Iowa Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Hawkeyes

Bench

With a shift in the starting lineup and a few of last year’s bench contributors being lifted to starter status, the Hawkeyes will require a small group of newcomers to produce off the bench – in addition to a few returners.  Featuring nine players who averaged over 10 minutes per game last season, Iowa may be able to afford having eight or nine this year, as well.

The first one off the bench will most likely be who does not start between Joe Toussaint or Connor McCaffery, depending on how Fran McCaffery decides to roll out his starting lineup – and, no matter the choice, both will provide production in varying ways.  Both averaged at least 11 minutes per game, although both will need to improve their scoring in order to supply efficient bench production – neither averaged more than four points last season.

Among other returners, Ahron Ulis and Tony Perkins are the most likely to receive a boost in minutes off the bench.  Both saw around six to seven minutes of action per game last season, and neither averaged over two points last year – but both guards played 18 minutes apiece against Slippery Rock.  Perkins had the more impressive outing, logging eight points, three boards, three steals, and two assists, but Ulis was no slouch himself, tallying a point, six caroms, and two assists.

Rounding out Iowa’s assortment of guards is Payton Sandfort, a three-star newcomer from Waukee High School who shot 49% from beyond the arc his senior season – and who desperately needs to replicate that percentage in order to receive significant playing time for the Hawkeyes.  His first outing in an Iowa uniform was decidedly optimistic, considering the 6-7 sharpshooter went 5-8 from the field – including 2-4 on long bombs – to finish with 12 points.

With Iowa’s most glaring positional issue coming inside, a backup post player is crucial for the Hawkeyes, and the most likely candidate will be freshman Riley Mulvey.  A three-star, 6-11 recruit who graduated early in order to enroll at Iowa, Mulvey played just under 10 minutes in the Hawkeyes’ exhibition, tallying four points and three boards and finishing as a plus-17.

Whether the Hawkeyes will be able to feature as solid of a backup crew as last season is most likely not possible – but the potential is there for Fran McCaffery and crew to develop a few marquee contributors.  Mulvey’s flourishment, in particular, will be pivotal, much like Murray and Rebraca – but the assortment of Ulis, Perkins, Sandfort, and the leftover of Toussaint and McCaffery should absolutely give Iowa a number of offensive weapons in the backcourt.