Iowa Travels to Minnesota for Wednesday Contest

Feb. 21, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (16-9, 4-8) plays the first of two straight road games Wednesday, traveling to Minnesota (17-9, 7-6) for a return meeting with the Gophers. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Williams Arena (14,625).

The Hawkeyes lost to top-ranked Illinois 75-65 Saturday in Iowa City. Minnesota defeated Ohio State 52-50 Saturday in Minneapolis Saturday. Iowa defeated Minnesota 66-60 Jan. 15 in Iowa City.

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, KYOU Ottumwa and KGWB Quad Cities. Dick Bremer and Mac McCausland will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,335 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,391-944 (.596). That includes an 870-306 (.740) record in home games, a 521-638 (.450) record in games away from Iowa City, a 661-653 (.503) mark in Big Ten games and a 276-80 (.775) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 276-80 (.775) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 131-67 (.662) in Big Ten games and 145-13 (.918) 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 68-25 (.731) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 42-4 (.913) mark in non-conference home games.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa was ranked for nine consecutive weeks this season, climbing as high as 14th in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 3. Iowa began the season receiving no votes in either poll. The Hawkeyes are 61st in the RPI rankings and 30th in the Sagarin Ratings.

IOWA SECURES FIVE IN A ROW
With 16 wins in 24 outings, Iowa has clinched a fifth straight winning season, a streak that matches the second longest consecutive winning seasons streak in Iowa basketball history.

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.

IOWA HAS FAST START
With 12 wins in its first 13 games, Iowa enjoyed its best start under Coach Steve Alford. Iowa, in 2001, posted a 10-1 mark to start the season and ended the year with a 23-12 overall record. Iowa began both the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons with a 13-1 record.

Iowa’s nine-game win streak during non-conference action matched the best streak for an Iowa team under Alford, as the Hawkeyes opened the 2000-01 season with nine straight wins. The Hawkeyes also had six-game win streaks in 2003-04 and 2001-02.

Iowa has 12 non-conference wins (not including post-season) for the first time since 1988-89.

HALUSKA EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR
Sophomore guard Adam Haluska has been selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine District VII academic all-America team. Haluska’s name will now be placed on the national ballot for academic all-America honors.

Haluska is a finance major with a 3.46 grade point average. He is in his first season of action at Iowa after redshirting during the 2003-04 season.

Haluska (6-5, 210) is a native of Carroll, IA. He has started all 25 games, scoring in double figures in 19 games. He is averaging 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 46.4% from the field and 80.4% from the foul line.

HORNER ON COACHES DISTRICT TEAM
Junior guard Jeff Horner has been named to the NABC District 12 second team. The National Association of Basketball Coaches selects 15 district teams, with District 12 including Division I basketball programs Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas.

Horner has started 24 of 25 games, averaging 13.5 points, 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

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 261-157 (.624), including a 105-80 (.568) 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 fifth among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins and he is 38-54 (.413) 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 7-3 vs. Minnesota and Gopher Coach Dan Monson.

MINNESOTA COACH DAN MONSON
Dan Monson is in his sixth season at Minnesota and his eighth season as a college head coach. Monson holds a career mark of 148-101 and a record of 96-84 at Minnesota. Monson posted a 52-17 record in two seasons at Gonzaga, taking his team to the Elite Eight in 1999 before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut. Monson was an assistant coach at Alabama-Birmingham and Gonzaga before becoming a college head coach. Monson, a 1985 graduate of the University of Idaho, is 3-7 vs. Iowa and Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

THE SERIES
Minnesota holds a 92-84 advantage over Iowa in the series that began with a 47-10 Gopher win in 1902. Iowa won the first meeting, 66-60, Jan. 15 in Iowa City, and both meetings last season. The Hawkeyes have won seven of the last nine meetings. The teams met just once in 2002 and 2003, with Minnesota winning both meetings.

The Gophers hold a 55-32 advantage in games played at Minnesota. Iowa has won two of the last three and three of the last six meetings in Williams Arena, including an 83-68 win last season.

IOWA WON FIRST MEETING
Iowa used a solid defensive effort against one of the top shooting team in the Big Ten in taking a 66-60 win over Minnesota Jan. 15 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes held Minnesota to 33.3% shooting in the game after the Gophers came into the contest shooting over 51% for the season.

Iowa led from the beginning, jumping to a 10-2 advantage in the first five minutes. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 16 points in the first half before maintaining a 32-26 margin at halftime. The Gophers shot just 29% from the field in the opening half.

Despite struggling with its own field goal accuracy, Iowa led the entire second half, building the margin back to as many as 13 points on two occasions. The final margin of six points was as close as Minnesota would get in the second half as Iowa made 20-26 free throws in the final 20 minutes and won the game despite not scoring a field goal in the final 10 minutes.

Along with holding Minnesota to poor shooting, the Hawkeye defense forced 20 turnovers and came up with 10 steals. Pierre Pierce held Minnesota’s leading scorer, Vincent Grier, to six points, including just one field goal.

Along with the strong defensive effort, Pierce led Iowa with 18 points and added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Adam Haluska added 15 points and Jeff Horner scored 12. Greg Brunner added his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Seth Gorney added five rebounds.

Minnesota was led by center Jeff Hagen with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rico Tucker added 10 points and Dan Coleman scored nine.

IOWA, GOPHER NOTES

• Iowa Coach Steve Alford and Minnesota Coach Dan Monson, who are close friends, are both in their sixth year in the Big Ten Conference.
• Prior to the 2001-02 season, Iowa and Minnesota had played two basketball games each season since 1971. The teams met only in Iowa City in 2002 and only in Minneapolis in 2003. The 2001 season marked the first time the teams met three times in one season, with the third meeting taking place in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
• Iowa’s roster includes nine players from the state of Iowa and the Golden Gopher roster includes 11 players from the state of Minnesota.
• Iowa and Minnesota both played just one true road game in non-conference action. Iowa won at Drake, while Minnesota won at Nebraska. Iowa played three games in the EA Sports Maui Invitational in Hawaii and met Texas Tech in Chicago, while Minnesota played three games in the Great Alaska Shootout.
• The two teams played just one common opponent in non-conference action. Iowa defeated UNC Greensboro 83-58 in Iowa City and Minnesota defeated UNC Greensboro 94-59 in Minneapolis.
• Iowa won nine straight games during non-conference action, while Minnesota won 10 straight games before the 66-60 loss in Iowa City in January.

ALFORD REACHES 100 HAWKEYE WINS
Coach Steve Alford collected win No. 100 as Iowa’s head coach in the 73-63 victory over Air Force. Career victory No. 250 came in the 88-53 win over Centenary in early December. His career mark stands at 261-157. Alford is 105-80 at Iowa, moving into fifth place on the Iowa list for coaching victories. Iowa’s top four coaches in career wins include Tom Davis (269), Lute Olson (168), Rollie Williams (139) and Bucky O’Connor (114).

ALL IOWANS IN THE STARTING LINE-UP
Iowa’s starting line-up in games vs. Northwestern and Purdue consisted of five native Iowans, including Alex Thompson (Ames), Greg Brunner (Charles City), Adam Haluska (Carroll), Jeff Horner (Mason City) and Mike Henderson (Waterloo).

This season marks the first time that has occurred since 1997-98 when Ricky Davis (Davenport), Ryan Bowen (Ft. Madison), Dean Oliver (Mason City), Kent McCausland (Waterloo) and Kyle Galloway (Sioux City) started four games late in the regular season and the NIT loss to Georgia. That group won games against Ohio State, Purdue and Northwestern and lost at Illinois before the post-season loss to Georgia.

Both the 1998 line-up and the all-Iowa line-up this season included two players from Mason City (Jeff Horner and Dean Oliver were both coached at Mason City HS by Jeff’s father, Bob) and Waterloo (McCausland attended West HS and Henderson attended East HS). Both also include a first year Hawkeye. Davis and Oliver were true freshmen in 1997-98. Thompson is a true freshman and Haluska, a sophomore, is in his first season of action at Iowa.

RECOGNITION ON THE NET
Iowa’s basketball program was well recognized on the internet for its play during the non-conference portion of the season.

• On espn.com, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale selected the Hawkeyes as his “Team of the Week” for their 83-53 win over Texas Tech.
• CollegeInsider.com selected sophomore guard Adam Haluska as its “Star of the Week” for his play in the win over Texas Tech. Haluska matched his career high with 21 points, hitting 7-9 field goals, 3-3 three-pointers and 4-5 free throws.
• CollegeInsider.com selected Coach Steve Alford for its “Mid Season” Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honor. The Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honor is awarded in March.
• Gregg Doyel, writing for cbssportline.com, featured the Iowa guard court as one of the best in the nation.

ILLINOIS GETS PAST IOWA
Illinois used a 15-7 scoring run over the final four minutes to earn a 75-65 win in Iowa City Saturday. While the Hawkeyes never led in the second half, they trailed by just two points on three occasions, the last at 60-58 with 4:34 remaining. Illinois scored four straight points over the next minute before a three-point basket by Jeff Horner cut the margin to three with 2:44 to play. The margin was four with 1:21 to play after a basket by Greg Brunner, but Illinois sealed the win with a three-point basket with 59 seconds remaining.

Iowa trailed 7-2 at the start before using a 9-0 scoring run for an 11-7 advantage with 12 minutes to play in the first half. The game was tied for the final time at 20-20 with five minutes left in the half before the Illini built a 36-28 margin at the break. Illinois led by as many as 12 points early in the second half before Iowa rallied.

Iowa shot 46.5% from the field, 36.4% from three-point range and 80.8% from the foul line. The Hawkeyes also held a 36-21 rebounding advantage. Illinois shot 48.1% from the field and made 18-23 (78.3%) from the foul line. The Illini were guilty of just 10 turnovers, compared to 21 for the Hawkeyes.

Adam Haluska led Iowa’s scoring attack with 20 points, while Brunner added 15 and Horner scored 12. Brunner led both teams with nine rebounds, Haluska added seven rebounds and Horner led all players with six assists.

MINNESOTA DEFEATS OHIO STATE
Minnesota scored on a tip-in basket by J’son Stamper in the final minute and held on for a 52-50 win over Ohio State Saturday night in Minneapolis. Stamper’s basket gave the Gophers a 51-50 advantage before Aaron Robinson added a free throw for the final margin. Stamper also had two key defensive rebounds in the final minute to help keep the Buckeyes from tying the score.

Minnesota held the visitors to 25% field goal shooting in building a 24-19 halftime advantage before Ohio State rallied in the second half. Minnesota also held a 38-26 rebounding advantage.

Vincent Grier led Minnesota with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeff Hagen added 12 points. Hagen, Stamper and Dan Coleman each added six rebounds and Brent Lawson led the defensive play with five steals.

NOT GETTING THE CLOSE ONES
Iowa, in 12 Big Ten games, has lost two games in overtime, two road games by three points each and another by two points at home. The Hawkeyes lost to Michigan 63-65 to open Big Ten play and dropped a 69-72 decision at #20 Wisconsin and a 66-63 contest at Purdue. Iowa has lost overtime games at top-ranked Illinois (68-73) and at Northwestern (74-75). Iowa’s four conference wins, all at home, have been by six, 14, 15 and 10 points. Even with the 4-8 Big Ten record, Iowa has been outscored in league games by a narrow 67.5-67.3 margin.

On the season, Iowa is 8-6 in games decided by 10 points or less, with the six losses coming in conference action.

LEADER ACROSS THE BOARD
Sophomore Adam Haluska led Iowa in the win over Northwestern, leading the Hawkeyes in points (20), rebounds (eight), assists (five) and steals (four), field goals (seven), three-point field goals (four) and free throws (two). Haluska hit 7-14 field goals, 4-6 treys and 2-3 free throws, while committing just one turnover and collecting no personal fouls.

Haluska’s performance marks the first time one player had led Iowa in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in one game since the 2002-03 season. Jeff Horner, as a freshman, led Iowa to a 68-61 win over 8th-ranked Illinois in Iowa City, collecting 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

NO SECOND CHANCE FOR WILDCATS
In Iowa’s 64-54 win over Northwestern, the Hawkeyes did not allow the Wildcats to collect any offensive rebounds. Iowa won the rebounding battle by a 34-22 margin and all 22 of Northwestern’s rebounds came on Iowa missed shots.

That game marks the first time in 183 games that a Steve Alford coached Iowa team did not allow an opponent an offensive rebound.

The previous low was by Wisconsin, as the Badgers had just one offensive rebound in Iowa’s 61-55 win in Madison on Jan. 29, 2000.

HAWKEYES BETTER ON THE BOARDS
Iowa has won the rebounding battle in its last three games. Iowa held a 34-22 advantage in the home win over Northwestern, a 39-32 advantage in the loss at Purdue and a 36-21 advantage in the loss to Illinois. For the season Iowa holds a 36.1-34.9 rebounding advantage, while Iowa’s margin is 34.4-33.6 in Big Ten games.

IOWA HAS FEWEST TURNOVER TOTAL
Iowa was guilty of just six turnovers in a loss at Wisconsin, a season-low and the lowest number for Iowa in 185 games under Coach Steve Alford. For the second straight game, the Hawkeyes had just one turnover in the second half. The Hawkeyes are 6-8 in 14 games under Alford in which they commit less than 10 turnovers, with five of those games taking place this season.

OPPONENTS HITTING FREE THROWS
Iowa attempted more free throws than its opponent in its first 15 games of the season. Over the last 10 games, Iowa’s opponents have attempted more free throws in seven games, with the free throw attempts being equal in two games. In the loss at Wisconsin, the Badgers converted 27-35 attempts, compared to 7-14 for Iowa. Against Michigan State, Iowa made 32-42 free throw attempts, compared to 23-29 for MSU. In a win over Northwestern, the Wildcats had an 18-10 advantage in attempts, with both teams shooting just 50%. Purdue made 15-20 free throws compared to Iowa’s 10-16. In Iowa’s two overtime losses on the road, the Hawkeyes did not attempt a free throw in the opening half.

HAWKEYES TIE BLOCK RECORD, AGAIN
Iowa set its second single-game record of the season in a loss to North Carolina and tied that record in wins over North Carolina-Greensboro and Saint Louis. The Hawkeyes blocked 12 shots in each of those games to break the previous record of 11, set in an 80-65 win at Drake on Jan. 4, 1993.

Junior center Erek Hansen led the way with five blocks against the North Carolina and UNC Greensboro, and he had seven in the win over Saint Louis.

The Hawkeyes have 138 blocked shots in 25 games. Iowa’s top three season totals for blocked shots include 165 in 1993, 161 in 1992 and 153 in 1991.

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.

Along with the record-setting performance against Western Illinois, Iowa has made over 80% of its free throw attempts in two other games. Iowa shot 85% (17-20) in a loss at Ohio State and shot 80.8% (21-26) in a home loss to Illinois.

NEW FACES CONTRIBUTE EARLY
Several new faces have been big contributors in Iowa’s 25 games. The newcomers are averaging 22.9 points and 12 rebounds per outing.

Junior college transfer Doug Thomas scored 14 points and led Iowa with nine rebounds in the opening win over Western Illinois, and he added 10 rebounds vs. UNC Greensboro and Northwestern. Thomas added eight points and five rebounds vs. North Carolina, he had six rebounds in the win over Texas and five rebounds at Illinois. In the win over Purdue, Thomas matched his scoring high with 14 points and added nine rebounds, and he had eight rebounds vs. Michigan State.

Sophomore Adam Haluska has scored in double figures in 19 of 25 games, including a career-high 24 points vs. Michigan State and 21 vs. Drake and Texas Tech. Haluska added 20 points in home wins over Iowa State and Northwestern and the home loss to Illinois

In the win at Drake, freshman Carlton Reed scored 14 points, while freshman Alex Thompson added five rebounds in the win over Texas Tech. Seth Gorney played a key defensive role and had five rebounds in a win over Minnesota and Reed had a career-best five assists in the win over Purdue and added eight points at Northwestern.

Newcomers contributed 31 points and 13 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, 37 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina, 39 points and 15 rebounds in the win at Drake, 29 points and 18 rebounds vs. Michigan State, 27 points and 19 rebounds vs. UNC Greensboro, 28 points and 19 rebounds vs. Purdue and 22 points and 15 rebounds vs. Centenary.

ANOTHER STRONG SCHEDULE
As has been the case in recent years, the Iowa schedule is very demanding. Eight of Iowa’s 13 non-conference games were against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago. Iowa this season is 8-7 against teams that were in post-season play a year ago, including a 5-5 record vs. teams that were in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

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 Hawkeyes lost twice to top-ranked Illinois (once in overtime), lost to 10th-ranked Michigan State 75-64 and dropped a 72-69 decision at #20 Wisconsin.

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

Iowa will play 16 games against teams that advanced to post-season play last season.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE STRENGTH
According to the February issue of Basketball Times, Iowa’s non-conference schedule ranked as the 18th-strongest in the nation. Among Big Ten teams, only Indiana (7th), Wisconsin (8th) and Purdue (12th) played stronger non-conference schedules. The remaining Big Ten teams and their ratings included Illinois (66), Michigan (106), Michigan State (142), Minnesota (148), Ohio State (159), Northwestern (214) and Penn State (276).

At the time the ratings were compiled, Iowa was one of eight teams ranked in the top 25 that also had a top 25 non-conference strength of schedule. The other teams on that list included Wake Forest, Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.

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 VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 17-28 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach, including a 2-5 mark in 2004-05. Iowa, this season, has defeated 11th-ranked Louisville 76-71 and 13th-ranked Texas 82-80, with losses to 11th-ranked North Carolina (92-106), at No. 1 ranked Illinois (68-73), in overtime, to 10th-ranked Michigan State (64-75) at home, at #20 Wisconsin, 72-69 and 75-65 to top-ranked Illinois in Iowa City.

Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 5-12 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 12 losses to top 10 teams have been three times to No. 1 (Duke, 2001-02 and Illinois twice in 2004-05), 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 three times to 10th-ranked (Michigan State, 2000, Illinois, 2002 and Michigan State, 2005).

In the 45 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 6-9 in home games, 8-8 at neutral sites and 3-11 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

HANSEN ON BLOCKS CHART
Junior center Erek Hansen has collected 71 blocked shots in 24 games, moving among Iowa’s leaders in blocks for a season and career. A year ago Hansen blocked 40 shots in 22 games. The 71 blocks rank fifth best for a single season and his 111 career blocks ranks fifth among Iowa’s career leaders. Hansen had a career-best seven blocked shots vs. Iowa State and Saint Louis and he had six blocks in a win over Texas Tech and a loss to Michigan. He has blocked five or more shots in seven games, and he is averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 71.8% from the free throw line. He had a career-high 14 points vs. Northern Iowa and he had 11 points and six rebounds vs. Texas.

HORNER JUST MAKES IT HAPPEN
Junior guard Jeff Horner has been Iowa’s most versatile player, ranking among national leaders in assists and three-point field goals while averaging 13.5 points per game. Horner is averaging 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 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.

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. His 64 made three-point baskets this season rank as the ninth-best single season total. He had 65 three-pointers a year ago.

Horner was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his play in Maui. The honor is the second of Horner’s career, as he earned it last Feb. 9 after leading Iowa to a double-overtime win at Indiana.

He added 21 points in the win at Drake and his first career scoring and assist double-double in the win over UNC Greensboro with 14 points and a career-best 11 assists. He added 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over Northern Iowa. Horner scored Iowa’s final five points in the last 95 seconds against the Panthers and he added 12 points and seven assists in a win over Iowa State.

Horner played 40 of 45 minutes at Northwestern, collecting seven points and six assists, with no turnovers, and he added 16 points, nine assists and just one turnover in the home win over Indiana. Against Michigan State he had 13 points with just one turnover, and he had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers at Wisconsin. Horner added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in a home win over Northwestern and he had 12 points, six assists and four rebounds vs. Illinois.

He is shooting 41.9% from the field, 44.1% from three-point range and 76.1% from the free throw line. Horner was named to the all-tournament team at the Maui Invitational and he was co-MVP of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge. Horner, who is averaging 36 minutes per game, has committed one or no turnovers in nine of 25 games and he is averaging one turnover every 13.9 minutes.

Horner’s career totals include 969 points, 404 rebounds and 398 assists. He is on target to become the only member of Iowa’s 1,000-point Club to also total over 400 rebounds and 400 assists.

HORNER SURPASSES TRIPLE FIGURES, AGAIN
Junior guard Jeff Horner is the only player in Iowa basketball history to record over 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in three different seasons, as his totals this year now include 337 points, 112 rebounds and 135 assists. Horner is one of two players to accomplish the feat as a freshman.

BRUNNER WORKING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Greg Brunner is Iowa’s top returning rebounder from a year ago. He is averaging eight rebounds for the season and 8.5 in conference games, ranking second in the Big Ten for all games and league games. Brunner ranks second among current Big Ten players with nine scoring and rebounding doubles-doubles this season and he ranks first with 18 in his career. In Big Ten games only, Brunner ranks second in rebounds (8.5), third in scoring (17.1), ninth in FG% (.517), 10th in blocked shots (0.9) and 11th in steals (1.3).

Brunner had a career-high 28 points at Northwestern, hitting 11-17 field goals and 6-8 free throws, and he also had three blocked shots. Brunner has raised his career total to 77 blocks, moving in to 10th on Iowa’s list of career leaders. At Wisconsin he had 27 points (12-21 FGs) and seven rebounds and he added 16 points and a solid defensive effort in the home win over Northwestern. At Purdue he collected 19 points and 10 rebounds and he added 15 points and nine rebounds in a home loss to Illinois.

Brunner was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his play against Wisconsin and Northwestern. Brunner earned the recognition for the second time in his career, as he was honored early in the 2004 season after leading Iowa to wins over Drake and Louisville.

Brunner had 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Minnesota, 16 points and 11 rebounds in the overtime loss at Illinois and 13 points and nine rebounds vs. Indiana. Brunner, who ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, had a season-best 13 rebounds in the win over Iowa State and he has 10 rebounds or more in seven additional games.

Brunner has scored in double figures in 23 games, including the last 14 games in a row. He is shooting 53.3% from the field and 70.4% from the foul line. He was named to the all-tournament team of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

HALUSKA HEATS UP
Sophomore Adam Haluska scored a career-high 24 points in the loss to Michigan State, including 9-11 free throws, and he added six rebounds. He added 16 points in a loss at Wisconsin and led Iowa with 20 points and eight rebounds in a home win over Northwestern. At Purdue, he added 12 points and five rebounds and he had 20 points and seven rebounds in a home loss to Illinois. In Iowa’s last five games, Haluska is averaging 18.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, shooting 46.8% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.

Haluska scored 21 points in wins over Texas Tech and Drake and he has scored in double figures in 19 of 25 games. Playing against his former school, he added 20 points in a win over Iowa State, hitting 4-8 treys. Haluska had 19 points in the loss to North Carolina and 17 points vs. UNC Greensboro. He had career-bests of five assists and four steals in the win over Northwestern.

He scored 15 points and collected two steals in a win over Minnesota, he added 12 points, six rebounds and two steals at Illinois, he had 12 points and two assists at Northwestern and he added 16 points against Wisconsin.

In his first season at Iowa, Haluska is shooting 46.4% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 80.4% from the free throw line while averaging 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

THOMAS HELPS ON THE GLASS
Junior Doug Thomas is making a major contribution to Iowa’s rebounding efforts, as he is third on the team with an average of 4.6 per game. He had nine rebounds and 14 points in a win over Purdue and eight rebounds vs. Michigan State.

Thomas had nine rebounds in his first game as a Hawkeye and added 10 in a win over UNC Greensboro. Thomas had six points and six rebounds in the win over Texas Tech, he had five rebounds in the overtime loss at Illinois and he had eight points vs. Indiana. The 14 points vs. Purdue matched his season high. Thomas is averaging 4.5 points while shooting 55.3% from the field.

HENDERSON SETTLES IN
Sophomore Mike Henderson is getting settled as a member of the starting line-up, playing well in Iowa’s last four games. Henderson collected a career-high 11 points at Purdue, he had eight points in the win over Northwestern and he had five rebounds in games vs. Northwestern, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Henderson is a solid defensive player as well. In Iowa’s win over Northwestern, Henderson played a key roll in holding Wildcat guard T.J. Parker to just two points on four field goal attempts.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 863-798 in the first half and 988-885 in the second half, and the Hawkeyes have been outscored 17-11 in two overtime periods. Iowa has led at halftime in 14 of 25 games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in 15 games.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa has played two overtime games, losing in single overtime at Illinois and at Northwestern. Iowa was 2-0 in overtime games a year ago, defeating Louisville in single overtime on a neutral court and winning at Indiana in two overtimes.
• Iowa’s contest at Drake was 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 played Texas Tech at the United Center in Chicago.
• In the 70-63 win over Iowa State, Iowa held the Cyclones without a three-point basket as ISU missed all six of its attempts. That marks the first time an Iowa opponent did not make at least one three-point basket since early in the 2001-02 season, when Iowa State missed all eight of its three-point attempts in a 78-53 loss to Iowa in Ames.
• As a team, Iowa set two Gazette Hawkeye Challenge tournament records and tied a third, in a win over UNC Greensboro. The Hawkeyes set a tournament record and tied their own school record with 12 blocked shots. That record was set earlier this season in a loss to North Carolina. Iowa also shot 57.9% (11-19) from three-point range to set a tournament record and the 11 three-point field goals tied a tournament mark.
• Iowa is 12-1 when scoring between 70-89 points and 7-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points.
• Iowa is 12-4 when collecting more assists than the opponent, 12-3 when having fewer turnovers and 10-3 when collecting most steals than the opponent.
• Iowa has had four players or more score in double figures in 13 of 25 games, with a season-best six players in the win over Western Illinois.
• Iowa is 1-0 when six players score in double figures, 1-0 when five players score 10 points or more, 8-3 when four reach double figures, 4-5 with three in double figures and 2-1 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa has four players averaging between 13.5 and 17.8 points per game and four players averaging between 4.5 and 8.0 rebounds per outing.
• Iowa is 13-1 when leading at halftime, 3-7 when trailing at intermission and 0-1 when tied at halftime.
• Iowa is 9-5 when controlling the opening tip and 7-4 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 8-6 in games decided by 10 points or less, including 0-2 in overtime.
• Under Steve Alford, Iowa is 32-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 7-1 this season.
• North Carolina, Northern Iowa and Northwestern (second meeting) are the only Iowa opponents to shoot at least 50% from the field this season, and Iowa is 2-1 in those games. Last season, Iowa was 0-5 when its opponent shot at least 50% from the field.

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2005
Iowa’s captains are juniors Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner. Brunner, a native of Charles City, started 26 of 29 games last season. His 8.2 rebounds per game were a team best and ranked second in the Big Ten. Horner, a Mason City native, has started 79 of 80 career games over the past three seasons. He led the team in assists in each of the last two seasons while also averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds a year ago.

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.

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: Feb. 21, 28; and Mar. 7.

IOWA ON THE TUBE
Every Iowa game throughout the 2004-05 will be televised. Iowa appeared on national cable television (ESPN and ESPN2) in three games in the Maui Invitational and in games vs. Texas Tech (ESPN2) and twice vs. Illinois (ESPN). 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.

HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES
Iowa leads the inaugural Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series 9-8. Iowa recorded a 17-10 football victory, an 89-80 win in women’s basketball, a 214-85 win in women’s swimming and diving and a 70-63 win in men’s basketball. Iowa State has posted a 6-1 women’s soccer victory, a 19-16 wrestling victory and a two wins in women’s gymnastics.

A point system tracks each institution’s performance and will culminate in one institution winning the annual trophy for the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Intercollegiate athletic teams from Iowa and Iowa State will square off in head-to-head competition nine different times during the 2004-05 academic year, with the April 19 softball game being the final event.

The competition this year is in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, wrestling, women’s gymnastics (both meets), women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving and softball. Additional points will be available for each school to secure based on successful performance in the classroom by its student-athletes. Two points will be added for an institution if the student-athlete graduation rate for all student-athletes is greater than the national average for all student-athletes.

AFTER THIS
Iowa travels to Penn State Saturday (11:17 a.m. CT), returns home to host Ohio State March 2 (7:05 p.m.) and concludes the regular season at Michigan Saturday, March 5 (11:17 a.m. CT).