At the midpoint of the Big Ten season, The Daily Iowan’s basketball writers talk a potential No. 1 seed, an 8-1 Big Ten start, and the defensive prowess of Peter Jok.
Iowa is a worthy of a No. 1 seed
Ian: Sell.
The good news for Hawkeye fans, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, and several others, have Iowa as a No. 1 seed in the tournament and have it playing in the tournament. The bad news is I’d also sell this.
I’m a bit pessimistic, but I think the state of college basketball is too strong for the Hawkeyes to maintain this. Yes, the Hawkeyes are good, but so are Oklahoma, Kansas, Maryland, and North Carolina, to name a few. Plus, with as strong as the Big Ten is, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for the Hawkeyes to fall off the top line,
Kyle: Buy.
So far this season, this has to be true.
The Hawkeyes had five victories over ranked opponents before the month of February, and they have two “impressive” losses to Iowa State and Maryland. That alone puts Iowa in elite company in the NCAA, and there’s a lot of time to add to it.
Factor in that Jarrod Uthoff is very much in the National Player of the Year discussion — and that the Hawkeyes also possess the coveted mobile and healthy 7-footer along with two veteran point guards and a strong bench — and it becomes obvious that not many teams are better constructed for a deep run in March.
Iowa is the Big Ten title favorite
Ian: Sell.
This isn’t so much a sell in the sense that Iowa will definitely not win the Big Ten. It’s a sell in the sense the Big Ten is just too good. Maryland is for real, as evidenced by the Hawkeyes’ loss on the road, and Iowa has yet to play Indiana.
The Hoosiers seem set on riding the Yogi Ferrell bus until it breaks down, and so far, that seems to be a good strategy.
Iowa swept two of the trendy picks to take the Big Ten title in Purdue and Michigan State, so credit is due. All four games were near blowouts for the Hawkeyes, and drubbing the Spartans on the road looks great for the tournament résumé.
Iowa is for real, no doubt, but the Hawkeyes will have their hands full over the next nine games.
Kyle: Sell.
This will seem counterintuitive, given that I do believe Iowa will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney, but I can’t deem the Hawkeyes Big Ten favorites quite yet.
Iowa is tied with Indiana for first in the conference standings but have two meetings left on the docket with the ultra-talented Hoosiers. In the very likely scenario that Iowa and Indiana split with each other, both will have their second loss and open themselves to a tie with Maryland.
In such a case, even if Iowa is one of the top four teams in the country, I believe Maryland to be right there with it. The Terrapins bested the Hawks in their only meeting of the season, and the Terps also play Indiana only once. In other words, Maryland is well within striking distance of an outright conference title.
Iowa is good — nationally elite, in fact — but it’s no cakewalk to the Big Ten title
Jok is an elite defender in the Big Ten
Ian: Buy.
Iowa is improved on both ends of the floor from a season ago. It’s not debatable to call the Hawkeyes one of the best teams in the country across all 94 feet of hardwood.
A big part of that improvement is the play of Peter Jok. The junior guard, already a prolific scorer last season, added a new dimension to his game by becoming a top-flight defender.
Jok has been a defensive liability in the past, but he’s earned the title elite and the praise of head coach Fran McCaffery through his play this season.
Kyle: Sell.
This is an interesting idea, because Jok’s stats would indicate that not only is he a vastly improved defensive player but among the best in the conference.
Jok has hovered near the top of the steals leaders all season, currently tied for second with 1.5 per game, but just because he’s a playmaker doesn’t mean he’s a lockdown defender.
Where Jok could have once been described as generally unaware on the defensive end, he is now engaged enough to see his man and the ball, and he has recognized what his man is trying to do while sagging off the ball. Jok has become keen on reading passes and racking up steals by intercepting as his man waits for the ball to arrive.
