Last year at this time the Hawkeye football team was struggling and I was pumped for what I expected to be a great Iowa basketball season. This year, it's crept up on me in a big way... which is GREAT news to fellow football fans.

The 2014-15 Iowa basketball season was a terrific one that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament's third round. This season, expectations are decidedly lower. The Hawks return four starters in seniors Anthony Clemmons, Mike Gesell, Adam Woodbury, and Jarrod Uthoff. Woodbury has to play more and foul trouble has been a problem for him in his career thus far. Can Gesell and Clemmons both me more consistent and will Uthoff become the dominant player it appears he can be? Those questions, along with seven freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the roster creates a lot of doubt about Iowa's depth. The only two experienced players on the Iowa bench are Peter Jok and Dom Uhl.

CBS Sports put out their Big Ten predictions recently and they believe that Maryland is not only the favorite to win the Big 10 but that they could be a player for the national title. Here's their picks, one through fourteen, for the upcoming Big Ten season.

  1. Maryland
  2. Michigan State
  3. Indiana
  4. Purdue
  5. Wisconsin
  6. Michigan
  7. Iowa
  8. Ohio State
  9. Ilinois
  10. Northwestern
  11. Minnesota
  12. Nebraska
  13. Penn State
  14. Rutgers

I want to believe that Iowa finishes higher than seventh. However, the depth of the conference is unbelievable. We'll watch it play out and see where the Hawks sit March 5th when the Big Ten season regular season concludes.

Iowa has an exhibition game Thursday night against the University of Sioux Falls and next Friday (November 6) against Augustana. The regular season begins Friday, November 13 with a game against Gardner-Webb. Now that I've actually realized the hoops season is about to start, I'm definitely excited for it. It will be very difficult to get the Iowa football team off the forefront of Hawkeye fans, though... myself included.

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