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NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Texas, and Iowa headline this week’s Sunday Mailbag

By Bryan Mauro

Jan 2, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Courtney Ramey (3) talks to guard Donovan Williams (10) during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Courtney Ramey (3) talks to guard Donovan Williams (10) during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Connor McCaffery Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Connor McCaffery Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2. Is there a Big Ten team you’re confident in saying can you successfully navigate and overcome the road woes experienced by many teams in the conference? – Ian Mumm (@FiveOnFiveHoops)

The Big Ten is the deepest league in the country and the top of the league has three teams who look to be legitimate contenders for the national championship. The league is a gauntlet from top to bottom and recently more teams have started winning on the road. However, it is still really hard to get a win away from your home building in this league. If I had to pick one team who was going to crack the code consistently and be able to rack up a ton of wins on the road in this league it would be Iowa.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are one of the best teams in the country and are likely going to win the conference this year. They have the best player in the country in Luka Garza. In addition to Garza, the Hawkeyes have a ton of experience and can shoot the lights out of the building. CJ Frederick and Jordan Bohannon are two of the best shooters in the country and when they are hitting shots Iowa is virtually unbeatable. Iowa is elite on offense and that is going to be the main way they beat many of the teams they play.

The Hawkeyes have also been playing much better defense this year. Iowa has always been known for their offense but has never played much defense,  the fact that Iowa is playing defense this year is what separates them from the rest of the pack in the Big Ten and as long as their defense travels, Iowa will have no problem beating anyone in the league especially on the road.

Outside of the potential defensive struggles for Iowa, which can keep any team in a game far longer than they should be. Iowa lives by the three and dies by the three and if their shots are not falling from deep they can become vulnerable. That doesn’t happen often but that is the only kryptonite that Iowa seems to have. The Hawkeyes are really good and are going to win a lot of road games in the Big Ten.

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