THE PARQUET SPREAD: BHGP STAFF PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2015-16 IOWA HAWKEYES

Horace E. Cow

Overall record 20-10 19-9
Big Ten record: 10-8
Postseason: 8 seed.
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff
Most valuable newcomer: Brandon Hutton
Most surprising player: Dom Uhl

The team struggles a bit on offense, but infusion of talent on defense and the growth of Dom Uhl finally allows Fran to realize his dream of constructing a basketball Voltron composed entirely of skinny 6'8" dudes. Opposing teams are harried by the sheer number of bony limbs darting into passing lanes and disrupting shots, and Iowa forges a new identity post-White and Olaseni.

RossWB

Overall record: 20-10
Big Ten record: 10-8
Postseason: 8 seed, lose in Round of 32 in NCAA Tournament
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff -- I think Uthoff elevates his game for his senior year -- something like 17 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and .410/.785/.350 shooting splits.
Most valuable newcomer: Andrew Fleming -- I think he's going to be the early standout of the freshman class and will provide the outside shooting touch that we've been craving for a while.
Most surprising player: Dom Uhl -- is it a surprise if everyone's expecting bigger and better things? Maybe not, but I think Uhl is going to have a breakout season. Olaseni averaged around 8 ppg and 5 rpg last year and I think Uhl could produce numbers similar to that this year.

Adam Jacobi

Overall record: 20-10
B1G record: 10-8
Postseason: 8-seed, shocking upset of Kansas in 2nd round, SWEET SIXTEEN WOO
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff, obviously.
Most valuable newcomer: Brandon Hutton establishes himself as the tone-setter and leader of the freshman class.
Most surprising player: Brady Ellingson stays healthy, reminds fans he can bomb, and settles into the rotation.

Matthew Lundeen

Overall Record: 22-12 (Including wins and losses in the postseason.) 20-12
Big Ten Record: 10-8
Postseason: Second round of Big Ten Tournament, Round of 32 NCAA Tournament
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff (Who else?)
Most Valuable Newcomer: Dale Jones. He may not be the most talented in the class, when it's all said and done, but the playing time is there this year and he has a very versatile skill set.
Most Surprising Player: Dom Uhl. He had a quiet freshman year, but I think this season we may start to see flashes of his offensive game rounding into form, on top of already looking like a great defender. He could be the guy who inherits the backdoor lob plays that Aaron White used to feast on.

Fight For Iowa

Overall Record: 21-9
Big Ten Record: 11-7
Postseason: 7 seed again in the tourney...loss to the 2 seed again.
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff
Most Valuable Newcomer: Ahmad Wagner. Iowa needs a forward to step up and fill Aaron White and Gabe Olaseni's minutes.
Most Surprising Player: Anthony Clemmons. He's had a kind of up and down career and always kind of been in the shadows of the spotlight. But it's his senior year and time to shine on his own.

Patrick Vint

Overall record: 18-12
B1G record: 9-9
Postseason: Iowa sneaks into the tournament on strength of schedule with a surprising 9 seed.
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff.  I mean, there's being an outlier and there's just being foolish.
Most valuable newcomer: I agree with Jacobi that Brandon Hutton could be something special, but Dale Jones is going to get the most playing time, and his rebounding and perimeter jumper are more important to Iowa's short-term success than anything Hutton will do this year.
Most surprising player: I'm not just saying it because I wrote his player profile: Walk-on Nicholas Baer could become an undersized rebounding machine.  For a program looking to replace Aaron White's production via group effort and keep Uthoff upright and slinging jump shots, a guy like that can be invaluable.

Staff Consensus

Overall record: 20-10
B1G record: 10-8
Postseason: NCAA Tournament, 8 seed, second-round exit
MVP: Jarrod Uthoff
Most valuable newcomer: Hutton/Jones (stunned nobody said Isaiah Moss)
Most surprising player: Dom Uhl