Iowa – Freshmen coming up huge
Big man Luka Garza has been tremendous to start the season, averaging nearly 20 ppg and 10 rpg and playing at an All-Big Ten level. But among the role players for the Hawkeyes, a pair of newcomers have been positive surprises. Freshman guard CJ Fredrick is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg and has been another playmaking guard for the offense to work with. He had 16 points against San Diego State and for the season has made 13/23 three-point attempts.
Joe Toussaint has been another effective freshman, producing 20 ppg per 36 minutes. He’s been a great scorer off the bench and has filled in well for some of the injured Iowa players. There’s legitimate depth on this season to surround Garza and with the DePaul loss not looking bad at all right now, the Hawkeyes are on track to have another season in the top half of the Big Ten. But they’ll be tested with tough non-conference matchups including Cincinnati, Syracuse and Iowa State.
San Diego State – Aztecs can win the Mountain West this season
At the beginning of the season, there was no question about whether Utah State will win the Mountain West or not. They’ve looked just fine so far but still don’t have their star big man Neemias Queta, who is recovering from an offseason knee injury. A team that not only is healthy but currently unbeaten are the Aztecs, whose new pieces have fit in perfectly.
Vanderbilt grad transfer Yanni Wetzel has played his best collegiate basketball, averaging double figures and provided great defense. Former Washington State guard Malachi Flynn dropped 28 points against Iowa in the title game and is putting up 16 ppg and five assists a night towards the season. If he keeps this up, he’ll be challenging Utah State’s Sam Merrill for Conference Player of the Year.
San Diego State’s defensive reputation still remains, ranking in the top-15 nationally. But the offense has been a pleasant surprise overall, particularly the 41% combined three-point shooting. Mid-majors such as Gonzaga, Dayton, VCU and Utah State have gotten the early attention but the Aztecs have shown themselves to be a complete threat in every way. And with conference play coming up soon, the Mountain West could be shaping up to be a two-horse race for the crown rather than a foregone conclusion.