Iowa Hosts Gazette Hawkeye Challenge

Dec. 2, 2004

• Listen to the games online!
• Watch Steve’s visit with the media live!
• Purchase your game tickets online
• Listen to the Hawkeyes on XM Radio

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

THE SETTING
Iowa (3-1) will hosts Centenary College (0-3) Friday evening in the first round of the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge. Game time is 8:11 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). North Carolina-Greensboro (3-1) meets Southern Mississippi (3-1) in the opening game at 5:45 p.m.

Iowa, playing the first of five straight home games, improved to 4-1 Tuesday with a 91-75 win at Drake. Centenary is 0-3 following an 83-76 loss at Northwestern State (LA) Tuesday.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play with color commentator Bob Hansen.

Television: ESPN Regional will carry the game to a network of stations that includes KGAN Cedar Rapids, KDSM Des Moines, KWQC Quad Cities, KCAU Sioux City and KYOU Ottumwa. Larry Morgan and Mac McCausland will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,315 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,379-935 (.596). That includes an 859-303 (.739) record in home games, a 520-633 (.451) record in games away from Iowa City, a 657-644 (.505) mark in Big Ten games and a 265-77 (.775) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 265-77 (.775) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 127-64 (.665) in Big Ten games and 138-13 (.914) in non-Big Ten games. Iowa has drawn over five million fans for men’s basketball games since the arena opened in 1983. Iowa has posted a 57-22 (.722) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 35-4 (.897) mark in non-conference home games.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 23rd by the Associated Press. The Hawkeyes are not in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll top 25, but Iowa is the first team listed among those receiving votes. Iowa began the season receiving no votes in either of the rankings.

TWO STRAIGHT OVER RANKED TEAMS
Iowa’s back-to-back wins over Louisville and Texas marks the second time Iowa has won consecutive games against ranked opponents under Coach Steve Alford. The Hawkeyes, during the 2002-03 season, defeated 20th-ranked Michigan State 68-64 and 8th-ranked Illinois 68-61.

IOWA IN ITS OWN TOURNAMENT
Iowa has won 21 of the 22 tournament titles and is 43-1 overall in its own tournament. The Hawkeyes have not lost in the championship game. Iowa’s lone tournament loss was in 1985 when Arkansas State defeated the Hawkeyes 66-62 in the first round. Alabama-Birmingham won the tournament that year and Iowa defeated Lehigh 89-68 for third place.

IOWA WON TOURNEY TITLE A YEAR AGO
Iowa claimed the tournament title last season by defeating Eastern Washington 70-54 in the first round and Northern Illinois 65-57 in the championship game. Iowa’s Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce were named to the all-tournament team.

IOWA COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford (pronounced ALL-ford) is in his sixth season as the head coach at the University of Iowa and his 14th season as a college head coach. Alford holds a career record of 249-149 (.626), including a 93-72 (.564) record at Iowa, a 78-29 (.729) record in four seasons (1992-95) at Div. III Manchester College and a four-year record (1996-99) of 78-48 (.619) at Southwest Missouri State. Alford ranks seventh among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins and he is 34-46 (.425) in Big Ten games at Iowa. Alford is 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament (3-2 in Div. I and 5-3 in Div. III) and 2-4 in the NIT.

Alford led Iowa to the 2001 Big Ten Conference Tournament title and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his second season with the Hawkeyes. Iowa earned a return trip to the title game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament in 2002 and advanced to the NIT in post-season play in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Hawkeyes set a Big Ten Conference Tournament record with seven straight wins over two seasons (2001-2002) before a last-second loss in the first round of the 2003 tournament. Alford’s record in the event is 8-4 in his five seasons.

Alford led Southwest Missouri State to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999 and in 1995 Manchester advanced to the NCAA championship game before suffering its first defeat of the season.

Alford is a 1987 graduate of Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to the 1987 NCAA title. Alford was a member of the 1984 U. S. Olympic team that earned the Gold Medal and he was the 26th player selected in the NBA Draft following his senior season. Alford played four seasons in the NBA before beginning his coaching career.

At Indiana, Alford started 120 of 125 games in four seasons. He served as team captain in 1987 when the Hoosiers were 30-4. Steve concluded his college career as Indiana’s all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points and he holds the Indiana record for career steals with 178. He was a consensus first team All-American and the Big Ten MVP as a senior.

Alford is a member of the Manchester College M Association Hall of Fame and the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was named one of the “Top 50 Athletes” in the history of the state of Indiana and was selected as a member of the 15-man Indiana University all-Century team. A year ago he was one of five players selected to ESPN’s Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team, honoring Big Ten players from the past 25 seasons. Alford is 1-0 vs. Centenary and Gent Coach Kevin Johnson.

CENTENARY COACH KEVIN JOHNSON
Kevin Johnson is in his sixth season as a college head coach, all at Centenary College. Johnson has compiled a record of 62-79, including a 16-12 mark a year ago.

Johnson was an assistant at Centenary for two seasons before taking over as the head coach. Johnson was an assistant coach at Texas-Pan American, his alma mater, in 1996-97, and at Northwestern State (LA) in 1989. Johnson has both played and coached overseas and he coached in the high school ranks in Bryan, TX.

Johnson is 0-1 vs. Iowa and Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

JOHNSON PLAYED AGAINST IOWA
As a senior at Texas-Pan American, Centenary Coach Kevin Johnson played in Iowa City when the Broncs were defeated by Iowa 110-64. Johnson was a bright spot for the Broncs, hitting 8-11 FGs and 2-2 three-pointers while scoring a team-high 18 points.

Johnson that season was a first team all-conference selection after leading his team in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. He finished the season ranked seventh in the nation in three-point percentage and he ranks 11th in career scoring at Texas-Pan American.

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 2-0 advantage over Centenary, winning both meetings in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes scored a 121-76 decision in 1992 and defeated the Gents 72-52 early in the 2001 season. This is Centenary’s first appearance in the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

THE LAST MEETING
Iowa shot 51.9% from the field in the second half to pull away for a 72-52 win over Centenary when the Gents visited Iowa City on Dec. 19, 2000. The Hawkeyes led by a 27-24 margin at halftime before Iowa’s shooting percentage warmed up. For the game, Iowa shot 44.7% from the field, compared to 32.8% for the visitors, and the Hawkeyes help a 48-28 rebounding advantage.

Iowa was led by Dean Oliver with 16 points and four assists. Ryan Hogan scored 15 points, Duez Henderson had 13 and Reggie Evans had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Centenary was led by Ronnie McCollum with 22 points and Kevin Atamah with 12.

ALFORD CLIMBS WIN CHARTS
Iowa Coach Steve Alford heads into the weekend with a chance to record a pair of significant wins. Alford’s next victory at Iowa will be career win number 250, as he enters the weekend with a 249-149 record.

Alford has a 93-72 record at Iowa, needing two wins to tie Ralph Miller (1965-70) for sixth place on the Iowa list for coaching victories. Pops Harrison (1943-50) ranks fifth with 98 wins.

HORNER EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Guard Jeff Horner was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in Iowa’s three games in the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Horner, a 6-3 junior from Mason City, led Iowa to wins over Louisville and Texas before the Hawkeyes lost to North Carolina in the championship game. Horner, who was a member of the Maui all-tournament team, had 27 points in the semi-final win over Texas and scored 18 points vs. Louisville and North Carolina. He led the tournament in scoring with 63 points and tied for second (with Iowa teammate Pierre Pierce) with 17 assists. Horner in the three games shot 65.2% (15-23) from three-point range, hitting 6-7 in the title game. He added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win earlier this week at Drake.

The honor is the second of Horner’s career. He earned the honor last Feb. 9 after leading Iowa to a double-overtime win at Indiana.

IOWA WINS AT DRAKE
Iowa used a strong shooting performance and solid play from its reserves in taking a 91-75 win over Drake Tuesday night in Des Moines. The Hawkeyes used a 12-0 scoring run late in the first half to gain control, building a 52-35 halftime advantage. The Hawkeyes shot 58.8% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 83.3% from the free throw line in the opening half. The Hawkeyes played without center Erek Hansen, who missed the game with a bruised hip.

Iowa maintained its advantage throughout the second half as Drake was never able to get closer than 10 points. Iowa ended the game shooting 53.6% from the field, compared to 42% for the Bulldogs, who made just 6-22 (27.3%) of their three-point attempts.

Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska led the Iowa attack with 21 points and eight rebounds apiece. Pierre Pierce added 15 points and Carlton Reed came off the bench for a career-high 14 points. Mike Henderson and Greg Brunner each scored eight points.

CENTENARY FALLS ON THE ROAD
Centenary struggled with its shooting in the first half before a second half rally came up short as the Gents dropped an 83-76 decision at Northwestern State (LA) Tuesday. Centenary shot just 39.1% from the field in falling behind 40-31 at intermission. The Gents then shot 59.3% in the second half in outscoring Northwestern 45-43, but the rally came up short. Centenary won the rebounding battle by a 32-28 margin, but was guilty of 20 turnovers.

The Gents were led by Chad Maclies with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrone Hamilton added 14 points and Jarmorrow Maragne scored 10 points and added eight assists.

HAWKEYES SET SECOND RECORD
Iowa set its second single-game record of the season in the loss to North Carolina. The Hawkeyes blocked 12 shots in the game, as Erek Hansen led the way with five blocks. Greg Brunner added three blocks, Pierre Pierce had two and Doug Thomas and Seth Gorney each had one.

The previous record of 11 blocked shots, was set in an 80-65 win at Drake on Jan. 4, 1993.

IOWA SETS FREE THROW MARK
Iowa set school and Carver-Hawkeye Arena records in its opening win over Western Illinois by making all 20 of its free throw attempts. Six Hawkeyes contributed to the record, with Pierre Pierce and Erek Hansen each making four. The previous best for a perfect free throw percentage (18-18) came in a win at Indiana in 1979. The previous record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 94.7%, when Iowa made 18-19 attempts vs. Wisconsin in 2001.

NEW FACES CONTRIBUTE EARLY
Several new faces have been big contributors in Iowa’s first five games. Junior college transfer Doug Thomas scored 14 points and led Iowa with nine rebounds in the opening win over Western Illinois, while sophomore Adam Haluska added 14 points. Haluska added 14 points vs. Louisville, 19 points in the loss to North Carolina and a career-high 21 points in a win at Drake.

Thomas added eight points and five rebounds vs. North Carolina and he had six rebounds in the win over Texas. In the win at Drake, freshman Carlton Reed scored 14 points and freshman Alex Thompson added four points and three rebounds.

Newcomers contributed 31 points and 13 rebounds in the opening win, 37 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina and 39 points and 15 rebounds in the win at Drake.

TRI-CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2005
Iowa’s tri-captains for the season include juniors Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce. Pierce, a native of Westmont, IL, started all 29 games a year ago, leading the team in scoring (16.1) while averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. Brunner, a native of Charles City, started 26 of 29 games. His 8.2 rebounds per game were a team best and ranked second in the Big Ten. Horner, a Mason City native, has started all 60 games over the past two seasons. He led the team in assists in each of the last two seasons while also averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds last year.

THE RETURNING CAST
Iowa returns three starters and six lettermen from 2004. Those six returning lettermen last season scored over 1,200 points and totaled over 600 rebounds. The six players, in 2004, scored 60.1% of Iowa’s points, had 56.9% of the rebounds, 67.5% of the assists, 64.4% of the blocked shots and 45.2% of the steals. In 29 games, a sophomore led Iowa in scoring 26 times and a sophomore was the top rebounder in 22 games. The Hawkeyes return their statistical leader from last season in all categories, with the exception of steals (Brody Boyd). The 13-man squad includes one senior, six juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. The roster includes eight Iowans, plus one player from California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Texas.

NEWCOMERS GAIN ATTENTION
Iowa’s class of newcomers includes seven players. That list includes juniors Doug Thomas and Justin Wieck, sophomore Adam Haluska and freshmen J.R. Angle, Seth Gorney, Carlton Reed and Alex Thompson. The group is ranked the second best incoming class in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation by Hoop Scoop in the June issue of Basketball Times.

Street and Smith’s ranks the group as the top incoming class in the Big Ten and names Thompson on the all-Midwest team on its list of Top 100 Freshman.

Lindy’s rates the incoming class as 14th best nationally and lists Haluska fourth among its top 10 transfers. Athlon Sport’s also lists Haluska among the top transfers in the nation and rates the overall class fourth best in the Big Ten.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 17-24 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach. Iowa, this season, has defeated 11th-ranked Louisville 76-71 and 13th-ranked Texas 82-80, with a loss to 11th-ranked North Carolina. Those three games were at the Maui Invitational.

Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 5-8 when playing teams ranked in the top 10, including wins over top-ranked Connecticut (70-68 in 1999-00), 2nd-ranked Missouri (83-65 in 2001-02), 5th-ranked Ohio State (67-64 in 1999-00), 7th-ranked Illinois (78-62 in 2000-01) and 8th-ranked Illinois (68-61 in 2002-03). The eight losses to top 10 teams have been once to top-ranked (Duke, 2001-02), once to 3rd-ranked (Illinois, 2000-01), twice to 4th-ranked (Michigan State, 1999-00 and 2000-01), twice to 5th-ranked (Tennessee, 2000-01 and Missouri, 2001-02), once to 9th-ranked (Kentucky, 2000-01) and once to 10th-ranked (Illinois, 2002).

In the 41 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 6-7 in home games, 8-8 at neutral sites and 3-9 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

SEEKING FIVE STRAIGHT IN `05
Iowa is seeking a fifth straight winning season, a streak that would match the second longest consecutive winning seasons record in the history of Iowa basketball. Iowa’s longest streak of consecutive winning seasons is seven, from 1950 through 1956. Pops Harrison, Bucky O’Connor and Rollie Williams all coached the Hawkeyes during those years. Only a 10-10 record in 1949 kept Iowa from 13 consecutive winning seasons (1944-56).

Lute Olson coached Iowa to five straight winning seasons from 1979-83, George Raveling and Tom Davis combined to coach Iowa to winning seasons from 1985-89 and Davis coached Iowa to winning seasons from 1995-99.

ANOTHER STRONG SCHEDULE
As has been the case in recent years, the Iowa schedule is very demanding. In non-conference action, Iowa took part in the EA Sports Maui Invitational early in the season, defeating #11 Louisville and #13 Texas, while falling to #11 North Carolina.

The non-conference slate also includes Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Air Force and Saint Louis, five teams that participated in post-season play a year ago. Northern Iowa, Texas Tech and Air Force all participated in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa also hosts non-conference games vs. Western Illinois and Western Carolina and plays at Drake. The Gazette Hawkeye Challenge includes Centenary College, North Carolina-Greensboro and Southern Mississippi.

All in all, Iowa will play 16 games against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago.

IOWA IN TOURNAMENT PLAY
Iowa has faired well while taking part in regular-season tournaments over the past 23 years. In that time Iowa has won the Great Alaska Shootout (1986-87), the Cal-Irvine Anteater Classic (1986-87), the Maui Classic (1987-88), the San Juan Thanksgiving Shootout (1992-93), the San Juan Christmas Shootout (1997-98), the Big Ten Conference Tournament in 2001 and its own invitational 21 times.

In addition, Iowa was runner-up in the 1985-86 Far West Classic, the 1987-88 All-College Tournament, the 1988-89 Chaminade Classic, the 1991-92 Tampa Tribune Holiday Invitational, the 1994-95 Rainbow Classic, the 1995-96 Great Alaska Shootout, the 1999-00 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the 2001-02 Guardians Classic, the 2002 Big Ten Conference Tournament and the 2004 Maui Invitational.

IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Iowa made its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, defeating Creighton 69-56 in the opening round of the East regional before falling to second-seeded Kentucky 92-79 in the second round. Iowa, which earned the Big Ten’s automatic bid, was seeded seventh in the East.

The Hawkeyes hold an overall record of 27-22 in the tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 1955 (fourth), 1956 (second) and 1980 (fourth). Iowa has advanced to at least the second round in its last 10 tournament appearances, last losing in the first round in 1986. Iowa reached the regional championship in 1987 and lost in the regional semi-final in 1988 and 1999.

1,000 POINT POSSIBILITIES
Iowa has three players, all juniors, who could reach the 1,000 point plateau this season. Pierre Pierce has scored 794 points, Jeff Horner has 726 and Greg Brunner has 610. Some notes on Iowa’s 1,000-Point Club include:

• 35 Hawkeye players have scored over 1,000 points, the most recent being Glen Worley last season
• The last Hawkeye to reach 1,000 points in three seasons was Dean Oliver in 2000
• Iowa has had three 1,000-point scorers on the roster in the same season on three occasions. Jess Settles, Kenyon Murray and Chris Kingsbury in 1996, Roy Marble, B.J. Armstrong and Jeff Moe in 1988 and Marble, Armstrong and Ed Horton in 1989

HORNER OFF TO FAST START
Junior guard Jeff Horner is off to a fast start through five games, leading the team with an 18.8 scoring average. Horner also is averaging 5.9 assists, six rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Horner had a career-high 27 points in the win over Texas and he led the Maui Invitational in scoring with 63 points in three games. He added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a win at Drake.

Horner made 15-23 three-point attempts in the three games in Hawaii, moving into Iowa’s top 10 in both three-pointers and three-point attempts. Through five games he is shooting 51.9% from the field, 54.1% from three-point range and 75% from the free throw line. Horner earned third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago.

PIERCE WELL BALANCED
Junior guard Pierre Pierce is proving to be a very versatile player through Iowa’s first five games. Pierce is averaging 15.6 points, five assists and five rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in all five games, has at least six assists in three of five games and five or more rebounds in three games.

Pierce made a three-point basket in the final minute to lead Iowa in a win over Texas, scoring 18 points vs. the Longhorns and 16 points vs. Louisville in Iowa’s first two games of the Maui Invitational. He had 13 points vs. North Carolina and 15 in a win at Drake. Pierce earned third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago when he led Iowa in scoring.

BRUNNER WORKING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Greg Brunner is Iowa’s top returning rebounded and he is averaging 5.6 rebounds after five games. Brunner, who ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, had a season-best 10 rebounds in the win over Louisville and he had eight rebounds in the win over Texas. Brunner has scored in double figures in four of Iowa’s five games, with a season-high of 17 vs. Texas, and he is averaging 2.6 assists per game. He is shooting 53.7% from the field and 80% from the foul line.

HANSEN BLOCKING THE WAY
Junior center Erek Hansen has picked up where he left off a year ago, making an art of blocking shots. Hansen led the Big Ten in blocked shots last season and has 16 blocks in four games this year. Hansen did not play in the win at Drake after suffering a bruised hip in practice the day before the game.

Playing with added confidence at both ends of the floor, Hansen is averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting 51.7% from the field and 72.7% from the foul line. He had 13 points in the opening win over Western Illinois and added 11 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in a win over Texas. Hansen had five blocked shots vs. both Louisville and North Carolina.

HALUSKA HITS NEW HIGH
Sophomore Adam Haluska reached a career-high 21 points in the win at Drake, and he also had eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Haluska had 19 points in the loss to North Carolina. In his first season at Iowa, Haluska has scored in double figures in four of five games. Haluska is shooting 85.3% from the free throw line and he leads the team with 29 free throws and 34 attempts.

Haluska had 14 points in his first game for the Hawkeyes vs. Western Illinois and he added 14 in a win over Louisville. He is averaging four rebounds per outing.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 203-193 in the first half and 223-201 in the second half. Iowa has led at halftime in two of five games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in four of five games.

BASKETBALL TICKETS AVAILABLE
The following is information on Iowa basketball tickets for this season. Iowa basketball ticket may be purchased in person at the athletic ticket office at the north entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, on line at www.hawkeyesports.com, or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS.

• Season tickets for all home games are available at a cost of $408
• Season tickets for faculty/staff for all home games are $340
• Student tickets are $204, while a partial student ticket that does not include games during the semester break are $144
• Single game tickets are available for all home games for $26 per ticket per game
• Single game student tickets are available for all home games for $15 per ticket per game
• Semester Break package tickets are available for $120 and include games vs. Western Carolina, Air Force, Saint Louis Michigan and Minnesota
• Additional packages include a Super Seven ($161 for eight games), Pick Three ($60 for three games) and Big Ten ($100 for four games)
• In addition, tickets for Iowa’s meeting with Texas Tech, Dec. 21 at the United Center in Chicago, are also on sale for $35. Those tickets are available through local TicketMaster outlets

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa’s contest at Drake is the only true road game for the Hawkeyes in non-conference play. Iowa played three neutral site games at the EA Sports Maui Invitational and will play Texas Tech at a neutral site (Dec. 21 at the United Center in Chicago).
• After playing four games in six days to open the season, Iowa is playing three games in five days this week.
• Iowa had a season-best six players score in double figures in the win over Western Illinois and four players score in double figures in each of the following four games. Iowa is 1-0 when six players score in double figures and 3-1 when four reach double figures.
• Iowa is 2-0 when leading at halftime and 2-1 when trailing at intermission.
• Iowa is 2-1 when controlling the opening tip and 2-0 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 2-0 in games decided by 10 points or less, and has not played an overtime game.
• Under Steve Alford, Iowa is 26-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 1-1 this season.
• North Carolina is the only Iowa opponent to shoot over 50% from the field this season. Last season, Iowa was 0-5 when its opponent shot at least 50% from the field.

NOTES FROM A YEAR AGO

• Iowa is one of four Big Ten teams to post a winning season in each of the last four years, joining Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Iowa advanced to post-season play for the fourth straight season a year ago.
• Iowa’s 9-7 Big Ten record earned a fourth place finish in the conference race, a feat that was accomplished despite the fact that Iowa lost an average of 30 points and 17 rebounds from the team that posted a 9-4 record through its first 13 games of the season.
• Iowa collected four Big Ten road wins in 2004 and seven in the last two seasons. In Big Ten play, only Illinois (six) and Michigan State (five) won more road games a year ago as Iowa won at Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State and Minnesota. The Hawkeyes won three road games in 2003. Under Steve Alford, Iowa has won at least three Big Ten road games in three of five seasons.
• For the first time since 1987-88, Iowa did not lose consecutive games in Big Ten play. Michigan State was the only other conference team to avoid consecutive losses during the conference season.
• Iowa outscored its opponents 491-397 from the free throw line, attempting 731 free throws compared to 575 for the opponents. Iowa outscored 20 of 29 opponents from the free throw line while averaging 25.2 free throws per outing. In Big Ten games, Iowa made as many free throws (294) as its opponents attempted.
• Iowa ranked second in the Big Ten, for all games, in five statistical categories, including scoring offense, field goal defense, three-point field goal percentage, rebounding margin and assists per game.
• Iowa’s single-game bests in 2003-04 included Pierre Pierce with 28 points vs. Michigan, a career-high. Greg Brunner had 14 rebounds in the double-overtime win at Indiana, also a career-high. Jeff Horner had a career-high nine assists in the win over Drake and 2004 Brody Boyd had seven steals in Iowa’s win over Northern Illinois.

HALK TALK WITH Steve Alford
Fans of the University of Iowa basketball program may join Iowa Coach Steve Alford and radio announcer Gary Dolphin each week during the season for the “Hawk Talk with Steve Alford” radio call-in show. The show takes place each week at Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Café in Iowa City. The show airs from 6-7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 6, 13; Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28; and Mar. 7.

IOWA ON THE TUBE
Every Iowa game throughout the 2004-05 season is slated for television. Iowa appeared on national cable television (ESPN and ESPN2) in three games in the Maui Invitational and the Dec. 21 game vs. Texas Tech in Chicago is slated for national cable television on ESPN2. Iowa games not selected for national coverage will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus, while several conference games are scheduled to be carried throughout the Big Ten Conference viewing area as part of the Big Ten regional network agreement with ESPN Plus.

AFTER THIS
Following the two games in the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge, Iowa will continue its home stand next week against in-state rivals Northern Iowa (Tues, Dec. 7) and Iowa State (Fri., Dec. 10).