The Iowa Hawkeyes are hoping a new head coach can help rebuild a program that has gone in the wrong direction the last few seasons.

The Hawkeyes went through their third consecutive losing season last year, the first such stretch since the 1930′s. With that disappointment came the firing of head coach Todd Lickliter, who was just 38-58 in three seasons with the Hawkeyes.

In comes Fran McCaffrey, who will replace Lickliter’s slow tempo offense with a much more up-tempo style of play.

McCaffrey has been successful turning programs around, and has spent the last five years at Siena, where he went 112-51. Wins could still be tough to come by in the first season for McCaffrey, who actually didn’t get enough time to go after any big time recruits and a number of last year's players opted not to come back.

To get a better overview of what the Hawkeyes will look like this year, here is quick preview of their current roster, plus my pick on where they will end up this season in the Big Ten.

Checking out the live NCAA basketball odds for this year, the oddsmakers currently have Iowa listed with the worst odds to win the Big Ten at +2500, so anything above last place in conference play figures to be a solid step towards the right direction for the Hawks.

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Backcourt

Iowa returns both starting guards, which is a big bonus for a team looking to improve.

Junior Matt Gatens is the best player the Hawkeyes have, has started every game since his freshman year, and could be primed for a breakout season with the new offense.

Gatens tore a tendon in his left wrist, but figures to be back right around the start of the season.

Also returning is sophomore point guard Cully Payne, who contributed 8 points and almost 4 dimes per contest as a freshman, and he too thinks his game will only get better with a faster paced offense.

Added to the rotation is junior college transfer Bryce Cartwright, who figures to be a key contributor right away.

Frontcourt

Two more starters are back in senior Jarryd Cole and sophomore Eric May, but neither really has a lot of size, something Iowa is going to have trouble with again this season.

Junior to be Aaron Fuller had some high hopes this season, but decided USC was a better fit for him than Iowa.

Cole is just 6’7 and played center for Iowa most of last year, but wasn’t much of a factor in the offense, putting up just eight points a night.

May is extremely athletic and will have to use that to his strength this year.

Freshman Melsahn Basabe was going to join McCaffery at Siena, and opted to stick with the coach in his move to Iowa, and could find his way into the starting lineup right away.

Fellow freshmen Zach McCabe and junior college transfer Devon Archie also figure to get a chance to play early.

Iowa also returns junior Andrew Brummer, but he has limited experience in his first two years so anything he adds will be a bonus.

Predictions

While Iowa should be better than they were a season ago, this is a team in transition and just simply doesn’t have the talent needed to contend in the Big Ten.

If the squad responds well to McCaffery’s new system and the freshmen contribute early, Iowa may be able to squirm out of the basement, but this team is probably a few years from being a winner again.

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