The Monday Tipoff: Next Year Is Here, Even If The Start Is Different

The Monday Tipoff knows you're already thinking about next season.

Iowa's men's basketball team is getting plenty of attention in those way-too-early Top 25s, and that's understandable. If everyone expected to be back comes back, the Hawkeyes will be deep with talent.

Still, there is an offseason to negotiate, and, had the Hawkeyes been in the NCAA tournament and lost in the first weekend, this would have been a week of transition. Had they won twice and been heading on to the regional semifinals, that transition would have been delayed.

It's not delayed since the tournament was canceled over concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus. It's just going to be a lot different.

If this was a normal offseason, the Hawkeyes would be getting ready for spring workouts. There would be the normal one-on-one meetings between players and coach Fran McCaffery. There would be the questions of whether anyone would be transferring, who would be testing the NBA draft process.

But Iowa is on an extended spring break to allow for preparation of online classes, since there will be no in-person classes the rest of the semester. It's unclear when, or if, Iowa's practice facility will be available to players, in the next couple of months. The NBA draft process will look different, since the league's facilities are closed and no one is traveling to watch players.

Yet, in a lot of ways, college basketball's world still operates.

There are players entering the NCAA's transfer portal, and who goes where will give a different look around the league — Ohio State, for example, added forward Seth Towns from Harvard, one of the top graduate transfers available.

There are still coaching searches, although even those take on a different look as in-person interviews are difficult.

Part of that world, too, includes looking at next season, and right now the Hawkeyes are getting a lot of consideration at being among the best in the nation.

Iowa comes in at No. 7 in ESPN's first rankings for next year.

"Luka Garza was my pick to win the Wooden Award, and I think he'll head back to Iowa City for his senior season," writes Jeff Borzello. "If that happens, the Hawkeyes are undoubtedly a preseason top-10 team. Fran McCaffery will bring back all five starters from a 20-win team, one that would've likely ended up with a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament."

Stadium's Jeff Goodman has Iowa at No. 11.

"Luka Garza was arguably the National Player of the Year, and my guess is he’ll return for his senior campaign," Goodman wrote. "Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick, Joe Toussaint and Connor McCaffery are all back. We’ll see what happens with Jordan Bohannon."

NBC Sports' Rob Dauster has Iowa at No. 13.

"I’m assuming Luka Garza will be back for his senior season, which is a helluva way for Fran McCaffery to anchor a roster that looks as good as anyone in the Big Ten," Dauster wrote.

There will be more of these in the coming days, and the Hawkeyes will be in them.

The transition toward next season continues, and it's OK to think about that. It's just a little bit different.

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