![]() “I’ve found comfort in the guys that we have and being able to play off of them. “I knew this day would come, where I wouldn’t be able to play with him anymore,” Kris Murray said. Coming into this season, Kris is ready to forge his own path in Iowa City away from his brother. We need him to be one of the top five rebounders in the league.”Īfter losing Keegan Murray and his 8.7 rebounds per game, the Hawkeyes are expecting the younger Murray to step into that role. “You think about how he was as a skinny freshman, now he’s 223 (pounds), and he’s bouncy and he’s running the floor and in great shape. He’s really put together right now,” Fran McCaffery said. But I’d rather him average 20 (points) a game than lead us in assists if we can arrange that. I don’t know about assists,” McCaffery said about Murray stats. I like to make my teammates happy, just make winning plays.” However, Fran McCaffery really does not want Murray to lead the team in assists. Murray added “I’m more of a willing passer. “I’ve been working more off the dribble, shooting-wise and scoring at all three levels.” “I always thought I shot the ball better than him,” Kris Murray said. When two brothers play with each other, it is inevitable that they will be compared. Murray averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season. The younger Murray has all the intangibles and talent to be a star for the Hawkeyes this season and help take them to the next step. I am going to take the low hanging fruit on this one. Patrick McCaffery, Connor McCaffery, Tony Perkins and Filip Rebraca will all be expected to step into larger roles. Whether it is fair or not, a lot of people are expecting Kris to take a similar jump that his older brother did.īohannon was a staple in the Hawkeye offense, and will be difficult to replace on and off the court. On the bright side, they return a ton of production, including Kris Murray, Keegan’s younger brother. Now with Murray, as well as six-year player and one of the shooters to play college basketball ever in Jordan Bohannan, gone, the Hawkeyes have a huge void to fill. However, they were upset by Richmond in the first round, losing 67-63 in a game where Keegan Murray and Patrick McCaffery combined for 39 of the teams 63 points. Last season, the Hawkeyes were one of the teams with the highest expectations once the NCAA Tournament hit as they came in red hot, winning nine of their last 10 games and winning the Big Ten Conference championship, taking down Purdue in the tournament final. He was expected to take a jump, but a jump to a top five pick in the NBA Draft was bigger than most everyone anticipated. Murray took an insane jump last season from averaging 7.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game his freshman year to averaging 23.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game his sophomore season. They have to somehow, someway replace Keegan Murray. Key additions: Dasonte Bowen, Josh Dix, Dante Eldridge Players departed: Keegan Murray, Joe Toussaint (West Virginia) Players returning: Kris Murray, Patrick McCaffery, Filip Rebraca, Tony Perkins, Ahron Ulis, Payton Sandfort, Riley Mulvey, Carter Kingsbury, Connor McCaffery, Josh Ogundele Season finish: NCAA Tournament first round
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