Hawkeye Men Travel to Penn State Saturday

Feb. 24, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (16-10, 4-9) plays its second straight road game, visiting Penn State (7-19, 1-12) Saturday for the only meeting of the regular season with the Nittany Lions. Game time is 11:17 a.m. CT at the Bryce Jordan Center (15,261).

The Hawkeyes lost to Minnesota 65-57 Wednesday night in Minneapolis, while Penn State lost to Michigan 63-48 Wednesday night in Ann Arbor.

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 throughout the Big Ten viewing area, including KGAN in Cedar Rapids. Dick Bremer and Mike Kelley will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,336 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,391-945 (.595). That includes an 870-306 (.740) record in home games, a 521-639 (.449) record in games away from Iowa City, a 661-654 (.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 is listed among teams receiving votes in the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. 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 68th in the RPI rankings and 32nd in the Sagarin Ratings.

IOWA SECURES FIVE IN A ROW
With 16 wins in 26 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 26 games, scoring in double figures in 20 games. He is averaging 13.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 47.1% from the field and 80% 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 Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas.

Horner has started 25 of 26 games, averaging 13.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 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 261-158 (.623), including a 105-81 (.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 fifth among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins and he is 38-55 (.409) in Big Ten games. 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. Penn State and 1-0 vs. PSU Coach Ed DeChillis.

PSU COACH ED DECHILLIS
Ed DeChillis is in his second season as Penn State’s head coach and his ninth year overall as a college head coach. DeChillis is 16-38 at Penn State and his career mark stands at 121-131. He posted a 105-93 record in seven years as the head coach at East Tennessee State. A Penn State graduate, DeChillis led East Tennessee State to the Southern Conference Tournament championship in 2003, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. East Tennessee State then lost to No. two seed Wake Forest by a narrow 76-73 margin.

DeChillis began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Penn State, and later was an assistant coach at Salem College in West Virginia. He returned to Penn State as an assistant coach for 10 seasons before taking over at East Tennessee State. As a PSU assistant, DeChillis helped the Nittany Lions advance to post-season play in four straight seasons (1989-92), while posting an 87-40 record in that time.

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

DECHILLIS AS AN ASSISTANT
Penn State Coach Ed DeChillis served as a Nittany Lion assistant coach from 1986-96, during the time that Penn State moved from the Atlantic 10 Conference to the Big Ten. During his last two seasons as an assistant there, PSU posted a 42-18 record, advancing to the NIT in 1995 and the NCAA Tournament in 1996. During his time as a Penn State assistant DeChillis helped PSU post a 4-3 record against Iowa.

HAWKEYE, LION NOTES

• Penn State’s Arthur Johnson and Iowa’s Greg Brunner, both juniors, rank as the top two rebounders in the Big Ten Conference. Johnson is averaging 9.8 rebounds for the season and 8.8 in league games, while Brunner is averaging 8.1 in 26 games and 8.6 in the Big Ten. Johnson leads the Big Ten with 10 scoring and rebounding double-doubles this season, while Brunner has nine. Both have 18 career double-doubles.
• Penn State assistant Kurt Kanaskie is no stranger to the Iowa basketball program, as he served as the head coach at Drake University in Des Moines for seven seasons. He held a 0-7 record vs. Iowa and a 0-10 record vs. Iowa Coach Steve Alford.
• Both Iowa and Penn State scored a non-conference win over Western Carolina. Iowa defeated Western Carolina 88-75 in Iowa City and the Nittany Lions defeated Western Carolina 78-63 on a neutral court.

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 15-8 advantage in the series that began with an 82-53 Iowa win in 1955. Iowa won the only meeting in 2004, 77-58 in Iowa City, and both meetings in 2002-03, 75-55 at State College and 84-71 in Iowa City. The teams split two games in 2002 and Iowa won two of three meetings in 2001, including a 94-74 win in the semi-finals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

The Hawkeyes have won seven of the last nine meetings, eight of the last 11 and 10 of the last 14.

Penn State holds a 5-4 advantage in games played at Penn State, but Iowa has won three of six games played at the Bryce Jordan Center. Iowa, on Jan. 4, 1997, was the first visiting team to win (67-59) in Penn State’s new arena. Iowa’s win snapped the longest home winning streak in the nation at the time.

Three of the 23 meetings in the series have been in post-season action. The first meeting in 1955 was in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Evanston, IL, with Iowa winning 82-53. Penn State won 67-64 in Iowa City in 1995 in the semi-finals of the NIT and Iowa won in the Big Ten Tournament in 2001. Iowa’s 67-48 win in 1962 took place in the first round of the Quaker City Tournament in Philadelphia, PA.

IOWA WON ONLY MEETING A YEAR AGO
Iowa made a season-high 14 three-point field goals in taking a 77-58 win over Penn State in Iowa City when the teams met for the only time in 2004. The Hawkeyes hit seven of their first nine three-point attempts in jumping to an early lead and Penn State never got back in the game. Iowa led 13-3 after five minutes as the Nittany Lions did not score their first field goal until 13:52 remained in the half. Iowa led 45-22 at halftime, its biggest halftime advantage of the season, after shooting 70.8% (17-24) from the field and 71.4% (10-14) from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. Penn State, on the other hand, shot just 24.3% from the field and made just 1-11 three-point attempts. Iowa’s shooting cooled somewhat in the second half, but the contest was never in doubt. Iowa built its advantage to as many as 29 points with eight minutes remaining before the Nittany Lions rallied to within 16 points at the three-minute mark. Iowa shot 55.1% from the field, including 60.9% (14-23) from three-point range. Penn State shot 33.3% from the field and just 35.7% from the foul line.

Iowa was led by Jeff Horner, who had 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Pierre Pierce added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Glen Worley scored 14 points and Greg Brunner led the way with nine rebounds.

Penn State was led by Marlon Smith with 22 points, while Ben Luber and Jan Jagla each added 11. Jagla also added 11 rebounds.

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 261-158. Alford is 105-81 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.

MINNESOSTA DEFEATS IOWA
Minnesota used a 13-0 scoring run over a four minute period of the second half to take control, and the Gophers held on for a 65-57 win over Iowa in Minneapolis, giving the teams a split on the season. The teams traded baskets throughout most of the first half and the Hawkeyes ended the period with a 26-25 advantage. Iowa held the Gophers to 25% shooting in the first half, but Minnesota made up for that by collecting 13 offensive rebounds.

Iowa matched its biggest advantage of the night when it took a 36-31 lead with 14 minutes remaining. Minnesota gained control from there as Iowa did not score for over four minutes. The Gophers would build the advantage to 14 points over the next 10 minutes before Iowa rallied. Minnesota missed three straight foul shots to give Iowa a chance, and the Hawkeyes had a three-point shot to cut the deficit to three points with just under a minute to play. When that attempt was off the mark, Minnesota rebounded and held on down the stretch for the win.

Iowa shot 41.1% from the field, but just 12.5% (2-16) from three-point range. Minnesota had a 44-39 rebounding advantage that included 20 offensive rebounds, but Iowa came up with 11 blocked shots (one shy of the school record) and nine steals.

Adam Haluska led Iowa with 19 points and five rebounds. Jeff Horner added 11 points and seven assists. Greg Brunner had 10 rebounds and freshman Alex Thompson added a career-high nine rebounds.

MICHIGAN STOPS PENN STATE
Michigan used a strong shooting performance in the first half on the way to a 63-48 win over Penn State Wednesday in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines shot 51.9% from the field in the first half and held Penn State to 39.1% shooting. Michigan led 36-26 at the midway point and led by a comfortable margin throughout the second half. Michigan held the Nittany Lions to 40% shooting for the game and forced 16 Penn State turnovers. The rebounding was even at 28-28 and both teams had six three-point baskets.

Guard Danny Morrissey led Penn State with 14 points, as he connected on 4-9 three-point attempts. Forward Geary Claxton added 12 points and center Aaron Johnson collected 10 rebounds.

NOT GETTING THE CLOSE ONES
Iowa, in 13 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 67.3-66.5 margin.

On the season, Iowa is 8-7 in games decided by 10 points or less, with the seven losses coming in conference action.

IOWA VS. CURRENT RANKINGS
Iowa has played seven games against teams that are ranked in both polls this week, posting a 2-5 record. That includes wins over No. 11 Louisville and No. 25 Texas Tech and losses to No. 1 Illinois (twice), No. 2 North Carolina, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 20 Wisconsin.

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 three of its last four 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. In the most recent outing, Minnesota held a 44-39 rebounding edge, including a 20-13 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Minnesota collected 20 offensive rebounds, marking the eighth time this season Iowa’s opponent has had 15 or more offensive rebounds. The most offensive rebounds allowed, 21, came in non-conference action vs. North Carolina Greensboro.

For the season Iowa holds a 36.2-35.3 rebounding advantage, while Iowa’s margin is 34.8-34.4 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 186 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 11 games, Iowa’s opponents have attempted more free throws in eight 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 and Minnesota held an 18-13 advantage in attempts. In Iowa’s two overtime losses on the road, the Hawkeyes did not attempt a free throw in the opening half.

HAWKEYES COLLECTING BLOCKED SHOTS
With 11 blocked shots in the loss at Minnesota, Iowa nearly tied the single-game record for blocks. Iowa has established its single-game record of 12 blocked shots in three games this season, collecting 12 blocks vs. North Carolina, North Carolina-Greensboro and Saint Louis. The previous record of 11 blocked shots was set in an 80-65 win at Drake on Jan. 4, 1993.

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

The Hawkeyes have 149 blocked shots in 26 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 26 games. The newcomers are averaging 22.9 points and 12.1 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, 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 20 of 26 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 and nine rebounds in a loss at Minnesota. 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 and 28 points and 19 rebounds vs. Purdue.

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 76 blocked shots in 25 games, moving among Iowa’s leaders in blocks for a season and career. A year ago Hansen blocked 40 shots in 22 games. The 76 blocks rank fifth best for a single season and his 116 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 eight games, and he is averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 45.1% from the field and 72.1% from the free throw line. He had a career-high 14 points vs. Northern Iowa, he had 11 points and six rebounds vs. Texas and he had nine points at Minnesota.

HORNER CLOSES ON 1,000 POINTS
Junior guard Jeff Horner has been Iowa’s most versatile player as he closes in on 1,000 career points. Horner has 980 points in his three seasons. With 20 points, Horner can become the only member of Iowa’s 1,000-Point Club to collect over 400 rebounds and 400 assists, as he currently has 406 rebounds and 405 assists. He is also the only player in Iowa history to collect over 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in three different seasons.

Horner is averaging 13.4 points per game, along with 5.5 assists, 4.4 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 65 made three-point baskets this season tie as the sixth-best single season total, as he also 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. He is shooting 41.3% from the field, 42.5% from three-point range and 76.7% 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 36.1 minutes per game, has committed one or no turnovers in nine of 26 games and he is averaging one turnover every 14 minutes of action.

BRUNNER WORKING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Greg Brunner is Iowa’s top returning rebounder from a year ago. He is averaging 8.1 rebounds for the season and 8.6 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 (8.6), fifth in scoring (15.3), eighth in steals (1.5), 10th in blocked shots (0.9) and 11th in FG% (.503).

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 78 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 in a win over 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 eight additional games.

Brunner has scored in double figures in 23 games. His career totals include 929 points and 612 rebounds. This season he is shooting 52.5% from the field and 70.1% 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. He led Iowa with 19 points in the loss at Minnesota and he added five rebounds. In Iowa’s last six games, Haluska is averaging 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 48.7% from the field and 78.8% from the free throw line.

Haluska scored 21 points in wins over Texas Tech and Drake and he has scored in double figures in 20 of 26 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 47.1% from the field, 39.2% from three-point range and 80% from the free throw line while averaging 13.8 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 tied for third on the team with an average of 4.4 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 4.4 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 five 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. In the most recent outing at Minnesota he added eight points and five rebounds.

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 889-823 in the first half and 1,019-925 in the second half, and the Hawkeyes have been outscored 17-11 in two overtime periods. Iowa has led at halftime in 15 of 26 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 10-4 when collecting most steals than the opponent.
• Iowa has had four players or more score in double figures in 13 of 26 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 2-2 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 13-2 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 7-5 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 8-7 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.

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, five juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. The roster includes nine Iowans, plus one player from California, 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 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 22 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.

INFORMATION ON THE WEB
Iowa basketball information is available on the University of Iowa’s website, hawkeyesports.com. Once you have entered the website, you may obtain game notes, game stories and box scores from all games throughout the season, plus team and individual cumulative stats. Members of the media who wish to have this information forwarded via e-mail throughout the season may do so by contacting the Iowa Sports Information office with your e-mail address.

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. 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.

AFTER THIS
Iowa will host Ohio State Wednesday, March 2 (7:05 p.m.) in the final home game of the season. The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season at Michigan Saturday, March 5 (11:17 a.m. CT).