It was a season of adjustment for Iowa, as Todd Lickliter came from Butler to take over as coach and inherited a team that had lost 61 percent of its scoring.

Thus, it was not a surprise that the Hawkeyes struggled offensively while going 13-19. While Iowa was solid defensively and among the national leaders in points allowed per game at 58.0, only two players had scoring averages in double-figures: guards Tony Freeman and Justin Johnson.

Freeman, a junior, averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 assists a game, though he missed 10 of the season's first 12 games with a broken foot. Johnson, a senior, averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

One bright spot for a team that lost seven of its last nine games is that Johnson was one of only two senior starters, along with center Seth Gorney. And even though Freeman opted to transfer to SIU, the Hawkeyes still have a solid core. Junior forward Cyrus Tate (8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds a game), who developed into an inside force, will be back, as will freshman guard Jake Kelly (7.3 points, 2.0 assists a game).

Promising freshman forward Jarryd Cole is also expected to be 100 percent after averaging 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the final non-conference game.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.