After guiding Iowa to an 18-13 record (10-10 in BigTen games) Iowa senior guard Tony Perkins and junior forward Payton Sandfort have each been named to the BigTen's All-Conference teams. Perkins was named to the All-Big Ten second team by Big Ten coaches, while Sandfort earned All-Big Ten third team honors by the Big ten coaches and media.
While Perkins was streaky this season, he finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 ppg this season. He also took over as Iowa's primary ball-handler and led the team with 4.5 assists per game. He was fourth on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game and his 1.7 steals per game led the team.
RIVALS.COM ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS: Sandfort, Perkins, Freeman Honored
Sandfort led the Hawkeyes in scoring this season with 16.2 points per game and tied for the team lead in rebounding, at 6.5 rebounds per contest. His 2.7 assists per game was also second-best on the team. Sandfort shot 37.1% from 3-point range this season (behind only Josh Dix's 44.1% from deep among Iowa players), but his 83 made three-pointers led the Big Ten.
Sandfort won the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award last season.
"His game continues to mature," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said of Perkins earlier this season. "Last year, some games he was beyond spectacular, but what you're seeing now is a confident guy who knows what we want and who knows what he has to do to lead this team. His decision making is what you want from your leader, point guard and senior."
"With Tony, it's been more consistent," fellow senior Patrick McCaffery said. "You would see he'd dominate certain games last year, but it wasn't on an every-night basis like it has turned into now. He's one of the elite guards, not only in our league, but in America. I'm glad he's my teammate."
From the beginning of the season, Fran McCaffery made it clear that the Hawkeyes would need Sandfort to step up in a big way, especially following the graduation of players like Connor McCaffery, Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca.
"We need him to be special this year," McCaffery said in October. "I think he expects that himself."
With those high expectations came extra difficulties. Sandfort quickly rose to the top of every other team's scouting report.
"It's hard moving into a new role," he said following Iowa's win over Rutgers in early January. "You have to find new ways to score. If I can get myself in a rhythm, go out there and play my game, quit thinking about it -- that's where I can go out and excel."
That significant shift in roles for Sandfort -- and a good portion of the rest of the team -- was one of several reasons why the Hawkeyes struggled at the beginning of conference play, and why they dropped some games throughout the season.
Sandfort's leadership was also key in their turnaround and consistency over the latter half of the season.
"Payton has really taken it upon himself to be really supportive of the young guys and professional in his approach," McCaffery said in late February. "Payton has really, really taken it upon himself to be vocal."
In addition to Perkins and Sandfort being named to the All-Big Ten second and third teams, Ben Krikke, Josh Dix, and Owen Freeman earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as well. Krikke, a transfer from Valparaiso, finished third on the team in scoring with 13.5 ppg and his mid-range game was critical to some of Iowa's wins early in the season. His 18-point, 14-rebound effort was critical in Iowa's late season win over Michigan State.
Dix tok over as a starter in the Iowa lineup when Patrick McCaffery missed a few games due to illness -- and he never relinquished that starting role. He averaged 8.9 ppg for the season, but 10.6 ppg in Big Ten games -- and 12.0 ppg as a starter in Big Ten games. Dix was a key part of Iowa's late-season surge as well, scoring 13+ in five of Iowa's last six games, including a trio of games with 20 or more points. He also led the team in outside shooting, making 44.1% of his attempts from deep.
Freeman, who was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, averaged 10.6 points (4th on the team) and 6.5 rebounds (tied for team lead) while shooting 63.6% from the field during his first year in Iowa City. Freeman also finished 13th in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (6.5) and sixth in he league in blocks per game (1.8). He began the year on the bench, but entered the starting lineup in Iowa's 10th game -- and immediately proved to be one of Iowa's best players and became a fixture in the lineup.
Ross Binder contributed to this article as well.
