The Favorites

Kansas- The Jayhawks were in a great position to secure the #1 overall seed in the tournament, but they blew it by losing in the Big 12 quarterfinals against TCU. Their draw is still favorable, as the second weekend of the regional is played in Kansas City. That should provide a nice crowd advantage for the Jayhawks, which is significant considering they lost just one home game all season. The Jayhawks identity this season has been offensive domination, averaging over 82 ppg. Point guard Frank Mason is a legitimate candidate to win national player of the year, and rightfully so. Mason can score from anywhere on the court, and he can make plays for his teammates and get them open looks on a consistent basis. His 48.7 percent three point percentage is outrageously good, and that could be a major weapon for Kansas down the stretch. Mason has enough offensive support from shooting guard Devonte’ Graham and freshman forward Josh Jackson that allows him to play within himself and not force things. Kansas is a major force to be reckoned with.

Louisville- Louisville also lost its first conference tournament game, however they matched up against Duke so the committee didn’t hold the loss against them and still granted the cardinals a #2 seed. Louisville has been consistently really good, but was unable to put together a streak of consecutive great wins. They beat Wichita State, then lost to Baylor. Beat Kentucky, lose to Virginia. Beat Duke, lose to Florida State. Beat Notre Dame, lose to Duke. So there ya have it, they can beat anybody, but you have to beat multiple great teams consecutively to advance. Louisville has yet to prove that they can do that. Roster wise this is a typical Rick Pitino team, equipped with multiple fast and aggressive point guards and half a dozen 6’7-6’10 athletes that can guard multiple positions and wreak havoc in their patented full court press. If Louisville’s point guards Donovan Mitchell and Quentin Snider can be as successful as their predecessors Russ Smith and Terry Rozier were in March, the Cardinals just might be able to do some real damage.

Oregon- It seems that every single season a legitimate national championship contender suffers a devastating injury just before the big dance. This years victim of the injury bug is Oregon, as the Ducks lost their starting center Chris Boucher to a torn ACL in the PAC 12 tournament. Boucher is their third leading scorer, second leading rebounder, and leading shot blocker. The Ducks boast about as much natural talent as anyone in the country, with five double digit scorers that helped Oregon win 29 games and the PAC 12 regular season title. But without their anchor in the middle, getting to the final four will be an uphill battle.

Everyone is Talking About…

Iowa State- The Cyclones enter the region as a #5 seed after winning their third Big 12 conference tournament title in the last four years, earning impressive wins against Oklahoma State and West Virginia. The Cyclones flew under the radar for most of the season after a 14-9 start, but they’ve caught the public’s eye winning nine of their last 10. The Cyclones can score, averaging over 80 ppg with four different scorers averaging at least 12 ppg. The engine that keeps them running is all-american point guard Monte Morris, who is their leading scorer and has the best turnover to assist ratio in the country by a large margin. He will be the key for the Big 12 champs.

Don’t be Fooled by…

Michigan State- It’s the time of year where the Spartans usually mysteriously fix all of their season long problems with a snap of a finger, but I wouldn’t count on that happening this season for Izzo’s squad. While uber-talented freshman Miles Bridges is very exciting to watch, he isn’t good enough to dominate games by himself. Not to mention this Spartan squad doesn’t play the type of defense we are accustomed to seeing them play. I know that they played the toughest schedule, but I don’t care, they lost the majority of there marquee match ups anyway. They aren’t getting to Kansas City.

If the Slipper Fits…

Rhode Island- The #11 seed in the regional is entering the tournament on cloud nine after taking control of their own destiny. They have been on the brink of getting their bubble popped the entire last month of the season, but they took themselves off the bubble by winning the A-10 conference tournament in impressive fashion. They’re a confident team right now, and not only is their first round opponent Creighton without their starting point guard, potential second round opponent Oregon is hobbled as well. Rhode Island found themselves a pretty good tournament draw.

Five Players to Watch

FR F Josh Jackson, Kansas- He was suspended by the Jayhawks against TCU in the Big 12 quarterfinal, forcing him to watch the team get upset from the bench. Hopefully he has learned his lesson, as he’s an integral piece to the title hopes of Frank Mason and company.

SO G Donovan Mitchell, Louisville- Mitchell is a unique player, as he’s sort of a tweener between the point and the two, but he’s a scoring machine that can score over bigs in the paint and he’s equally effective defensively. He’s probably the most complete player on their roster, so it’ll be imperative for the Cardinals that he makes his presence felt.

SR PF Deonte Burton, Iowa State- The Marquette transfer has come into his own in Ames, Iowa. He’s undersized, but he more than makes up for it with his athleticism. He can shoot, he can drive, he can run the floor, and he can score in the post. He’s a major weapon for the Cyclones.

JR SF Dillon Brooks, Oregon- He’s unquestionably Oregon’s best player and he can get a shot off against just about

anyone, but he can be a ball stopper at times. He needs to get his teammates involved to keep opposing defenses off balance. The Ducks might need Brooks to score 25 a night, but he has the talent to do so.

SO PF Caleb Swanigan, Purdue- Purdue probably has the best chance of any big ten team to advance to the sweet 16, and their hopes rest primarily on Swanigan’s shoulders.The Big Ten player of the year has a lot of skill and a lot of swagger, the Boilermakers are hoping that will be enough to lead them to Kansas City.

Predictions

While Miami and Big Ten tournament winner Michigan should prove to be formidable opponents for Kansas and Louisville, I doubt either of the top two seeds lose in the first weekend. Dillon Brooks will be able to carry the Ducks to the sweet 16, but Louisville is too deep and too ferocious defensively, the buck will stop there for Oregon. On the top half of the bracket, Swanigan won’t be enough for Purdue against Iowa State. In the sweet 16, Kansas will have the crowd advantage, but their only home loss was against Iowa State. Monte Morris and Frank Mason is as good as point guard match ups come, and I think the turnover immune Morris and the Cyclones will come out on top. While Iowa State will be rolling, they don’t have the depth or the length that Louisville has. I think that Louisville will be going back to the final four for the first time since their 2013 championship run.

The post NCAA Tournament Breakdown: Midwest Region appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This time, the series shifted to Iowa City, and it didn’t look like the game was played between the same two teams.

In an instant classic that could change the direction of the Hawkeyes’ season, the lead changed 20 times and every big shot was followed by an even bigger one.

After the first half went back and forth, Purdue took a nine-point lead into halftime after a 6-0 run, but the young Hawkeyes were not fazed. A 5-0 Iowa run started the second half, and the team showed everyone in Carver-Hawkeye Arena that they had matured since the last time they played the Boilermakers.

“When you go through what we went through (at Purdue), you have to learn from it,” said Iowa’s Head Coach Fran McCaffery. “Sometimes you just have to learn what playing on the road in the Big Ten is like, and then you go back to work. You grow, and you figure it out.”

The Hawkeyes did figure it out, and they did it as a team. The team recorded 22 total assists, 11 in each half, and nearly all of them came from their leaders, senior Peter Jok and freshman point guard Jordan Bohannon.

Jok lead this young team once again in scoring with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting, but he also added six rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Bohannon also had a career-high nine assists compared to just one turnover in a team-high 36 minutes.

“My game plan was to come out and try to get everybody else open shots,” said Jok after the game. “The team did a great job of finishing.”

Jok is known for his shooting ability, but his unselfish play in his senior season has aided in the development of the team’s young core. His ability to be a leader by example has led to some high praise from his head coach.

“I thought he was really special tonight,” said McCaffery of Jok’s performance. “He just gets how everything fits, and he’s making it easier for everybody else, which is what you want your senior captain to do.”

Even though Jok put up a game-high 29 points, the game was not won on the perimeter. Instead, Iowa took the challenge of Purdue’s big men and faced it head on.

Purdue has a post presence unlike any other team in the Big Ten with 6’9 Caleb Swanigan and 7’2 Isaac Haas playing down low, but Iowa’s young big men rose to the occasion last night.

Iowa registered 40 points in the paint compared to Purdue’s 20, something that is not easy to do against a team with Purdue’s size. The Hawkeyes also outrebounded the Boilermakers 35 to 28 after allowing 37 boards in West Lafayette.

Freshman forward Tyler Cook was second on the team in points with 16 on 7-of-10 shooting. He also contributed six rebounds and his defense on Swanigan never allowed the B1G Player of the Year candidate to fully settle in and get comfortable.

Off the bench, Nicholas Baer continued to wow everyone with his aggressiveness and gritty play. He grabbed ten rebounds, nine of them in the second half, and blocked a would-be dunk from the 7’2 Haas that brought the crowd at CHA to their feet.

Twice the Hawkeyes forced jump balls with Haas, and twice two big bodies hit the floor hard. In the first half, it was Cordell Pemsl who took Haas to the floor with a takedown Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands would have been proud of. In the second half, Haas was taken to the ground again, this time by Ryan Kriener.

Yes, Ryan Kriener.

The freshman from Spirit Lake was only averaging 4.4 minutes per game and had not checked in to a conference game yet this season, but he played eight impactful minutes late in the game.

Kriener checked in midway through the second half and picked up a quick foul on Haas, but the freshman responded by scoring six of the teams next eight points that helped the Hawkeyes tie the game for the first time in the half.

“M-V-P! M-V-P!” Tyler Cook chanted as the two made their way into their post game media session.

For the second straight game, McCaffery used a player off the bench to spark a rally and give the team a boost when they needed it. First, it was Dom Uhl against Rutgers. On Thursday night, it was Ryan Kriener.

“(He’s) been waiting for a chance, and he’s earned that chance,” McCaffery said of Kriener’s performance. “I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

“When you get your shot you just have to go and make the most it,” said Kriener. “I have a lot of confidence in my ability to score … but I couldn’t do that without my teammates getting me open, so credit to them.”

The Hawkeyes have now played four Big Ten games since their opening night debacle at Mackey Arena, and each game has been decided by single digits. In those games, the Hawkeyes are 3-1, with all three wins at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“I’m really proud of our guys and how we were able to compete tonight, said Baer following the upset of Purdue. “It’s something we’re going to have to do moving forward. Every night’s going to be a battle.”

Inexperience is no longer an excuse for this Iowa team, and they never wanted to use it as one in the first place. They’ve been through a lot already in the early going of the Big Ten season, and a signature win like this over a good Boilermakers team might just give them the confidence they need going forward. The “rebuilding year” for the Iowa program may not have to take a whole year if the team keeps playing at this level.

Iowa (11-7 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) travels to Evanston, IL on Sunday January 15^th to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (14-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) at 6:30 pm CST on BTN.

The post Iowa’s Fight Leads to Upset Over #17 Purdue appeared first on KRUI Radio.

After going through a four-game losing streak and having a complete makeover in the starting lineup, winning five in a row before facing a top-15 team in Purdue seems pretty good for the young, but talented, Hawkeyes.

“Considering where we were, yeah,” said head coach Fran McCaffery when asked if he liked where the team stands at the end of non-conference play.

Since McCaffery changed the starting lineup at Notre Dame, which included starting three true freshmen in Jordan Bohannon, Cordell Pemsl, and Isaiah Moss, the Hawkeyes are 5-2 and they have found some balance in their game. Before the change, defensive communication had been a problem and senior Peter Jok was the only player scoring consistently. That has not been the case during the current five-game winning streak.

“They’ve definitely shown signs of improvement,” McCaffery said. “We played so poorly in that stretch of games defensively, and they knew we had to be better. Then they had to figure out how to do it together.”

During the four-game skid, opponents were scoring 91 points per game against the Hawkeyes. Since, that number has gone down to 61.6.

Since becoming starters, Pemsl and Bohannon have averaged 13.6 and 11.7 PPG, which has given the team a much-needed boost offensively since freshman Tyler Cook was sidelined with a broken finger.

Before the injury, Cook was averaging 13.7 PPG and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Cook is expected to return to the lineup for the first time in three weeks against Purdue next Wednesday, although it is unclear whether or not he will be in the starting lineup. McCaffery says he will evaluate how he plays in practice over the next few days before making a decision.

“We’ll see how he does when he comes back,” McCaffery said of Cook. “Ahmad (Wagner) and Cordell have really played well together, so I’ll think it through.”

As is often the case with good players who miss time with injuries, it could take a while for Cook to get re-acclimated to playing with his teammates again, and for the team to get re-acclimated to Cook being on the floor. The team thinks the next week of practice will help them get accustomed to the change, and they don’t expect Cook to struggle at all when he returns to the lineup.

“I don’t see it changing at all,” said Wagner of the team chemistry when Cook returns. “We’re going to be just as effective as we were before, and I don’t think he’s going to miss a beat.”

Having Cook’s 6’9” frame back in the lineup will be helpful, as Purdue is one of the bigger teams Iowa will face all season. The Boilermakers have a potential first-round NBA Draft pick in 7’2” center Isaac Haas, as well as a B1G player of the year candidate in 6’9” forward Caleb Swanigan. Both players are averaging more than 14 PPG so far this season.

The Hawkeyes will have to be at their best from this point on. Only a couple of players on this young team have been through B1G play before, and they will be relied on more in the coming weeks as the freshmen get accustomed to the conference schedule.

“Our team’s been clicking lately, and we’re only going to get better from here,” Wagner said. “People say we’re young and inexperienced, but I think our team’s good and I think we can surprise a lot of people.”

It will be an interesting conference season for the Hawkeyes who are still trying to find their groove. Fans will need to keep their expectations in check as they watch this young team grow and learn on the fly, and we have to understand that the team will have to make mistakes and hit some bumps in the road if they want to keep improving.

Big Ten Conference play starts on Wednesday, December 28^th as Iowa (8-5) travels to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on the #15 Purdue Boilermakers (11-2) at Mackey Arena. Game time is set for 7:30 PM central time and can be seen on Big Ten Network.

The post Hawkeyes Turn Their Attention to B1G Play appeared first on KRUI Radio.