Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

Oh, how the mighty have fallen…Iowa basketball finds themselves rounding out the Top 10 in the Big Ten basketball ranks after finishing third place a season ago. Luka Garza, Joe Wieskamp, Jack Nunge (Xavier) and C.J. Fredrick (Kentucky) are all gone leaving the Hawkeyes with just two starters from last season’s No. 2-seeded NCAA Tournament squad.

Jordan Bohannon will lead their backcourt attack after putting up impressive numbers, especially shooting the ball on the perimeter. He knocked down 39 percent of his shots from behind the arc n 2020-21 and will look to improve on that number leading a different-looking offensive attack.

Joe Toussaint is another guard to keep an eye on after averaging 3.7 ppg, 2.4 apg and 1.2 rpg in 31 appearances off the bench.

Down low, the paint isn’t so scary with Garza gone now. Filip Rebraca (North Dakota) is one that will look to fill the void. He was an All-Summit league performer in 2020-21, putting up16.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 1.2 apg and shooting 50.6 percent from the floor. He’s not afraid to roam to the perimeter, either.

Patrick McCaffery is a returning name that will be looked upon to play bigger minutes. He averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 14.6 minutes per contest in 31 appearances off the bench as a redshirt freshman.

With many holes to be filled for Iowa basketball, it’s hard to fathom a higher finish, though they should remain competitive. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Hawkeyes though they’ll have Keegan Murray back. He was their best player off the bench in 2020-21, posting 7.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg while shooting 50.1 percent from the field. He’ll look to make a bigger impact as a potential big-minute player.