Checking in at No. 4 on the RTC All-Big Ten countdown is Iowa’s Roy Devyn Marble. Marble has carved out a nice career at Iowa, where his dad Roy Marble is the program’s all-time leading scorer. The senior has improved in each of his four seasons with the Hawkeyes, raising his scoring average each year as his role on the team continued to grow. On a team full of talented offensive players, there is no doubt that Marble is Iowa’s go-to guy and will be the key to any success the Hawkeyes have in the postseason.
Why Roy Devyn Marble is the fourth best player in the league: Iowa has turned into an offensive juggernaut in the Big Ten and Marble leads an offense that is first in the Big Ten in scoring average (82.6 points per game) and fourth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (1.21 points per possession). He averages 17.0 points per game himself, which ranks sixth in the conference this season. He is also 10th in the league in assists at 3.5 per game, 10th in three-pointers made at 1.6 per game, and fifth in steals at 1.8 per game. Over his career in Iowa City, he has turned himself into a complete player and versatile weapon who can attack off the bounce as well as burn a defense with hit long-range shot. Marble has been a consistent offensive threat all season, with 12 games of 20 or more points, and while Iowa has struggled lately, Marble has continued to produce at a high rate (20+ points in five of the team’s last six games). The Hawkeyes have lost five of those six games, but those defeats can’t be attributed to Marble’s play; rather, it has to do with the team’s general lack of defensive intensity, as indicated by a porous 1.06 points per possession rate that they give up in the Big Ten.
Signature moment: In Iowa’s marquee win of the season, an 85-67 win over Michigan on February 8, Marble turned in perhaps his best effort of the season. He got hot from deep, sinking six of 10 threes on his way to 26 points. Marble delighted the home crowd with an efficient and dominant performance as the Hawkeyes blew out the Wolverines. He was 8-of-17 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. It was exactly the time for Marble to have such a good game, because Iowa lacked a signature win up to that point in the season. A thrashing of the No. 10 team in the country (and eventual Big Ten champions) was just what the Hawkeyes needed.
Going forward: Marble will need to continue to score and provide leadership for an Iowa team that is really struggling right now. Its place in the NCAA Tournament isn’t in question, but if the Hawkeyes want to have any kind of March success, they need Marble to continue to produce while hoping that the team’s defense pulls through. As far as Marble’s NBA Draft stock, opinions are a bit mixed as to whether he will be selected. NBADraft.net doesn’t list Marble in either of its mock draft or its top 100 Big Board. DraftExpress.com, however, projects Marble as the #43 overall pick (the 13th pick of the second round) in June. At 6’6″ and 200 pounds, Marble has the size and shooting ability to become an effective two-guard in the NBA. He will have to improve his defensive game, but with hard work that part of his game should eventually come. Based on his growth over the past four years, Marble could be a high-reward pick for an NBA team that takes a second round chance on him — just look at what Jodie Meeks is doing for the Lakers as an example.