook

Despite all the intriguing pieces and questions on the Hawkeyes’ roster, there’s one question that looms over everything else in Iowa City.

This is one place in which Iowa’s schedule may work out to its benefit. The Hawkeyes should mostly cruise in their first five games, meaning that they’ll be able to really figure out what their team will look like if Bohannon isn’t fully ready to go and is forced to take a medical redshirt.

To that end, Connor McCaffery started in Bohannon’s place in Monday’s tuneup, while Bohannon came off the bench as a spot-up two-guard. That’s obviously not where Bohannon would play in February, but it’s the smartest way to shake up the rotation for now, while the games don’t matter too much and Iowa has more than enough talent to win the games it should. Furthermore, if Bohannon does have to redshirt, the Hawkeyes won’t lose as much if they have to adjust to the loss of a shooting guard rather than the guy running the show. They’re preparing for life without their best player at the same time as they hope to ease him back.

But while Iowa remains a talented outfit, it’s probably not quite a tournament team without Bohannon. Will he be able to play the season at full health or close to it? Will he play a few games in November, enough to preserve a potential medical redshirt, before deciding he’s not good to go? Or will he shut it down entirely?

If the latter is the case, both McCafferys will have to step up, as will Kriener and Frederick and others. Wieskamp will have to become a go-to scorer and an All-Big Ten caliber player. You can talk yourself into believing these things will happen more easily than can be said for other bubble hopefuls in the Big Ten like Minnesota or Indiana, though.