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By
Nick Meyer
itoffishul777@hotmail.com
March 15th, 2004
NCAA
Tournament Scouting Report: Iowa
The Hawkeyes are a
blue-collar outfit all the way, beating opponents in most cases with
sheer will, determination, and good outside shooting.
Iowa was third in the
Big Ten in scoring.
The trio of Jeff
Horner, Adam Haluska, and Greg Brunner compliment each other well and
provide good scoring punch.
Horner is a combo guard
with deep three-point range and excellent court savvy. He’s done an
admirable job of filling in for the suspended Pierre Pierce.
Haluska is a
smooth-shooting transfer from Iowa State who can score from the outside
(40% threes) and on the drive when the defense is caught napping.
Greg Brunner is the
prototype Big Ten bruiser, a burly power forward/center with good post
moves and a feel for rebounding.
Wiry center Erek Hansen
is one of the Big Ten’s best shot blockers in the post.
Guard Mike Henderson
and forward Doug Thomas provided needed athleticism but are still
works-in-progress.
Weaknesses:
The Hawkeyes are very
thin depth-wise, especially in the backcourt with the loss of Pierce.
Their overall ball
handling is a little suspect, and they aren’t a very athletic team
overall, as evidenced by their Big Ten total defense ranking of ninth.
Summary:
The win against
Michigan State was nice, but the Hawkeyes are in the tournament mostly
on the strength of their non-conference wins, of which Pierre Pierce was
a big part.
They are a very good
offensive team but are limited by their defense and absence of guard
depth.
Prediction:
Loss to Cincinatti in first round.
More
Big Ten NCAA Tournament Scouting Reports
So you think the Big Ten had a
down year? Most conferences would kill for 5 NCAA Tournament
teams, and the #1 seed in the entire field of 65. Maybe the Big
Ten isn't as strong as it has been in recent years, but you'd be foolish
to just ignore the damage that a Michigan State or Wisconsin can do.
Nick Meyer presents scouting reports for each Big Ten team that's
playing in the post-season, including NIT bound Indiana.
NCAA
Tournament
Illinois Scouting Report
Michigan State Scouting Report
Wisconsin Scouting Report
Iowa Hawkeyes Scouting Report
NIT
Indiana Scouting Report
Return to the
NCAA Tournament Homepage.
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