Big Ten Offseason Evaluation: Iowa Hawkeyes

In our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation series, we’ll break down the roster changes and outlook for all 18 Big Ten basketball teams heading into the 2024-25 season. Next up is Iowa, which returns a few key pieces but must replace its point guard and center.

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery reacts during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa missed the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since 2018. And following the season, starting point guard Tony Perkins headlined a couple notable departures. 

Coach Fran McCaffery has established a solid floor for the program, with appearances in the top-25 rankings in five of the last six seasons, excluding 2023-24. Getting Payton Sandfort back after he considered the NBA was crucial, but questions remain about the roster as a whole.

Here’s a full breakdown of Iowa’s offseason, plus its outlook for next year.

Who they lost

• Transfers: Tony Perkins (14 ppg, Missouri), Patrick McCaffery (8.9 ppg, Butler), Dasonte Bowen (4.4 ppg, St. Bonaventure)
• NBA/graduation: Ben Krikke (13.8 ppg)

Who they gained

• Transfers: Seydou Traore (11.8 ppg, Manhattan), Drew Thelwell (10 ppg, Morehead State)
• Freshmen: Cooper Koch (No. 82 per 247Sports Composite), Chris Tadjo (No. 146)

Returning

• Payton Sandfort (16.4 ppg), Owen Freeman (10.6 ppg), Josh Dix (8.9 ppg), Brock Harding (3.4 ppg), Pryce Sandfort (2.3 ppg), Ladji Dembele (2.2 ppg), Even Brauns (0.6 ppg), Riley Mulvey (redshirt)

Reasons for optimism

Iowa got a huge boost when leading scorer Payton Sandfort withdrew from the NBA draft and returned for his senior season. The 6-foot-7 wing was one of the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooters last season, shooting 37.9% on 7.3 3-point attempts per game. He has All-Big Ten first team potential. 

Around Sandfort, forward Owen Freeman returns after earning co-Big Ten freshman of year honors last season, and Josh Dix is a top breakout candidate after shooting 42.1% from 3-point range last season. Returning that core trio was key this offseason for McCaffery.

Biggest concerns

Uncertainty surrounds Iowa’s point guard and center positions, which is never a good sign heading into the season. The Hawkeyes lost veteran point guard Tony Perkins to Missouri, and center Ben Krikke graduated. 

In response, McCaffery added Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell, who averaged 6.2 assists a year ago. He’s a career 34.8% 3-point shooter capable of big offensive nights, with seven games of 17-plus points as a senior last season. Thelwell will help replace Perkins, along with sophomore Brock Harding, who played 10.8 minutes per game last season off the bench as a freshman.

Iowa has to hope some combination of Freeman, Ladji Dembele, Even Brauns, Riley Mulvey, Seydou Traore, Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo can fill the frontcourt minutes. But besides Freeman (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg), the remaining options are inexperienced at the Big Ten level.

The bottom line

Iowa has finished sixth or better in the Big Ten standings in nine out of 11 seasons under McCaffery. But this is a year where I’d pick the Hawkeyes to finish below that benchmark. The returning trio of Sandfort, Dix and Freeman will keep Iowa competitive and out of the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but potential holes at center and point guard make reaching the NCAA Tournament an uphill climb.