I watched them struggle to beat a terrible Purdue team at home, and play tight and then fade against M.S.U. on the road. They want to play an up tempo game and let Marble get out in transition. They want to spot up their shooter around the arc for kick out opportunities. U.T. does not want to run with this team because they can get hot quickly and shoot teams out of the gym. Marble is a legit player and probably 1st round NBA pick. Stop Marble and you stop the Hawkeyes, if you let Marble control the game Iowa is tough to beat.
Iowa's ranking nationally
Offense
PPG - 82 (10th) RPG- 40.7 (7th) APG - 16.2 (11th)
Defense
PPGA - 70.1 (180th)
So basically, this is how their roster shakes out (in order of importance):
Starters
R.D. Marble (SG) - 6'6 200 - 17 ppg , 3.5 apg
30 mpg
He is essentially a clone of Jordan MacRae: Long arms, good in transition, good at getting to the rim, decent 3 pt shooter, but can fall in love with 3 to the detriment of the team. If you shut down Marble, Iowa doesn't have much to left in term of offensive options. If he gets hot, he can beat you on his own. U.T. can not let him get hot. I expect Richardson and MacRae to take turns guarding him.
Aaron White(PF/C)- 6'9 220 - 13 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 28 mpg
White is Iowa's best post option, but he isn't a true post. He uses his athleticism in the open court to score and secure rebounds. He hits the offensive glass hard and usually has at least one put back dunk a game. You have to find him in transition because he will run to the rim. Maymon better be ready to go, because this will be a tough test for him athletically. U.T. will need to punish him down low on defense.
Mike Gesell(PG) - 6'1 190 - 8 ppg, 4apg, 24 mpg
Gesell is an average player. He has taken the second most 3 pointers on the team (91) but is only shooting around 30% for the year. He is an average defender at best and can be exploited by a P.G. who can drive to the basket. He's a smart player, but nothing special, just don't leave him wide open for 3. While he is nominally the PG, Marble runs the show and Gesell spends most of his time spotting up.
Josh Oglesby(SF) - 6'5 210 - 6.7 ppg, 20 mpg
Oglesby does one thing on offense, but he does it well. He is shooting 40% from beyond the arc, and that's were you will find him on offense. He has attempted 105 shots, and 74 of them have been from beyond the arc. He has only attempted 15 Ft's this season. Marble is good at finding him on the drive and kick once the defense collapses. Again, and average defender at best, who can be out athleted on the defensive side of the ball. I assume Richardson and MacRae will take turns baby sitting him on the outside. If they get bored and leave he can get hot quick.
Gabe Olaseni(C) - 6'10 225 - 6.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 bpg, 17 mpg
Olaseni is nominally the starting center, but his minutes go up and down from game to game depending on the matchup. He is tall and skinny and can block shots, rebound, and get put back baskets. His offensive game is pretty much limited to garbage points around the rim. On defense he is a better help than on ball defender, and can be out muscled. It will be interesting to see how much he plays because Stokes should be able to dominate this match up in the post.
Bench:
Jarrod Uthoff - 6'9 210 (PF) - 7.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 bpg 18 mpg
Uthoff sees time when Iowa moves White to center. Uthoff is similar to White in that he likes to run the floor and doesn't score that much in the post. He can be used to stretch the floor, and is shooting 3's at 42%...but he has only hit 17 this season. On defense he tries to use his athleticism to make up for his lack of weight. He is good at blocking shots from the weak side as the help defender. Maymon should be able to bury him in the post, but he will try and pull Maymon away from the basket on defense.
Melsahn Basabe (PF) - 6'7 220 - 7.5ppg, 5.7 rpg, 18 mpg
Basabe is their grinder in the post. He is called upon to do the dirty work that many of Iowa's tall and skinny post players can't do. He will bang down low and set solid screens. Consider him a less skilled Maymon. He isn't going to explode for big points in a game, but he is pretty consistent about finding a bucket or 2 in every game. He will see some time in this game, especially if Stokes and Maymon start dominating the paint on the offensive end.
Zach McCabe - 6'7 235 (SF/PF) - 6ppg, 2.6 rpg, 15 mpg
Zach McCabe comes off the bench, shoots 3's and plays hard/dirty on defense. He has attempted the 3rd most 3's on the team (80) even though he plays the 8th most minutes. I won't be surprised to see him get some minutes in attempt to stretch out the U.T. defense. Don't leave him open and he can't do much. He has a reputation as a dirty player so U.T. will have to keep their cool and not retaliate.
Adam Woodbury - 7'1 245 - 5.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 16.5 mpg
Well, he's tall, that's about all he has going for him. The only way I see him playing is if he spends some time leaning on Stokes. Stokes is much quicker and should have no problem with the match up.
