It will be another tough year for Iowa in the Big Ten in basketball, as they have plenty of growth to do. Gone are the days of Head Coach Fran McCaffery having his boys to look to to be a leading force on the floor for the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n
It has been middle-of-the-pack seasons for the Hawkeyes the last couple of years. They were an NCAA tournament team two seasons ago, but that was when they still had Kris Murray<\/a> alongside sharpshooter Jordan Bohannon<\/a>. Turn to the 2023-24 season, and the Hawkeyes had plenty of unknowns, but they still had Patrick McCaffrey<\/a> alongside dangerous sharpshooter Payton Sandfort<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was a step back as Iowa went 19-15 and had to settle for a NIT berth. Plus, they had lots of youth in their line-up. That made things tough down the stretch, but Iowa was able to beat three of the Big Ten’s tournament teams in the final month of the season Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. This year will be a real test with so much of the teams leadership gone.<\/p>\n The Hawkeyes have high hopes going into the new season, and they should after being a borderline NCAA tournament team last season. Like most teams, they had their departures, especially via the transfer portal. Those losses included Coach McCaffrey’s son, Patrick, who left for Butler. Tony Perkins<\/a>, who took a big step last season for Iowa, also left for Missouri.<\/p>\n Things are certainly going to be different in Iowa City in 2024, but they certainly have some players on the roster who are more than ready to step up in a big way. Getting Sandfort to remove his name from the NBA Draft<\/a> was big, but keeping Josh Dix in the fold didn’t hurt either. Dix was a serious threat to transfer from Iowa but chose to stay.<\/p>\n According to Tyler Tachman from the Des Moines Register<\/a>, Dix is ready to contribute in a big way this season.<\/p>\n “I feel like with everything we have returning- and obviously Payton making the decision to come back- I feel like we got a really good group,” Dix said. “I feel connected to the coaches and my teammates. I’m from Iowa, so I want to be here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It’s clear the Hawkeyes are confident they have the roster to get back to the top half of the Big Ten, and they have a great group of young players ready to take the next step.<\/p>\n The chemistry looks strong in a post via Iowa Basketball’s X page.<\/p>\n Work in Progress. \u26a0\ufe0f #Hawkeyes<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/iWBPpMFZHa<\/a><\/p>\n — Iowa Men\u2019s Basketball (@IowaHoops) June 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIowa Big Ten Basketball 2024-25 Outlook: Hawkeyes Eye Growth<\/h2>\n
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