Bracketology: Hawkeyes Are A 3 Seed
Iowa has moved up to a 3 seed in the latest Bracketology by ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
Lunardi has the Hawkeyes as a 3 seed in the Midwest Region, playing 14 seed Winthrop in Wichita, Kan. The other side of the bracket has No. 6 seed Houston playing either Marquette or Clemson as an 11 seed.
It's a rise of two seed lines for the Hawkeyes from Lunardi's last bracket on June 12.
The Hawkeyes figure to be a favorite to make it to the NCAA tournament next season with or without center Luka Garza, who is keeping his name in the NBA Draft process while retaining his eligibility for next season.
Iowa's starting lineup, with Garza, will be one of the most experienced in the nation next season, logging 311 starts.
A look at the lineup:
- Garza (96 games, 87 starts, 2,462 minutes)
- Jordan Bohannon (112 games, 102 starts, 3,392 minutes)
- Joe Wieskamp (66 games, 66 starts, 1,977 minutes)
- CJ Fredrick (25 games, 25 starts, 714 minutes)
- Connor McCaffery (69 games, 31 starts, 1,617 minutes)
Iowa has eight returning players from last season's team that went 20-11. Adding in forward Jack Nunge, guard Joe Toussaint (who started 20 games as a freshman last season) and forward Patrick McCaffery, the Hawkeyes' roster has 439 games of experience, with 350 starts and 11,347 minutes.
Iowa brings in five newcomers — guards Ahron Ulis and Tony Perkins, center Josh Ogundele, and forwards Keegan and Kris Murray.
Iowa's men's and women's basketball players can begin voluntary workouts on June 15.
