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Welcome. I think I speak for the majority of our fan base when I say we consider you all a very formidable opponent and know that it'll take one of our best efforts of the year to beat you all.
Here is a brief rundown of our season and roster. Feel free to share it on any of your fan boards.
Overall: Because we lost 3 NBA-level talents from last year (2 currently on NBA rosters, 1 in the G-league) expectations weren't incredibly high going into this year. We were predicted to finish 2nd in the AAC (a much more competitive league than many Iowa fans may think) but many of us didn't think we would achieve a high NCAA seed if we even made the tournament.
As for how our season went, our record and even AAC tournament championship indicate that we overachieved a little. However, our season featured several games where we lost to inferior competition (OSU opener, @ECU) and barely beat many conference foes we were ranked much higher than. We struggled to put teams away in the final minutes of games but always made the key plays when it counted to win.
PG - Justin Jenifer (6'0): The quintessential "game manager". Doesn't take too many risks with the ball (which results in a good assist/turnover ratio) but is easily taken out of games (completely) by good competition. On a good night he'll hit a couple of 3s for us as he is our best "catch and shoot" guy.
SG - Jarron Cumberland (6'5): The ultimate "alpha". Wants the ball, gets the ball, makes plays with the ball. While not an athletic marvel, he is the biggest gamer we have had since Sean Kilpatrick, and he has the ability to score in practically every way possible. He also is our best passer and a solid positional rebounder as well. He hit a snag during our tough stretch to end the regular season but bounced back from it in the AAC tournament and will playing with the utmost confidence on Friday.
SF - Keith Williams (SF): He was buried at the end of the bench as a true freshman last year due to struggling to adjust to the game speed of high major D1 basketball. Showed flashes of elite athleticism and a natural ability to get to the rim. His game matured greatly over the offseason and he made the other starting wing spot his own from day 1. His outside jump shot is still quite spotty but on the average night he'll give us a quiet 8-12 points.
PF - Trevon Scott (6'8): Utility big man that does a lot of things average-slightly above average but nothing great. Could give us 18 and 10 on one night and then 2 and 2 the next night - both in 30 minutes of play. He really stepped up his game in the AAC tournament where he averaged 14 and 9 and hit some big 3-point shots.
C - Nysier Brooks (6'11): Like Scott (and to an extent Jenifer and Williams), he can easily disappear from games on the offensive end, but serves as a solid rim protector and rebounder for us more often that not. His offensive game is strictly back-to-the-basket and he sadly was a burden from the FT line in the AAC tournament going 6 for 16 (despite shooting 63% on the year). His physicality down low could give you all some problems though, especially if he avoids foul trouble.
Sixth Man: Cane Broome (6'0): The only other senior on our squad besides Jenifer, Broome is the change-of-pace, shoot-first option at PG who can also play off-the-ball in smaller line-ups. He's had struggles hitting outside shots consistently but his 6 for 11 clip from distance in the AAC tournament is indicative of a positive turnaround that will hopefully continue going into Friday's match-up.
Rest of the bench: We can go 11 deep if needed but everyone else will ideally just play spot minutes for us on Friday. The remaining players are all solid athletes and capable defenders, so no matter who is on the floor we will continue to employ a switch-everything man-defense that has proven sufficient for the better part of the season.
Friday outlook: Like you, I anticipate a tight game that will likely be decided by less than 5 points. I predict a back-and-forth first half, an early 2nd half run by us to form a 8-10 point lead, a late run by you all off the strength of your 3-point shooting, and a very exciting finish.
Cincinnati 69 Iowa 65
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