CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein predicts breakout year for Iowa basketball guard

As Iowa men’s basketball prepares to begin its 2026-27 campaign, CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein named Hawkeyes second-year guard Tate Sage as one of his 10 under-the-radar breakout players nationwide this season.

There were moments of promise throughout last season for Sage, but this hard playing wing truly stood out for the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-7 Sage tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in Iowa’s Sweet 16 win over Nebraska and followed that effort up by posting 10 points and three rebounds against Illinois in the Elite Eight. Those two games were a glimpse of what’s to come in 2026-27. Sage is a gamer. – Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports

Sage showed flashes of promise last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game on 49.3% shooting, 38.9% from the 3-point line, and 71.1% from the free-throw line in 37 games.

Although Sage was an ancillary scoring option for the Hawkeyes last season, Rothstein views Sage as one of the Hawkeyes’ rising offensive weapons this year as Ben McCollum enters Year 2 at the helm.

Fans will be able to see Sage back in action during Iowa’s season-opener against Lipscomb on Nov. 3 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CT and streaming on B1G+.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein predicts breakout year for Iowa basketball guard