Big Ten Basketball: Updated early power rankings for 2022-23 season

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 16: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena on February 16, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Illinois 70-59. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

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Big Ten Basketball Iowa Hawkeyes forward Kris Murray Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes lost one of the best players in the country in Keegan Murray, a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He averaged over 23 ppg and only lost out on Big Ten Basketball Player of the Year to Johnny Davis due to where their respective teams placed in the standings.

But where will Iowa place without having Keegan Murray around? There’s some hype that his brother, Kris Murray, can step in and be the focal point of the offense. The 6’8 forward averaged 9.7 and 4.3 rpg in 18 mpg off the bench, which equals to around 22 ppg per 40 minutes. If Kris can indeed take that major leap in his junior season, the team will be good enough to place in the top half.

There are still some questions in the backcourt now that Jordan Bohannon is finally not with the team anymore. He ran out of eligibility, while Joe Toussaint, who led the Hawkeyes in passing this past season, transferred to West Virginia. That puts pressure on returning guards, Tony Perkins and Ahron Ulis to have a big impact for next season.

Iowa hasn’t added any transfers this offseason so the rising junior core of the roster will have to take major leaps. If Kris Murray only averages around 14-15 ppg and the supporting cast doesn’t help much, this team could be much closer to the bottom than the top. There’s a lot of hopeful projection with the returning Murray brother that has Iowa here because the rest of the roster isn’t that good.

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