If the Big Ten sportswriters’ and coaches’ predictions are on the mark, the Iowa Hawkeyes should be serious contenders for this season’s basketball title.If the Hawkeyes are to live up to the media’s third place prediction (behind Purdue and Indiana), they’ll first have to maneuver their way around some early season obstacles. Although Iowa returns four starters from last season’s second-place team, they will enter this year’s campaign searching for a leader. Iowa lost Andre Woolridge, last season’s Big Ten scoring and assist leader, to graduation. The Hawkeyes must now replace the captain’s leadership which helped the team reach the second round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament.”Certainly the loss of Andre will affect our team,” Iowa coach Tom Davis said. “How much, I don’t know. He made everyone better by what he did for us.”Davis does have two returning players, Jess Settles and Ryan Bowen, who should prove important to Iowa’s title hopes in. Settles, a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Winfield, Iowa, is both a great talent and a serious question mark for the Hawkeyes. The senior was a first team All-Big Ten selection after the 1995-96 season, but injuries kept him out of all but three games last year before he was granted a medical redshirt. According to Davis, Settles has a very serious problem with his hip and back, and his future is uncertain. Bowen, also a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Ft. Madison, Iowa, will need to be a leader for the Hawkeyes if they are to contend in the Big Ten. Bowen led Iowa in rebounding last year, averaging 9.1 boards per contest. He also helped out on the offensive side averaging 11.8 points per game. If Settles is a no-go this season, the Hawkeyes should be well-prepared. Besides Bowen, the Hawkeyes return three starters including junior guard Kent McCausland, sophomore center Guy Rucker and senior forward Darryl Moore. McCausland led the nation in three-point accuracy last season, connecting on 52.2 percent of his attempts from downtown. After walking-on last season, Moore earned a starting spot in 13 games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds.The foundation is there for Iowa, but according to Davis it will depend on how the younger players react to Big Ten basketball. One of those youngsters is sophomore guard Ryan Luehrsmann, who was Woolridge’s backup last season but saw limited playing time. He will be asked to step in as the starting point guard for the Hawkeyes.Davis is banking on his older players leading the way this year, but how much his younger players can contribute may be the difference between a good season and a great one.”It all depends on how quickly these guys develop,” Davis said.