A 6’4 college phenom out of San Diego State, Kris Bryant was a household name as soon as he was drafted by the Cubs second overall in the 2013 MLB draft. A mix of extreme power along with patience at the plate, there was good reason why Cub faithful was chomping at the bit to see this guy make his way to the majors. Amassing forty-three home runs in 2014 at the AA/AAA level and a stellar spring training, it was only a matter of a short time before he would join the roster. After a flurry of injuries from infielders Mike Olt and Tommy La Stella, Bryant was called up to fill the third base role just after eight games into this young season.

Lost in one of the most anticipated debuts in a long time, is the other star emerging from the minors in Addison Russell. With the second base position being the achilles heel of this club, with a combined batting average of only .077, the converted shortstop was called up to help the lower part of the lineup and to fill this role. The flashy 21- year-old created a stir around Chicago when he was acquired from Oakland in exchange for pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel (who is back with the Cubs). Known for his defensive craft and quick hands at the plate, Russell quickly crept up the farm system to find himself on a major league roster before previously thought.

With the addition of these two prospects, the Cubs now hold the youngest infield in all of baseball with no one being over twenty-five years of age. Barring any trades, the infield in Bryant, Castro, Russell, and Rizzo all are contracted in until the 2020 season, which means this crew should only get better with time.

With only a handful of games in the rearview for the 2015 campaign, not much is certain in a long 162-game stretch, but what is for sure is the hype is real and this team is ready to compete. Chicago has waited a long time since this much excitement has swept the Cub faithful. We all know of the hundred and some year drought and fans are eager to get that monkey off their bat. Will this year be the year? Will next year be the year? Well, a lot of things will have to fall into place for that feat, but for now let’s just appreciate players like Bryant and Russell and have a fun summer watching this rising ball club. I know I will.

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Those mid-2000s teams brought joy to Hawkeye faithful carrying on the tradition set before them from the dominating Lute Olsen and Tom Davis eras. There was that “it” factor about Iowa Basketball that gave fans something to look forward to.

As the Steve Alford era went along that excitement began to diminish. One year removed from a NCAA tournament bid as a 3-seed, Iowa found themselves as a team that failed to make a postseason tournament in 2007 and a coach that was on his way out. In hopes to quickly revitalize a program before disaster struck, Hawks brought in Butler University head coach Todd Lickliter. Fresh off his National Coach of the Year honor and building of a mid-major powerhouse, many thought Lickliter could do the same at Iowa. To put it lightly, he did not. To say his three years as Iowa’s head man was miserable would be an understatement. His combined 38-57 record left the Iowa program in shambles and an institution that in no way was appealing to recruits. A once energetic young Hawk fan, excitement for Iowa basketball was now nothing more than a distant memory.

A program that hit rock bottom, the reigns were now handed over to Siena Head Coach Fran McCaffery to try and spark life back into Iowa basketball for the 2010-2011 campaign. His first season was as expected a struggle with only eleven wins, but the next year as Fran was able to bring in his own recruits, the team looked promising. With additions of a 6’9 lengthy forward from Strongsville, Ohio that had a knack for the ball, an up and coming 6’11 freak athlete from England, and a sharp shooter from Cedar Rapids, things started to look up. In these players first year in the program the team managed a winning season and a trip to a postseason tournament for the first time in five years.

Fast forward three years later, and this squad never looked back. From an NIT berth, to an NIT title appearance, to an NCAA tournament appearance and then a win in the tournament in their final year, this senior class improved every year under Fran and has solidified life back into a program that so badly needed it. Amassing eighty-five wins, four postseason tournament appearances for the first time in nearly a decade, and many gritty performances later, Aaron White, Gabriel Olaseni, Josh Oglesby, and Kyle Denning helped build a program from the ground up and should be commemorated for their feat. On behalf of Hawkeye nation, I thank you seniors for giving us fans something to look forward to, something to talk about without rolling our eyes, and most definitely something to be proud about. Aaron, Gabe, Josh, and Kyle thank you for being Hawkeyes and bringing out that little kid excitement in us once again. Who knows, maybe I’ll find myself out in my driveway acting like I’m Aaron White hitting a game winner just like old times.

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As the 2014-2015 college basketball regular season begins to wind down with the Iowa Hawkeyes (17-10, 8-6) finding themselves once again amidst a year full of similar expectations for Fran and company, it begs the question, are the Hawkeyes poised to make a deep postseason run or will they experience déjà vu from a year ago?

Throughout the arc of the regular season a postseason run looked in store for the Hawks, snatching up quality wins against powerhouse teams like North Carolina, Ohio State (twice), and Maryland.

Then, there are times where the thought of just sneaking in the backdoor of the NCAA tournament is deserved for a team that has had numerous second half collapses. Most recently, a loss to Big Ten bottom feeder, Northwestern, that only leaves fans scratching their heads in confusion.

There are three major factors moving forward that are key if this veteran squad is to find success come March. First, it is crucial for Iowa to start fast in the first half of games. Fast starts have paved the way for impressive blowout wins at Michigan and home against Maryland.

Playing with the lead is crucial too. Ever since the second half debacle against Michigan State early in the conference schedule, the leader after the first 20 minutes has gone on to win each and every game.

Secondly, Iowa’s best offense has been fueled by their havoc-causing defense. Iowa’s length and scrappy guards makes for a dangerous combination, and puts the team 3^rd in the Big Ten with 6.5 steals per game. These steals lead to easy transition points that jumpstarting the offense, huge for a team that has failed to consistently knock down perimeter shots.

Iowa has shown the ability to be one of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten, but now it is just a matter of showing the same intensity game in and game out.

Finally, the continuing emergence of Jarrod Uthoff is huge for the Hawkeyes. We know that Aaron White, the team leader,  will consistently put up his 14 points, 7 rebound game. Still, where Iowa finds its most success is when the offense runs through Uthoff.

The 6’8 Cedar Rapids native leads the team in three point percentage with 41% and total 3-pointers with 46. Uthoff is shooting over 50 percent from the field the last three games, a number that has been on the climb ever since Fran McCaffery publicly stated that Uthoff needed to assert himself offensively following the home loss to Minnesota.

It is safe to say that Fran echoed the hopes of the Hawkeye faithful that night, and everyone has since seen the product in motion.

All of the pieces seem to be in place for a significant run in the postseason for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Then again, they were last year too. The difference this year to propel the program over the hump? It just might be consistency.

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