Call it the perfect dress rehearsal for Iowa. Sure, there were some struggles inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena during the soft opening of the 2017-18 campaign, but the problems were seemingly corrected by the end of Friday night’s first exhibition game.

Despite trailing by one point at halftime, the Hawkeyes found their groove to shoot nearly 70 percent from the field in the second half and cruised to an 105-81 victory over William Jewell College.

Sophomore point guard Jordan Bohannon led four players in double figures with 19 points, while freshman big man Luka Garza scored 17. Sophomore forward Tyler Cook and freshman Jack Nunge each added 16.

Hawkeyes Beat William Jewell 105 to 81. pic.twitter.com/Jc5PV8eBrX

— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) October 28, 2017

Here are a few observations from the contest before Iowa returns to face Belmont Abbey College in its second exhibition game on Nov. 2 live on FloHoops. FULL SCHEDULE

THE GOOD

Tyler Cook’s Aggressiveness: As one of the most athletic players on the floor, it should be no surprise the 6-foot-9 forward had a good game, but there was a lot to like with how the sophomore got his 16 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes. Cook could have made a living only using his strength on the block in this one, but it was his confidence in putting the ball on the deck to get the rim that was most impressive. Cook was efficient, too, going 5 for 7 from the floor. He stayed in attack mode to get to the foul line, which is exactly what he should do all season.

Jordan Bohannan’s Floor Game: It’s no secret that Iowa’s success this season likely rests on the shoulders of its sophomore point guard, and Bohannon definitely looks like he is up to the task. The 6-foot floor general was rock solid against the Cardinals, scoring a team-high 19 points while grabbing five rebounds, dishing out four assists, and committing zero turnovers. That’s a big-time stat line, even in a game like this.

Improved Depth: If there is something, really anything, one could take away from this exhibition, it's that the Hawkeyes have much more depth than a year ago. This team is still incredibly young — growing pains will absolutely still exist — but Iowa's bench scoring 50 points is a good sign moving forward. Finding a backup point guard will be the key here, and that might mean pulling the redshirt of Connor McCaffery right away.

THE BAD

Defensive Miscues: There was a little confusion, rotations weren’t always there, the matchups seemed kind of funky at times, and for some reason, it appeared to be by the design of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. With William Jewell playing small, it forced the Hawkeyes to get out of the traditional assignments and figure out how to face a smaller lineup. It didn’t always look very pretty, though, and Iowa gave up way too many easy buckets, including some by not getting back on defense fast enough. This mainly applied to the first half because the defense locked up a lot better during the final 20 minutes.

THE UGLY

First-Half Rebounding: This is probably nitpicking a little bit too much for an exhibition game, but hey, something has to fill this category in a 24-point win, right? So let’s just say this: No matter what, including how well the other team shoots the ball, Iowa should never get outrebounded halfway through a game by a smaller team like William Jewell and give up seven offensive rebounds like the Hawkeyes did in the first half.