Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: 5 biggest questions for rest of 2019-20 season

By Tristan Freeman

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes players celebrate with Brutus Buckeye after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes players celebrate with Brutus Buckeye after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

3. Between Penn State and Iowa, which team is more likely to finish in the top-25?

Mauro

Iowa, I don’t think it is all that close. Penn State is still coached by the worst coach in the league in Pat Chambers. Iowa has the best player in the league in Luka Garza. They also have tremendous shooters in Joe Wieskamp and CJ Fredrick. Fran has a good team even with Bohannon out.

Brown

Penn State is a much stronger team than Iowa. The Hawkeyes lost Jordan Bohannon for the rest of the season to hip surgery and that will hurt them. Penn State’s strength is their frontcourt, but you cannot deny the talent that they have with their guards. Against Maryland, I saw just how good the Nittany Lions have the potential to be. Lamar Stevens is a baller and Mike Watkins has a nice skillset as well. When I look at Iowa, other than Luka Garza, there’s not much to get excited about.

Chambers

Iowa is a top-25 team. Garza is a talented big whose post play is consistently improving day by day.

Kay

This is a very tough question and it is not out of the realm of possibility that both teams finish in the top 25. Due to strength of schedule and having the Big Ten leading scorer in Luka Garza, Iowa is slightly more likely than Penn State to finish in the top 25. The Hawkeyes have some key injuries which are concerning but they have some impressive wins against Texas Tech and Cincinnati on neutral courts, road victories at Syracuse and Iowa State, and wins at home against Minnesota and Oral Roberts.

The Nittany Lions only have two losses on the season and have some impressive wins as well. They don’t have the same impressive road and neutral court victories as Iowa nor is their strength of schedule as difficult as the Hawkeyes but they are building a nice resume. They have beat Wake Forest, Alabama, and Syracuse at home as well as beating Georgetown on their home court. Their most impressive win, however, is a home win over Maryland. The Nittany Lions looked impressive against the Terrapins after losing to Ohio State by 32 points. Things can change but right now Iowa is more likely to finish out the year in the top 25.

Childs

Penn State is the better pick to finish in the top 25. They have comparable players in Luka Garza and Lamar Stevens, but the Hawkeyes are allergic to playing defense. Losing Bohannon is a tough blow for the Hawkeyes also. They need to find more scoring than Garza if they want to be consistent. The Nittany Lions have had more contributions outside of Stevens which give them the edge.

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