Monday's Clicks: Another Way-Too-Early Top 5 For The Hawkeyes
Iowa's men's basketball team continues to get plenty of attention for next season, and yes, it's way too early.
Still, it gives us something to talk about in these times of the shutdown of sports.
Iowa came in at No. 5 on Monday in ESPN's first preseason rankings of the season.
Jeff Borzello's take on the Hawkeyes:
"This ranking is of course predicated on Luka Garza returning to the Hawkeyes for his final season of college basketball. My expectation for the past several months is that Garza wouldn't leave early for the NBA, and ESPN ranking him No. 86 among NBA draft prospects only solidifies that thought. If Garza returns, coach Fran McCaffery will bring back all five starters from a team that won 20 games and had one of the elite offenses in the country. Joe Wieskamp and CJ Fredrick were both double-figure scorers, providing some balance alongside Garza, and Jordan Bohannon should also be back after redshirting last season to undergo hip surgery. When healthy, Bohannon is an adept playmaker and a knockdown perimeter shooter who should give the Hawkeyes even more options. The defense will have to improve to maintain a top-five ranking, though; Iowa ranked 12th out of 14 teams in adjusted defensive efficiency in Big Ten play."
Pittman and the draft
USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.'s last college game was against Iowa in the Holiday Bowl.
Pittman caught six passes for 53 yards for the Trojans in the 49-24 loss to the Hawkeyes.
Now, he's among the many getting ready for this weekend's NFL draft in an uncertain time during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt looks at how Pittman has been preparing.
'The Last Dance'
The first two installments of "The Last Dance," ESPN's documentary on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, were unveiled on Sunday night.
A look at a rare piece of footage that came to light:
