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NCAA Basketball: Updated early top-25 power rankings for 2020-21 season

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 5: Killian Tillie #33 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 5: Killian Tillie #33 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – JANUARY 07: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – JANUARY 07: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

483. . . . Hawkeyes . 5. team

NCAA Basketball power rankings – Iowa Hawkeyes

It was a battle this past season between Iowa’s Luka Garza and Dayton’s Obi Toppin for National Player of the Year. Toppin got the slightest edge in the end and now he’s off to the NBA Draft. Barring a surprising decision in the coming weeks, Garza (23.9 ppg and 9.8 rpg) will likely return for his senior season, making him the prohibited favorite to win the top individual award next year.

But Garza alone isn’t the reason why the Hawkeyes is a preseason top-5 team. They return seven of the top eight scorers from last season, including Joe Wieskamp, rising sophomore guards CJ Fredrick and Joe Toussaint and senior leader Jordan Bohannon, who was granted an extra year by the NCAA after missing most of last season with an injury.

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Losing forward Ryan Kriener will be a hit to the frontcourt depth but a healthy Jack Nunge will be a solid replacement. Iowa is set on the perimeter but outside of Garza, it is a bit thin inside. Foul trouble to the Hawkeyes star could mean doom for Iowa in certain games, which could explain his less than stellar defensive effort at times.

Defense overall could be what stops Iowa from making the Final Four in 2021. They ranked at the bottom in most defensive categories and returning almost everyone usually means that things won’t get much better on that end. But if Garza does indeed come back, there isn’t a Big Ten team who can keep up with the Hawkeyes on offense. And if the underclassmen guards continue to develop, this may end up being the best overall offense in all of NCAA Basketball.

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