O Iowa Hawkeyes will enter the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season looking for a return to the NCAA Tournament.
It remains to be seen whether the combination of internal development, several additions to the transfer portal and a hopeful return from its biggest star can propel Iowa back to the NCAA Tournament.
In his May version of bracketologyESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Iowa Hawkeyes in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth, but ultimately on the outside looking in.
Iowa is among Lunardi’s “Next Four Out” teams, joining the Big 12 Colorado and TCU and the San Francisco West Coast Conference in that distinction.
Iowa finished with a 19-15 record (10-10 Big Ten) and missed the Big Dance in 2024 for the first time since 2018, ending a run of four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament before.
The Hawkeyes earned an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament to cap off last season. Iowa beat Kansas State 91-82 before falling to Utah 91-82 in the second round of the NIT.
Now, as Iowa turns the page on next season, the Hawkeyes have turned to the transfer portal to help reshape their roster. Iowa has brought in Morehead state guard Drew Thelwell alongside Manhattan striker Seydou Traore to bolster his ranks.
Thelwell averaged 10.0 points, 6.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 43.5% from the floor, 33.8% from 3-point range and 64.5 % of charity stripe.
Traore averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 43.3% from the field, 25.6% from 3-point range and 80.0% from the charity stripe.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound swingman just completed his freshman season where he scored in double figures in 18 games. This included 16 points and eight rebounds in a game against Kansas on November 10, 2023.
Traore also recorded 10 games with double-digit rebounds, including four contests in which he knocked down a dozen or more boards.
Iowa is awaiting a decision on whether to stay or go from its leading scorer from last season, forward Payton Sandfort. The 6-foot-1 forward from Waukee, Iowa, averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and shot 44.6 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from 3-point range and 91 .1% from the foul line.
Sandfort has until June 16 at 4pm CT to withdraw his name from the 2024 NBA Draft.
If Sandfort returns, Iowa would assemble a good core of players that would feature Sandfort, freshmen forwards Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo, sophomore forwards Owen Freeman, Ladji Dembele, Pryce Sandfort and Seydou Traore, sophomore guard Brock Harding, junior guard Josh Dix and senior guard Drew Thelwell.
A trio of Hawkeyes have made the decision to play their upcoming college seasons elsewhere. Guards Dasonte Bowen and Tony Perkins transferred to St. Bonaventure and Missouri, respectively, while forward Patrick McCaffery transferred to Butler.
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