By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Spring is here, and nothing says spring like college basketball, right?

So it’s time for some way-too-early, bold predictions for the 2021-22 Iowa men’s basketball season.

1. Patrick McCaffery will lead the team in scoring

Luka Garza is gone, and Joe Wieskamp may leave to go pro, so somebody has to do it. McCaffery showed flashes last season that he can score on just about anyone and in a lot of different ways. McCaffery averaged just over five points per game coming off the bench, but he only played 20-plus minutes in five of Iowa’s 31 games.

2. Jordan Bohannon will break Chris Kingsbury’s single season record for made 3-pointers

Kingsbury hit 117 3-pointers during the 1994-95 season and Bohannon has never made more than 96 in one season. However, with C.J. Fredrick gone and Wieskamp possibly turning pro, Bohannon is the only proven, pure shooter on the team.

3. Keegan Murray will be named first-team All-Big Ten

This is probably unfair to Keegan, but the sophomore-to-be showed last season that he might be Iowa’s next star.

The Cedar Rapids native was one of five players nationally – and the only bench player – to have more than 200 points, 35 blocks, 25 steals and 15 3-pointers last season.

4. The Hawkeyes will have a worse record than last season but will be more fun to watch

Hear me out. Joe Toussaint can fly and has developed great chemistry with Patrick McCaffery. I’m talking alley-oops, baby. Tony Perkins showed flashes of flashiness last season. Incoming transfer Filip Rebraca plays with attitude and Keegan Murray might be a dunking machine.

5. Iowa will make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999

OK, this one might be more idiotic than bold considering Iowa couldn’t do it last season with the program’s all-time leading scorer and national player of the year in Garza.