Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Iowa men's basketball guard Jordan Bohannon said Tuesday he will return to the Hawkeyes next season if the bill that would allow collegiate athletes to profit on their name, image and likeness passes the state Senate.

"We have worked tremendously hard on Senate File 245, which would allow college athletes in Iowa to make money off their Name, Image and Likeness," Bohannon said in a statement. "The bill's deadline is this Thursday to be voted on or it will die. I am still undecided on what I will do next year. However, if this bill were to pass, I would come back to Iowa next year."

All college athletes who participated in the 2020-21 season were granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bohannon, a former Iowa Mr. Basketball, would be returning for his fifth year as a starter for the Hawkeyes.

While Bohannon is not considered an NBA prospect, his return would be a major boost to the Hawkeyes, who are set to lose National Player of the Year favorite Luka Garza. Bohannon averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists during the 2020-21 season while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range.

Several states have begun considering or have passed NIL laws, which would allow college athletes to profit off their name, image or likeness for the first time. Iowa's proposal would go into effect July 1, the same day as Florida's already-passed law.

A federal NIL bill was introduced to Congress in February by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Massachusetts). While it's possible that bill passes and becomes law, making it unlawful to restrict athletes in any of the 50 states from making money off their name, image or likeness, no date has been set for when the bill may be passed.

Getting legislation passed at the state level would be the fastest way to ensure players are immediately able to be compensated. 

Luka Garza will forever be an Iowa legend, but his Hawkeyes career surely ended sooner than he hoped or expected when his team lost to the Oregon Ducks in Monday's second-round showdown of the 2021 NCAA men's tournament. 

"It's heartbreaking," he told reporters. "It's so surreal. It hit me all at once that this is the last time I'll put on this jersey."

https://twitter.com/brhoops/status/1374104388508164097

The big man did what he could in the 95-80 loss with 36 points and nine rebounds. However, as has been the case for much of the season, Iowa's struggles on defense were too much to overcome.

Oregon had four players with at least 17 points, including Chris Duarte (23 points) and LJ Figueroa (21 points). The Ducks got to the rim, created a number of outside open looks and finished with 25 assists to 11 turnovers in the victory.

Iowa's defense is just 73rd in the country in KenPom.com's rankings, which stands in stark contrast to its No. 2 offense.

Garza finishes his collegiate career as an all-time great in the Big Ten and already had his jersey retired by the Hawkeyes. He won his second straight Big Ten Player of the Year this season and is a finalist for the Naismith Men's Player of the Year alongside Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu and Gonzaga's Corey Kispert.

The Hawkeyes big man was a finalist for the award last season as well, although he lost to Dayton's Obi Toppin.

While Garza will likely need some time to get over the loss to the Ducks, he already cemented his legacy within the Hawkeyes program.

Part of Fran McCaffery's preparation for the NCAA tournament included signing a four-year contract extension with Iowa that will keep him with the team through the 2027-28 campaign, per the Associated Press. 

The Hawkeyes finished the season 21-8 and 14-6 in the Big Ten, good to finish third in the conference. They were knocked out of the Big Ten tournament in the semifinals by eventual champion Illinois, which drew a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, as did Michigan. 

The Hawkeyes, one of nine Big Ten teams to make the NCAA tournament, drew a No. 2 seed, their highest since 1987. 

Despite playing in a loaded conference, the Hawkeyes managed to maintain a Top 15 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll throughout the season, topping off at No. 5 last week as they enter their fifth tournament since 2014. 

This year's run was led by national player of the year candidate Luka Garza, who is the school's career scoring leader. 

McCaffery, who took a 15 percent pay cut for the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, has a $2.3 million base salary for the next two seasons, a figure that is set to increase in the final five years of his contract, though the amount of the increases was not announced. 

The 61-year-old has coached at Iowa since the 2010-11 campaign and is the school's second-winningest coach of all time with a 215-151 record. That record includes seven 20-win seasons. 

Athletic director Gary Barta said the program originally was going to extend McCaffery's contract at the end of last year, but the decision was paused because of the pandemic, per the Associated Press. 

Iowa will begin its NCAA tournament run against Grand Canyon on Saturday. 

University of Iowa athletic director Gary Barta apologized after offending the family of former Hawkeyes basketball star Roy Marble while announcing the retirement of Luka Garza's No. 55 jersey. 

Marble, whose No. 23 has not been retired, held the school's all-time scoring record for 32 years before Garza surged past it in February. Shortly after the Big Ten regular season ended, Barta announced no other Hawkeye would wear Garza's number, joining Carl Cain, Ronnie Lester, Bill Logan, Sharm Scheuerman, Bill Seaberg, Bill Schoof, Greg Stokes, Chris Street and B.J. Armstrong. 

The moment @LukaG_55 found out. 💛#Hawkeyes | #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/grTf3rmGZ3

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 7, 2021

"We have learned since Sunday that Roy Marble's family was hurt and feeling disrespected since that day," Barta said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I just want to take a moment and share that absolutely that disrespect was unintentional and to publicly apologize for that."

Marble's son, Devyn Marble, tweeted Monday that he would never watch another Iowa game in his life after "the amount of disrespect that school has shown" to his family. Devyn played at Iowa from 2010-2014 and was named first-team All-Big Ten his senior year. 

Roy Marble scored 2,116 points during his career while leading Iowa to a 30-win season in 1987 as well as the 1988 Sweet 16. Yet those accomplishments have previously not been enough to qualify for a jersey retirement. 

Per the University:

"Iowa Athletics, in conjunction with the Iowa Varsity Club, have had different criteria over the years involving accomplishments, All-America recognition, individual awards, etc. Gary Barta and Iowa administration have been working towards a set of criteria that is more streamlined, in which exact awards and recognition are included. The top two priorities are individual National Player of the Year recognition, and consensus All-America recognition. Gary and Iowa administration will continue to work towards a more direct list of criteria that will be used moving forward."

In the meantime, Marble will join Murray Wier and Chuck Darling in a permanent display at Carver Hawkeye Arena. 

 

Luka Garza's career will go down in Iowa history, and his jersey number will, too. 

The school announced Sunday—after Garza dropped another double-double in No. 5 Iowa's 77-73 win over No. 25 Wisconsin—that it would retire No. 55.

The moment @LukaG_55 found out. 💛#Hawkeyes | #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/grTf3rmGZ3

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 7, 2021

"I honestly didn't expect that at all," Garza said, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "I didn't realize that was a plan or that was going to happen. I was just really happy we won the game. For Coach to tell me that, it was a surreal feeling. Time slowed down, as I heard those words."

Garza became the program's all-time leading scorer at the end of February, as the team embarked on a streak that saw it win seven of its last eight games with the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments looming. With the victory over Wisconsin on Sunday, the team locked up the No. 3 seed heading into the conference tournament. 

Entering play Sunday, Garza, who was a consensus first-team All-American last year, was averaging 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game on 54.5 percent shooting and 36.5 percent from deep for his career. 

In addition to his school-record 2,201 points, Garza leads the program in a number of other categories, including conference scoring (1,399), total field goals made (829), field-goal attempts (1,522) and 40-point games (two). His name also appears on a myriad of other Iowa record lists (h/t KCRG News). 

His 642 points this season are the most nationwide. 

Eight other Hawkeyes players have had their number retired, including NBA champions Ronnie Lester and B.J. Armstrong.

Iowa is used to this feeling. And that's exactly the problem.

After a 12-2 start to the 2020-21 season, the Hawkeyes encountered the dreaded Franuary slide. They recently endured a 1-4 spell, dropping into the danger zone at 7-5 in Big Ten play and 13-6 overall. In early February, they fell outside of the AP Top 10 for the first time all season.

At that moment, Iowa's schedule still contained Rutgers, Michigan State, two matchups with No. 21 Wisconsin and one clash opposite both No. 4 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan. The most concerning part was history has showed it might not get better.

Now, let's back up: What exactly is Franuary?

Hawkeyes fans, maybe skip this painful section. Iowa's coach is Fran McCaffery, who's guided the program for 11 years now. Throughout his tenure, losses have often piled up after the calendar flipped to a new year—January and February.

For example, the 2013-14 team opened with a 19-6 record but was 20-12 at the end of the conference tournament. Two years later, Iowa plummeted from 19-4 to 21-10. Then in 2018-19, the Hawkeyes cratered to 22-11 after a 20-5 start. They never advanced past the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament in those seasons.

Even after accounting for the Big Ten's competition level, that's a miserable trend to have experienced.

Fortunately for Iowa supporters, the 2020-21 team has avoided the worst-case fate of missing March Madness. Recent wins over Rutgers and Michigan State have steadied Iowa's perception.

Because of the quality opponents left, the Luka Garza-led roster is destined for the 68-team NCAA tournament field. B/R's Kerry Miller shared he "can't imagine a scenario" in which the Hawkeyes miss out. Eamonn Brennan of The Athletic and ESPN's John Gasaway have labeled Iowa as a lock too.

On one hand, that invites a sigh of relief. Can't win a national title unless you're in March Madness, and Iowa will be.

Conversely, the "lock" status does little to disguise the reality that Iowa has serious concerns to address. The Hawkeyes have five regular-season games and the Big Ten tournament to sharpen their offense and find a functional defense.

And, again, all while taking on high-level competition.

Wisconsin is a defensive-oriented squad that will challenge Garza, whose production has dipped lately, opening the National Player of the Year conversation. However, his contributions are the foundation of Iowa's upside.

Ohio State has a similar offense-driven profile to Iowa, but the Buckeyes have performed at a much higher level recently. It's an opportunity for Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Bohannon, CJ Fredrick and others to showcase the Hawkeyes' depth of scoring while trying to avoid, well, disastrous mistakes on defense.

Iowa coaching staff screaming frantically to get to the open shooter in the corner, Pat McCaffery runs the other way, easy three for Indiana. Iowa has like 8 defensive lapses every game that are oh so very bad. pic.twitter.com/UxlfoJRsJP

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) February 8, 2021

Michigan boasts a top-10 offense and defense, per KenPom.com. Winning a championship means beating a team of the Wolverines' caliber in March Madness, so staying competitive here is vital.

In fairness, the definition of success for the Hawkeyes during this upcoming stretch is subjective.

Wins and losses are the obvious metric, and some viewers—both fans and analysts—judge primarily on outcomes. Others will monitor Iowa using the eyeball test or a numbers-based approach, and still more will combine all three. This is all an inexact science; there's no perfect way to evaluate performance.

Do the Hawkeyes need a 5-0 or 4-1 finish to quiet concerns? What happens if they're 3-2 or 2-3 down the stretch? Iowa has KenPom's top-ranked offense in the nation but is just 108th on defense; what sort of rise defensively is adequate? How does that compare to the eye test?

No matter how you analyze, Iowa has improvements to make, little time to actualize them and zero easy wins. Even 7-10 Penn State is a feisty opponent despite its record.

Locking in that March Madness bid is most important. Iowa will have a chance to make a run at a national title.

But if the Hawkeyes' familiar slide continues in this final stretch, 2020-21 will be yet another season that opened with great promise and broke down in Franuary.

                          

Statistics courtesy of KenPom.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

The No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes suffered a stunning upset against unranked Minnesota on Friday night as the Golden Gophers defended their home court, 102-95 in overtime.

Luka Garza finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hawkeyes (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) couldn't hold on down the stretch, blowing a seven-point lead with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. Minnesota's Marcus Carr (30 points, eight assists) hit a three-pointer with five seconds left to send the game to overtime after Jordan Bohannon's last-second game-winner attempt fell short for Iowa. 

MARCUS CARR TIES IT!

30 points for the @GopherMBB player & we are heading to OT! pic.twitter.com/LtxlyogCxu

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 26, 2020

The win moves the Gophers to 8-1 (1-1 Big Ten) on the year and in line to jump crash the AP Top 25 on Monday. 

What a win by @GopherMBB over @IowaHoops. Tremendous. Gophers beat Iowa and @SaintLouisMBB on back-to-back weekends. The @B1GMBBall would get 11 teams in the field if it were today.

— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) December 26, 2020

Big time plays for a #B1G time win. pic.twitter.com/d8mT1jca6L

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) December 26, 2020

It's Iowa's second loss in three games after falling to No. 1 Gonzaga, 99-88, on Dec. 19. A 15-point victory against Purdue earlier this week made it seem like things were getting back on track for the Final Four-hopefuls. 

Now it's back to the drawing board without much time to switch things up. 

The Hawkeyes are back in action against a surging Northwestern team on Dec. 29. The Wildcats defeated Indiana and Michigan State in their last two times out. This isn't exactly the easy win it looked like it might be when the schedule came out. Then on Jan. 2, Iowa travels to No. 11 Rutgers for a matinee in New Jersey.  

The next stretch of games could be the most pivotal of the season for Iowa after this week's setback. 

Head coach Fran McCaffery can at least feel good about his team's ability to score as Garza, Joe Wieskamp and CJ Frederick combined for 69 points on Friday.

That just wasn't enough to power past Minnesota. 

Junior center Liam Robbins poured in 18 points with five rebounds while senior forward Brandon Johnson added 26 points and nine rebounds himself. 

🗣 LOGO LIAM! @GopherMBB x @liamrobbins_ pic.twitter.com/8LFzjpBuj1

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 26, 2020

Brandon Joseph was clearly on the nice list this year. @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/mwMSIRewzF

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 26, 2020

It's a resume-making win for a Gophers team that already knocked off Saint Louis, Boston College and North Dakota this year. Unfortunately, that could all fall apart in the next few games. Minnesota's next six games are all against ranked opponents including a rematch against Iowa on Jan. 10 and two games against No. 19 Michigan. 

Iowa star Luka Garza will return to school for the 2020-21 college basketball season after withdrawing from the NBA draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Garza confirmed the news with an edited video from The Wolf of Wall Street (warning: NSFW language):

The show goes on🙏🏼😂 @DMihalke pic.twitter.com/VXXtQ7GMpf

— Luka Garza ✞ (@LukaG_55) August 2, 2020

The 6'11" forward was a consensus All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year last season after averaging 23.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

Not only did he rank fifth in the nation in scoring, his 34.4 player efficiency rating was second-best in college basketball behind only Nathan Knight of William & Mary, per Sports Reference.

Iowa star Luka Garza announces he’s returning to school next yearpic.twitter.com/JxW3SyRwWH

— Bleacher Report CBB (@br_CBB) August 2, 2020

He helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 20-11 record, although he didn't get a shot at the NCAA tournament last year because of the coronavirus. 

While there is some concern about the upcoming year with the pandemic still an issue nationwide, Garza said Sunday he's "very confident" there will be a college basketball season, per Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register.

Iowa now has a chance to be a top contender in the Big Ten and nationally while returning most of its rotation from a year ago.

Not only will Garza be a Wooden Award candidate, he will have plenty of help between Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick and Jordan Bohannon, who will return after missing much of last year with a hip injury.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard wrote a letter to Cyclones fans Wednesday and informed them of significant pay reductions and suspensions for athletic department coaches and staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Per Pollard, ISU will institute a "one-year, temporary pay reduction for athletics department coaches and certain staff," which would decrease the department payroll by over $3 million.

In addition, bonuses and incentives for all coaches have received a temporary one-year suspension, saving the department $1 million.

As far as fans go, ISU is putting a halt on an increase to Cyclone Club annual giving levels, which Pollard reports "will save donors approximately $2.5 million for required seating donations."

Season and individual ticket prices will freeze for all sports, and the deadline for club donations and football season ticket renewals has been suspended until May 29.

Lastly, fans can choose to make season-ticket or donation payments either monthly, quarterly or semi-annually.

Per Pollard, the changes were implemented in light of the $5 million shortfall the department encountered after the Big 12 and NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments were canceled because of COVID-19.

The news comes in the midst of the NCAA canceling its winter sports championships and spring-sports seasons and championships.

Speculation exists as to whether the collegiate football season may be impacted as well.

Per World Health Organization figures from Wednesday afternoon, 827,419 people worldwide have confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 40,777 people have died.

In the United States, 163,199 people have confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,850 people have died.

The Iowa Hawkeyes scored a minor upset with a 79-72 victory Friday over the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round of the 2019 NCAA tournament at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Iowa, the No. 10 seed in the South Region, bounced back after losing six of its final eight games before March Madness to advance. Luka Garza led the charge with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Cincinnati couldn't take advantage of getting a quasi-home game from the selection committee in the opening round. Justin Jenifer scored 19 points to pace the American Athletic Conference tournament champions, but it wasn't enough for the team to avoid an early exit.

            

Jordan Bohannon Is Hawkeyes' March Madness X-Factor

Bohannon is Iowa's most dangerous outside shooting threat having knocked down 75 threes entering Friday's game, 21 more than anyone else on the team. He didn't have his best shooting day against Cincinnati, making one trey on four attempts, but he still made a major impact.

The junior point guard finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists to help push the Hawkeyes into the second round. His and-1 layup with just over a minute left virtually clinched the win.

As a whole, the performance showed why Bohannon might hold the key to how far Iowa can go in the NCAA tournament despite being the team's third-leading scorer.

"Just staying optimistic and keep fighting."

Jordan Bohannon talks about Iowa's comeback in the second half after their win in Columbus.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/0DB2rcIEw9

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2019

The Iowa native does a little bit of everything for the Hawkeyes. He runs the offense, hits clutch shots, isn't afraid to challenge in the paint for rebounds at both ends and has also improved as a perimeter defender—a key reason Cincy shot just 22.2 percent from three in the contest.

Bohannon can't do it alone. Garza came up big Friday, and Iowa is going to need better performances from Tyler Cook, who scored just five points after entering with an average of 14.9.

https://twitter.com/nrarmour/status/1109155895894790144

That said, the team's floor general possesses the ability to turn the team's first-round upset into a Cinderella run if he builds off his showing against the Bearcats.

                  

Cincinnati Must Address Depth Issues Before Next Season

You could argue the Bearcats' starting lineup did enough to beat Iowa. Along with Jenifer's 19, Jarron Cumberland added 18 points, while Nysier Brooks, Tre Scott and Keith Williams combined for 25 points while grabbing at least five rebounds each.

The problem for Cincinnati was a lack of contributions from its reserves.

Cincy's bench chipped in just 10 points compared to 17 from Iowa—the same seven-point difference as the final score—and eight of those came from Cane Broome. The other five players who saw the floor for the No. 7 seed missed all six of their shots from the field and scored two total points.

A live look at the Cincinnati bench. pic.twitter.com/1AqXCZJICz

— Hogtrough (@Hogtrough) March 22, 2019

The Bearcats are set to lose two seniors, Jenifer and Broome, but Friday's loss shows the coaching staff's job goes far beyond merely replacing two key members of the rotation.

Head coach Mick Cronin and Co. must either recruit or develop more players, preferably sharpshooters capable of making an impact in limited minutes, for Cincinnati to take a step forward next season.

Making a deep March Madness run without depth players knocking down big shots is an uphill battle.

             

What's Next?

Iowa moves on to face either the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers or No. 15 Colgate Raiders in the South Region's second round Sunday.