NCAA Basketball: Previewing the Hy-Vee Big Four Basketball Classic

Dec 8, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cordell Pemsl (35) celebrates during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won 78-64. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

This year’s Hy-Vee Big Four NCAA Basketball Classic takes place on Saturday.

Fans familiar with the Hy-Vee Big Four Basketball Classic know that these are premier non-conference games between Iowa, Northern Iowa, Iowa State and Drake. They don’t have the pull of blue-blood programs, but these contests decide bragging rights every year in the state of Iowa.

Last year, pitted Drake against Iowa and Northern Iowa versus Iowa State. This year, the opponents flip, so Iowa will face off against Northern Iowa and Iowa State will battle Drake. Three of the four teams sport a winning record through the early portion of the season, which has me expecting all four programs to be fired up come tip-off this weekend.

As far as basketball is concerned, Iowa has not been a “Hawkeye State” for several years. Last season saw Northern Iowa take the fictional crown, with Iowa State claiming dominance the two seasons before that. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the four squads and what they need to do to win their respective games.

Dec 8, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Peter Jok (14) reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Keys for Iowa versus Northern Iowa

Projected Rotation:

G – Jordan Bohannon

G – Peter Jok

G – Isaiah Moss

F – Ahmad Wagner

F – Cordell Pemsl

Key Reserves – Nicholas Baer, Dom Uhl, Brady Ellingson, Christian Williams

Iowa scored a huge victory over Iowa State in their most recent game. They’ll try to take that momentum into a showdown with Northern Iowa for the mythical state title. The Hawkeyes are now 5-5, but run into a UNI team playing with just as much confidence.

Peter Jok still leads the team with 23.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but he is getting more help recently. Cordell Pemsl, Isaiah Moss and Nicholas Baer have turned up the heat in the past couple of Iowa victories.

Moss is my wildcard for the upcoming game. The lanky redshirt freshman has collected three steals over his past two games and could draw the opening defensive assignment against Panther superstar Jeremy Morgan.

Iowa will win if they can speed the Panthers up and play with the same desperation we saw against the Cyclones. They are roughly equal to UNI in terms of depth, but are younger overall.

The difference is which team wants to be more aggressive. Iowa showed their potential against Iowa State, but will need to demonstrate consistency if they want to leave with a victory over the state’s premier “giant killers.”

Nov 26, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers guard Jeremy Morgan (20) shoots during the second half against the Xavier Musketeers guard J.P. Macura (55) at the Cintas Center. Xavier won 64-42. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Keys for Northern Iowa versus Iowa

Projected rotation:

G – Spencer Haldeman

G – Juwan McCloud

G – Isaiah Brown

G/F – Jeremy Morgan

C – Ted Friedman

Key Reserves – Klint Carlson, Jordan Ashton, Bennett Koch, Hunter Rhodes, Wyatt Lohaus

The Panthers look similar to Iowa as they are coming off two straight victories over South Dakota State and North Dakota. UNI is now 5-4 going into their game on Saturday.

The story for Northern Iowa this season has been MVC POY candidate Jeremy Morgan. The 6’5″ swingman scored 38 points in one half in the Panthers’ comeback over UND; he outscored the Fighting Hawks by himself after halftime!

The team has also changed up their starting lineup, inserting Ted Friedman, Spencer Haldeman and Isaiah Brown, but still use a deep rotation that is efficient in many areas.

Look for Klint Carlson to try and make a bigger impact. He has the size at 6’7″ to fight for boards, but also shoots 40 percent from deep. He could be a mismatch for the younger Hawkeye wings.

UNI will win if they keep the game slow and shoot as efficiently as they have in their recent outings. The Panthers are in the top 50 in 3-point shooting percentage at 39 percent. They don’t have the horses to run like last year, but this is a program gunning to make Iowa a “Panther State” for a second straight year.

Dec 19, 2015; Des Moines, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Mike Gesell (10) brings the ball up court as Drake Bulldogs guard Reed Timmer (12) defends during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Keys for Drake versus Iowa State

Projected Rotation:

G – Reed Timmer

G – Graham Woodward

G – C.J. Rivers

F – Billy Wampler

F – T.J. Thomas

Key Reserves – De’Antae McMurray, Nick McGlynn, Casey Schlatter, Ore Arogundade, Kory Kuenstling

The Bulldogs have shuffled their lineup a few times this year, but this was their rotation in their most recent loss to Jackson State. The team is also trying adjust to life under new coach Jeff Rutter, who assumed head coaching duties after Ray Giacoletti resigned in early December. The team is 1-8 overall this season with a lone victory over DIII Simpson.

Reed Timmer paces Drake with 15.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Billy Wampler has improved tremendously, contributing 10.1 points per game after scoring just under four per game last season.

No other player averages more than seven points, but eight players average at least 13 minutes and score at least 3.6 points. No one Bulldog has demonstrated breakout ability, but watch T.J. Thomas try to get ISU’s bigs in foul trouble. He leads the team in rebounds and is second in blocks.

Drake will win if they can limit turnovers and catch Iowa State on another cold shooting night. This team doesn’t have talent or experience right now to really threaten a veteran team, but in-state contests like this often produce strange results.

Nov 20, 2016; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Deonte Burton (30) dunks against the Citadel Bulldogs at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Keys for Iowa State versus Drake

Projected Rotation:

G – Monte Morris

G – Naz Mitrou-Long

G – Matt Thomas

G/F – Deonte Burton

F – Merrill Holden

Key Reserves – Darrell Bowie, Nick Weiler-Babb, Donovon Jackson, Solomon Young

Despite a crushing loss to in-state rival Iowa, Iowa State is still a solid team. The 6-3 Cyclones have turned up the heat on defense this season, but need to find a more consistent rhythm on offense. They have a great opportunity to rebound against the reeling Drake Bulldogs.

Deonte Burton is turning into the most important Cyclone on both ends. He is second in scoring at 13.7 points, but leads the team in rebounds (7.7) and blocks (1.1). Burton’s versatility makes him nearly un-guardable, especially if the other perimeter players can start shooting a bit better from outside to stretch the floor.

I really want to see what Solomon Young can do in this game. The freshman is still the third big in the rotation, but looks much more confident and efficient compared to current starter Merrill Holden.

Iowa State will win if they play anywhere above bad. They are still not shooting well from deep, however, they are much more experienced and talented on both ends compared to Drake. The Cyclones just need to get back to the basics, with ball movement and good shot selection. That should be more than enough to come away with an easy victory.