21. Iowa Hawkeyes
Likely departures
- Bennett Stirtz (19.8 ppg and 4.4 apg)
- Tavion Banks (10.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg)
- Brendan Hausen (4.0 ppg and 0.7 rpg)
Likely returnees
- Alvaro Folguerias (8.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg)
- Cooper Koch (7.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg)
- Cam Manyawu (6.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg)
- Kael Combs (6.1 ppg and 2.4 apg)
- Tate Sage (6.1 ppg and 2.4 rpg)
- Isaia Howard (5.1 ppg and 2.6 rpg)
There weren’t many players having more of an impact on their respective team than Stirtz, who led all of college basketball in minutes played this past season. And Banks, the only other double-digit scorers on the team, are gone. So why would Iowa be ranked in the top-25 right now?
Well, besides the uncertainty throughout the rest of the sport, the Hawkeyes effectively get to return everyone else. That includes guys like Folguerias and Sage, the heroes in some of Iowa’s postseason wins, while Koch is a 40% three-point shooter from deep.Â
Coach Ben McCollum also has a four-star forward prospect joining the team in Ethan Harris to give them even more frontcourt. Replacing Stirtz will be next to impossible, but the supporting cast is already in place for next season.