Iowa Men Host Ohio State in Home Finale Wednesday

Feb. 28, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (17-10, 5-9) plays its final home game of the season Wednesday, hosting Ohio State (18-10, 7-7). Game time is 7:05 p.m. CT in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500).

The Hawkeyes defeated Penn State 78-56 Saturday at State College. Ohio State lost to Wisconsin 64-56 Sunday in Columbus. The Buckeyes defeated Iowa 81-69 when the teams met Jan. 8 in Columbus.

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 and KDSM in Des Moines. Larry Morgan and Bill Hosket will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,337 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,392-945 (.596). That includes an 870-306 (.740) record in home games, a 522-639 (.450) record in games away from Iowa City, a 662-654 (.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.

SENIOR RECOGNITION
Jack Brownlee, the only senior player on the Iowa squad, and senior manager Steve Bauer will be recognized in a short ceremony following Wednesday’s game. Brownlee is a native of Ft. Dodge, Iowa who joined the Hawkeyes after a two-year career at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Bauer is from Ames.

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 67th in the RPI rankings and 31st in the Sagarin Ratings.

IOWA SECURES FIVE IN A ROW
With 17 wins in 27 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 27 games, scoring in double figures in 21 games. He is averaging 14.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 48.4% 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 26 of 27 games, averaging 13.6 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 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 262-158 (.624), including a 106-81 (.567) 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 39-55 (.415) 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 5-7 vs. Ohio State and 0-1 against OSU Coach Thad Matta.

OSU COACH THAD MATTA
Thad Matta is in his first season as the head coach at Ohio State and his fifth year overall as a college head coach. Matta has guided the Buckeyes to an 18-10 record and his career mark stands at 120-41.

Matta joined the Ohio State staff after serving as the head coach at Xavier for three seasons. He posted a 78-23 record in three seasons at Xavier (2002-04) and had a one-year record of 24-8 as Butler’s head coach in 2000-01, taking his alma mater to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Matta was the 2001 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year as Butler won regular season and post-season tournament titles. In 2002 he led Xavier to regular season and post-season tournament titles in the Atlantic 10 Conference and was named Coach of the Year. He was a 2003 Naismith National Coach of the Year finalist and he was the 2004 Ohio Coach of the Year.

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

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 71-66 advantage over Ohio State in the series that began with a 17-16 Ohio State win in 1915. Ohio State defeated Iowa 81-69 Jan. 8 in the first meeting this season. Iowa won both meetings during the 2004 season, 79-65 in Iowa City and 78-67 in Columbus.

Iowa has won three of the last five meetings, but the Buckeyes have won seven of the last 11. The Buckeyes had won four straight games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena before Iowa won in 2004.

The visiting team in the series has won eight of the last 11 games and OSU has won two of three games over the last three years at neutral sites in the Big Ten Tournament. Nine of the last 14 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less, with six decisions by five points or less.

Iowa holds a 44-22 overall advantage in Iowa City and a 14-7 record vs. the Buckeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Iowa’s 78-67 win at Ohio State in 2004 marked Iowa’s fourth win in six games at OSU’s Value City Arena, and it was Iowa’s eighth win in its last 10 visits to Columbus. The Hawkeyes won their final four games in St. John Arena, then won their first two games in OSU’s new home. After a loss at OSU in 2002, Iowa won in Columbus in both 2003 and 2004. Iowa is the only visiting team with four wins in the arena. Iowa’s 72-62 loss in 2002 marked its first loss in Columbus since the 1994 season.

OSU WON FIRST MEETING
A cold spell late in the first half proved to be decisive as Iowa lost an 81-69 decision at Ohio State. Iowa trailed by eight points in the early going before an Iowa three-point basket tied the score at 24-24 with nine minutes remaining. From there Ohio State scored 12 straight points over a five minute period to take control, eventually building a 47-32 halftime advantage.

The Buckeyes built the advantage to 18 points early in the second half before Iowa rallied. The Hawkeyes closed to within nine points on two occasions, the last with 13 minutes to play, but could get no closer. OSU shot 51.5% from the field and made eight three-point baskets in the first half. For the game the Buckeyes shot 47.5% from the field and 42.9% (12-28) from three-point range.

Iowa shot well (50%) in the first half before falling to 40.7% in the second half. Iowa made just 4-12 (33.3%) of its three-point attempts, but did make 17-20 free throws. Ohio State won the rebounding battle by a 34-29 margin and Iowa was guilty of 16 turnovers, 10 in the first half.

Pierre Pierce led Iowa with a career-high 31 points, and he added five rebounds and three steals. Forward Greg Brunner added his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Jeff Horner added nine points and Doug Thomas eight.

Ohio State was led by Terence Dials with 22 points and eight rebounds. Tony Stockman added 19 points and Je’Kel Foster scored 12. J.J. Sullinger added nine points and seven rebounds.

IOWA, BUCKEYE NOTES

• In individual rebounding, Iowa’s Greg Brunner is second for all games (8.3) and OSU’s Terence Dials is third (7.9). In Big Ten games, Brunner is first (9.0) and Dials is fourth (7.6).
• For all games, Iowa is tied for first in field goal defense (.416) and Ohio State is third (.418). Iowa is third in scoring (74.0) and OSU is fourth (72.0). In field goal percentage, OSU is third (.465) and Iowa is fourth (.464) and in three-point percentage Iowa is third (.384) and OSU is fourth (.373).
• Iowa and OSU have met in three of the last four Big Ten Tournaments. Iowa won 75-66 in the quarter-finals in 2001 and went on to win the tournament. The teams met in the championship game in 2002, with the Buckeyes winning 81-64. OSU defeated Iowa 66-64 in the first round of the 2003 Big Ten Tournament. The teams also met at a neutral site in 1968, with OSU defeating Iowa 85-81 in a playoff game in West Lafayette, IN after the teams tied for the Big Ten regular season title.
• Ohio State was ranked 24th in the nation when Iowa won at the Big Ten Tournament in 2001 and the Buckeyes were fifth in the nation when Iowa won at OSU in 2000. Iowa was ranked 14th nationally when OSU won in Iowa City in 2001 and Iowa was ranked ninth in both polls when OSU won in Iowa City in 2002. Iowa was ranked 14th, its highest ranking of the season, when OSU won 81-69 earlier this season.
• Iowa and Ohio State played one common opponent in non-conference play. Iowa defeated Texas Tech 83-53 at the United Center in Chicago, while the Buckeyes defeated the Red Raiders 77-71 in Dallas, TX.
• Iowa Coach Steve Alford posted a 1-1 record vs. Butler University when OSU Coach Thad Matta was an assistant coach there.
• OSU Coach Thad Matta was an administrative assistant at Butler when Iowa defeated the Bulldogs 114-92 early in the 1991-92 season in Tampa, FL.
• Brandon Miller, OSU’s director of Basketball Operations, played for Iowa Coach Steve Alford for one season when Alford was the head coach at Southwest Missouri State.
• OSU assistant John Groce was a player at Taylor University (Upland, IN) in 1991-92 when Taylor earned two wins over Manchester College and Coach Steve Alford.
• Iowa and Xavier both took part in the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis, IN early in the 2003-04 season. Iowa and Coach Steve Alford defeated Louisville in overtime, while Xavier and Coach Thad Matta lost to Indiana in overtime. Matta’s Xavier team later defeated Louisville in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
• Steve Alford’s Southwest Missouri State team defeated Southern Illinois twice during the 1998-99 season when OSU assistant Coach Alan Major was on the Saluki staff.

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 262-158. Alford is 106-81 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.

IOWA WINS AT PENN STATE
Iowa shot 64.5% from the field in the first half in taking early control and went on to post a 78-56 win over Penn State in State College. The Hawkeyes hit 20-31 field goal attempts in the first half, including 5-8 three-pointers. The Iowa defense also played well from the start, holding Penn State to 33.3% shooting in the first half. Iowa scored seven straight points after the Nittany Lions scored the first basket of the game, and the Hawkeyes never looked back. Iowa led 47-20 at the midway point, matching its biggest halftime advantage in six seasons under Coach Steve Alford.

Iowa cooled off in the second half, but Penn State was never able to get closer than 18 points. The Hawkeyes scored the first basket of the second half and led by as many as 31 points on two occasions. Iowa ended the game shooting 52.5% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point range.

Iowa won the rebounding battle 36-31 and had 20 assists on 32 field goals. Iowa had 11 steals, leading to 22 fast break points, and the Hawkeyes were guilty of just 12 turnovers while forcing 16 Penn State turnovers.

Iowa was led in scoring by guards Adam Haluska and Jeff Horner. Haluska hit 10-14 field goals, scoring a game-high 22 points, while adding four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Horner added 19 points and five assists, while committing just one turnover. Greg Brunner added 14 points and matched career-highs with 14 rebounds and five assists. Doug Thomas added nine points and five rebounds and Seth Gorney had a career-best six points.

WISCONSIN WINS AT OHIO STATE
Wisconsin shot 60.9% from the field in the opening half and used a solid defensive effort in the second half in taking a 64-56 win at Ohio State Sunday. The Badgers made 14-23 field goal attempts in the first half, including 6-7 three-pointers and all three free throws, in building a 37-27 advantage at the break. OSU shot 45.8% in the first half, but made just one of eight three-point attempts.

Wisconsin held the Buckeyes to 34.6% shooting in the second half in making the halftime margin hold up. Wisconsin also had a 37-24 rebounding advantage in the game and earned the road win despite 17 turnovers. For the game Ohio State made just 5-22 three-point attempts.

OSU was led by Terence Dials with 20 points, but he was the only Buckeye to score more than eight points. J.J. Sullinger led OSU with eight rebounds and Je’Kel Foster added five assists.

HOT SHOOTING FIRST HALF AT PSU
When Iowa made 20 of 31 field goal attempts in the first half of the 78-56 win at Penn State, the 64.5% shooting marked the seventh time this season the Hawkeyes have shot 60% or better from the field in a half. Iowa’s best shooting half of the season, 75% (15-20), came in the second half of a 73-63 win over Air Force. Iowa also shot 65.4% in the second half vs. North Carolina, 61.3% in the second half vs. Western Carolina, 60.9% in the first half vs. Indiana, 60% in the first half vs. Air Force and 60% in the first half vs. Centenary.

Iowa ended the win over Penn State shooting 52.5% from the field. The Hawkeyes have made over 50% of their field goal attempts in nine games, posting an 8-1 mark in those games. The Hawkeyes have made at least 50% of their field goals in 21 of 54 halves this season.

FAST START, BIGGEST ADVANTAGE
With the fast start in the win at Penn State, Iowa held a 47-20 halftime advantage. The 27-point margin tied the largest halftime lead for Iowa in 187 games under Coach Steve Alford, and it marked Iowa’s biggest halftime lead since a 45-22 margin last season in a home win over the Nittany Lions. The 27-point halftime advantage equaled Iowa’s lead (45-18) in an 89-59 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 13, 2001.

NOT GETTING THE CLOSE ONES
Iowa, in 14 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).

Four of Iowa’s five conference wins have come on the home court and Iowa’s margins of victory have been six, 14, 15, 10 and 22 points. Even with the 5-9 Big Ten record, Iowa has outscored its league opponents by a 67.4-66.5 margin.

On the season, Iowa is 8-7 in games decided by 10 points or less, with all seven 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 only time in 187 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 four of its last five games. Iowa held a 34-22 advantage in the home win over Northwestern, a 39-32 advantage in the loss at Purdue, a 36-21 advantage in the loss to Illinois and a 36-31 margin at Penn State. In Iowa’s most recent loss, Minnesota held a 44-39 rebounding edge, including a 20-13 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Minnesota’s 20 offensive rebounds marks 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 36.2-35.1 rebounding advantage, while Iowa’s margin is 34.9-34.1 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 187 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 12 games, Iowa’s opponents have attempted more free throws in nine 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, Minnesota held an 18-13 advantage in attempts and Penn State a 20-11 margin. 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 153 blocked shots in 27 games, Iowa this season has matched the third highest season total in school history. The Iowa record for a season is 165, set in 1993. The Hawkeyes blocked 161 shots in 1992 and 153 in 1991. 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.

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 MAKE CONTRIBUTION
Several new faces have been big contributors this season. The newcomers are averaging 23.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per outing.

Sophomore Adam Haluska has scored in double figures in 21 of 27 games, including a career-high 24 points vs. Michigan State and 21 vs. Drake and Texas Tech. Haluska had 22 points at Penn State and he added 20 points in home wins over Iowa State and Northwestern and the home loss to Illinois.

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. At Penn State he contributed nine points and five rebounds.

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 he added six points at Penn State. Reed had a career-best five assists in the win over Purdue and added eight points at Northwestern.

Newcomers contributed 37 points and 12 rebounds at Penn State, 39 points and 15 rebounds vs. Drake, 37 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Carolina, 31 points and 13 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, 29 points and 18 rebounds vs. Michigan State, 28 points and 19 rebounds in win over Purdue and 27 points and 19 rebounds vs. UNC Greensboro.

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 77 blocked shots in 26 games, moving among Iowa’s leaders in blocks for a season and career. A year ago Hansen blocked 40 shots in 22 games. The 77 blocks rank fifth best for a single season and his 117 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 5.2 points and 2.5 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 999 points in his three seasons. Horner’s next point will make him the only member of Iowa’s 1,000-Point Club to also collect over 400 rebounds and 400 assists, as he has 408 rebounds and 410 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 13.6 points per game, along with 5.5 assists, 4.3 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 69 made three-point baskets this season rank as the sixth-best single season total and 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, he had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers at Wisconsin and 19 points and five assists at Penn State.

He is shooting 41.6% from the field, 42.6% from three-point range and 76.9% 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 10 of 27 games and he is averaging one turnover every 14.3 minutes of action.

BRUNNER WORKING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Greg Brunner is Iowa’s top returning rebounder from a year ago. He is averaging 8.3 rebounds for the season and 9.0 in conference games, ranking first in the Big Ten for league games and second for all games. Brunner leads current Big Ten players with 10 scoring and rebounding doubles-doubles this season and he ranks first with 19 in his career. In Big Ten games only, Brunner ranks first in rebounds (9.0), sixth in scoring (16.1), eighth in steals (1.4), 10th in blocked shots (0.9) and 14th in FG% (.497).

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 79 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 matched his career-best with 14 rebounds at Penn State, adding 14 points and equaling a career-best with five assists.

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 had 13 rebounds in the win over Iowa State and he has 10 rebounds or more in nine additional games.

Brunner has scored in double figures in 24 games. His career totals include 943 points and 626 rebounds. This season he is shooting 52% from the field and 70.2% from the foul line. He was named to the all-tournament team of Iowa’s Gazette Hawkeye Challenge.

HALUSKA HEATS UP
Sophomore Adam Haluska has increased his overall production over Iowa’s last seven games. In those games he is averaging 19 points and 5.1 rebounds, shooting 52.2% from the field, 37.1% from three-point range and 78.8% from the free throw line.

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. At Penn State, he hit 10-14 field goals, collecting 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Haluska scored 21 points in wins over Texas Tech and Drake and he has scored in double figures in 21 of 27 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 48.4% from the field, 39.8% from three-point range and 80% from the free throw line while averaging 14.1 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 4.5 per game. He had nine rebounds and 14 points in a win over Purdue, eight rebounds vs. Michigan State and nine points and five rebounds at Penn 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 55.6% 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 six 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. At Minnesota he added eight points and five rebounds and he had six points and three assists at Penn State.

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 936-843 in the first half and 1,050-961 in the second half, and the Hawkeyes have been outscored 17-11 in two overtime periods. Iowa has led at halftime in 16 of 27 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 13-1 when scoring between 70-89 points and 8-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points.
• Iowa is 13-4 when collecting more assists than the opponent, 13-3 when having fewer turnovers and 11-4 when collecting most steals than the opponent.
• Iowa has had four players or more score in double figures in 13 of 27 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, 5-5 with three in double figures and 2-2 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa has four players averaging between 13.6 and 17.8 points per game and four players averaging between 4.4 and 8.3 rebounds per outing.
• Iowa is 14-2 when leading at halftime, 3-7 when trailing at intermission and 0-1 when tied at halftime.
• Iowa is 10-5 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 33-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 8-1 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.

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. 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 conclude the regular season at Michigan Saturday, March 5 (11:17 a.m. CT). The Hawkeyes will compete in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday, March 10 at the United Center. Games times and pairings will be announced Sunday, March 7.