Iowa Hosts Texas-San Antonio Saturday Afternoon

Nov. 25, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (3-1) returns home to host Texas-San Antonio (2-0) Saturday, Nov. 26, in the first of four straight home games. Game time is 12:0-5 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). The Hawkeyes opened the season with wins over Maryland-Eastern Shore (86-41), Colgate (73-51) and seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63) before a 68-59 loss to second-ranked Texas in the finals of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, MO. The Roadrunners opened the season with an 81-78 win over Angelo State and improved to 2-0 with a 73-56 win over Cameron Wednesday night in San Antonio.

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 KDSM Des Moines and KWQC Quad Cities, along with cable systems in Mason City, Sioux City, Omaha/Council Bluffs and Denver, CO. Larry Morgan and Mac McCausland will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,347 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,399-948 (.596). That includes an 873-306 (.740) record in home games, a 525-642 (.450) record in games away from Iowa City, a 664-653 (.504) mark in Big Ten games and a 279-80 (.777) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 17 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 18th in the Associated Press rankings. This marks the first time the Hawkeyes have opened the season in the top 25 since 2001-02. Iowa, that season, was eighth in the first coaches poll and ninth in the Associated Press rankings.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 279-80 (.777) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 132-67 (.663) in Big Ten games and 147-13 (.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 71-25 (.740) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 44-4 (.917) mark in non-conference home games.

IOWA OPPONENTS RANKED
Six teams on Iowa’s 2005-06 schedule were in the initial rankings, including both opponents who reached the semi-finals of the Guardians Classic. Texas was ranked second by the AP and third by the coaches, Michigan State fourth by the AP and fifth by the coaches, Kentucky ninth and10th, Illinois 17th in both, Indiana 23rd and 22nd and Iowa State 25th and 23rd. Additionally, five Hawkeye opponents are listed among teams receiving votes, including North Carolina State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes will play 10 games against the six rated opponents and a total of 16 games against opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes.

IOWA SECOND IN GUARDIANS CLASSIC
Iowa made its second appearance in the Guardians Classic and placed second for the second time in five seasons. The Hawkeyes, in 2001, defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore (89-59), Boston University (90-61) and Memphis (75-71) before a 78-77 last-second loss to Missouri in the title game. This season the Hawkeyes defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore, Colgate and Kentucky before falling to Texas in the title game.

UTSA COACH TIM CARTER
Tim Carter is in his 11th season at the head coach at Texas-San Antonio and his 12th season overall as a college head coach. Carter has a career record of 162-151, including a 151-135 mark with the Roadrunners. Carter was the head coach at Nebraska-Omaha for one year (1994-05) and he has also been an assistant coach at Midwestern State (1984-86), Houston (1986-87), Oklahoma State (1987-90) and Northwestern (1990-94). Carter led the Roadrunners to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2004. His UTSA team won the Southland Conference regular season title in 2004 and his teams have won 15 or more games in six of the past 10 seasons. He was the 1999 Southland Conference Coach of the Year. Carter has not coached against Iowa and he is 0-1 vs. Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

ALFORD REACHES 100 HAWKEYE WINS
Coach Steve Alford collected win No. 100 as Iowa’s head coach in a 73-63 victory over Air Force on Dec. 28, 2004. Career victory No. 250 came in the 88-53 win over Centenary in early December. His career mark stands at 269-161. Alford is 113-84 at Iowa, just one win from fourth place on Iowa’s list for coaching victories.

IOWA, UTSA NOTES

• This is the first meeting between the two schools.
• Iowa Coach Steve Alford is 1-0 vs. the Roadrunners, leading his Southwest Missouri State team past UTSA 90-54 during the 1997-98 season.
• Iowa holds a 5-0 record against current members of the Southland Conference, collecting three wins over Louisiana Monroe and single victories over McNeese State and Southwest Texas State.
• UTSA is 0-3 all-time vs. the Big Ten, including two losses to Illinois and a single loss to Minnesota.
• Even though Iowa and UTSA have never met, the Roadrunners are making their second visit to Iowa City. UTSA posted a 1-1 record while competing in Iowa’s 1990 Hawkeye Challenge, falling to Creighton (93-47) and defeating Colgate (99-59). UTSA’s Ronnie Ellison was named to the all-tournament team.
• Iowa and UTSA met just one common opponent a year ago. Iowa defeated Texas (82-80) in the semi-finals of the Maui Invitational, while UTSA fell to the Longhorns by a 100-82 margin in Austin.
• Iowa posted a 7-1 record vs. Northwestern from 1990-94 when UTSA Coach Tim Carter was a Wildcat assistant coach.

HAWKEYES FALL TO LONGHORNS
Iowa led for the majority of the contest, but second-ranked Texas rallied in the final 10 minutes to defeat Iowa 68-59 in the championship game of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City. Iowa led 31-24 at halftime, controlling the tempo and keeping the Longhorns off balance on offense. Texas used a zone defense in the second half to slow Iowa’s offense as Iowa’s shooting suffered in the final 20 minutes. Texas rallied for a three-point advantage with just over six minutes to play, but a tip-in basket by Greg Brunner and two free throws by Jeff Horner put the Hawkeyes back on top with 5:29 to play. Texas then scored six straight points over the next two minutes to gain control. Iowa shot just 33.8% from the field, compared to 41.8% for the Longhorns. Texas made 16-20 free throws, including 14-17 in the final 20 minutes. Iowa won the rebounding battle 41-38 and was guilty of just 10 turnovers while forcing 12 Texas mistakes. Junior Adam Haluska led Iowa with 23 points, while Doug Thomas came off the bench to score 12 points by hitting 6-7 field goals. Brunner led Iowa with eight rebounds, while Haluska and Mike Henderson each had seven.

ROADRUNNERS SHOOT PAST CAMERON
UTSA improved to 2-0 with a 73-56 win over Cameron in San Antonio. UTSA shot over 50% from the field for the second straight game, hitting 51.9% while holding Cameron to 36.2% shooting. UTSA also held a 42-27 rebounding advantage. Eric Young led the Roadrunners with 18 points, hitting 5-7 field goals and 6-9 free throws. Andre Owens added 16 points and Kurt Attaway scored 11. Four players had six rebounds each and Young added five assists to lead the UTSA offense.

HALUSKA NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Junior guard Adam Haluska was named to the all-Tournament team at the Guardians Classic. Haluska led Iowa’s scoring in the championship game, scoring a season-high 23 points. Haluska hit 9-23 field goal attempts and 1-2 free throws. He also added seven rebounds. Haluska had nine points and four rebounds in Iowa’s semi-final win over seventh-ranked Kentucky.

BRUNNER EARNS REGIONAL HONOR
Senior forward Greg Brunner was named the Most Valuable Player in the Iowa City regional of the Guardians Classic. Brunner scored 16 points in each of the two Iowa wins and averaged 7.5 rebounds. The Charles City native shot 57.1% from the field and 77.8% from the free throw line. He added four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

IOWA EARNS KEY NOVEMBER WINS
Iowa Coach Steve Alford has led five of his Hawkeye teams to key wins over ranked opponents in November. Those victories have included:

• Iowa defeated top-ranked Connecticut 70-68 in the semi-finals of the 1999 Coaches vs. Cancer event in New York’s Madison Square Garden in Alford’s first game as the Hawkeye head coach. The Huskies were the defending NCAA national champions. The Hawkeyes fell to Stanford in the title game.
• Iowa defeated 12th-ranked Memphis 75-71 in the semi-finals of the 2001 Guardians Classic at Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. After losing to fifth-ranked Missouri (77-78) in the finals, the Hawkeyes later that season defeated the Tigers (ranked second at the time) 83-65 in Columbia.
• Iowa defeated 16th-ranked Louisville 70-69 in overtime in the 2003 Wooden Classic in Indianapolis.
• Iowa defeated 11th-ranked Louisville (76-71) and 13th-ranked Texas (82-80) on back-to-back days at the Maui Invitational a year ago. The Hawkeyes fell to North Carolina, the eventual NCAA champion, in the finals.
• After two opening round wins in Iowa City, Iowa defeated seventh-ranked Kentucky 67-63 in the semi-finals of the 2005 Guardians Classic in Kansa City. The Hawkeyes fell to second-ranked Texas in the finals.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 19-31 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach, including a 1-1 mark in the first four games of the 2005-06 season. The Hawkeyes defeated seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63) and lost to second-ranked Texas (68-59). Iowa, a year ago, defeated 11th-ranked Louisville (76-71), 13th-ranked Texas (82-80) and 10th-ranked Michigan State (71-69), 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), 75-65 to top-ranked Illinois in Iowa City, 59-56 to #22 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament and 64-76 to #23 Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament. Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 7-13 when playing teams ranked in the top 10, including wins over top-ranked Connecticut (70-68 in 1999-00), second-ranked Missouri (83-65 in 2001-02), fifth-ranked Ohio State (67-64 in 1999-00), seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63 in 2005-06), seventh-ranked Illinois (78-62 in 2000-01), eighth-ranked Illinois (68-61 in 2002-03) and 10th-ranked Michigan State (71-69 in 2005). The 13 losses to top 10 teams have been three times to No. 1 (Duke, 2001-02 and Illinois twice in 2004-05), once to second-ranked (Texas, 2005-06), once to third-ranked (Illinois, 2000-01), twice to fourth-ranked (Michigan State, 1999-00 and 2000-01), twice to fifth-ranked (Tennessee, 2000-01 and Missouri, 2001-02), once to ninth-ranked (Kentucky, 2000-01) and three times to 10th-ranked (Michigan State, 2000, Illinois, 2002 and Michigan State, 2005). In the 50 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 6-9 in home games, 10-11 at neutral sites and 3-11 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

IOWA DEFENSIVE IN EARLY SEASON
Iowa’s defense has led the way as the Hawkeyes have won three of their first four games. Iowa opponents are averaging just 55.8 points per game, shooting 35.6% from the field and 34.4% from three-point range. Iowa has collected 33 steals and forced 72 turnovers while collecting 23 blocked shots. The Hawkeyes have held each opponent under 70 points and won the rebounding battle in three of the four games.

HAWKEYES STEAL THE SHOW
In its season opening win over Maryland-Eastern Shore, Iowa collected 17 steals while forcing 25 turnovers. The 17 steals are the most by a Steve Alford coached Hawkeye team. Iowa had not had as many as 17 steals in a game since collecting 18 steals in an 84-74 win over Penn State on Jan. 27, 1999, a string of 205 games. Tony Freeman, Adam Haluska, Jeff Horner and Doug Thomas led the way with three steals each, while eight of the 12 Hawkeyes who played collected at least one steal. Iowa added eight steals in the win over Colgate. Iowa’s record for steals in a game is 23. The 25 turnovers are the most by an Iowa opponent since Liberty University was guilty of 24 turnovers on Dec. 22, 2002.

IOWA IN TOURNAMENT PLAY
Iowa has faired well while taking part in regular-season tournaments over the past 24 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, the 2004 Maui Invitational and the 2005 Guardians Classic.

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2006
Iowa’s captains are seniors Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner. Brunner, a native of Charles City, has started 32 of 33 games and averaged 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds last year. He earned second team all-Big Ten honors in 2005 and placed second in the league in rebounding in each of the past two seasons. Horner, a Mason City native, has started 92 of 93 games over the past three seasons. He has led the team in assists in each of the last three seasons and a year ago averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

THE RETURNING CAST
Iowa returns five starters and 11 lettermen from 2005. The returning starters include three players, Greg Brunner, Adam Haluska and Jeff Horner, who earned all-Big Ten recognition a year ago. Iowa returns 84.6% of its scoring from 2005, 90.9% of its rebounding, 81.6% of its assists and 78.5% of its steals. Iowa’s returning players shot 45.5% from the field, 38.7% from three-point range and 71.9% from the free throw line. The Hawkeyes return their statistical leader from last season in all categories,

THE HAWKEYE ROSTER
The Iowa roster includes 16 players, including 10 who played prep basketball in the state of Iowa. The squad includes five seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Along with the 10 Iowans, there is one player from California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and St. John’s, Antigua.

1,000 POINT CLUB ADDS MEMBERS
Seniors Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner joined Iowa’s 1,000 Point Club a year ago. Horner has scored 1,138 points (ranks 24th) and is the only Iowa player ever to score over 1,000 points, grab over 400 rebounds and distribute over 400 assists. Horner was honorable mention all-Big Ten a year ago. Brunner has scored 1,090 career points (tie for 30th) and he has 711 rebounds. Brunner has ranked second in Big Ten rebounding in each of the past two seasons. He was named second team all-Big Ten last season and earned a gold medal at the World University Games last summer. Brunner ranks ninth in career blocked shots (87) and is near Iowa’s top 10 in career rebounds.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 151-99 in the first half and 134-124 in the second half. Iowa has led at halftime in all four games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in three of four games.

IOWA SEEKS SIXTH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON
Iowa is seeking a sixth straight winning season, a streak that would rank as the second longest in the history of Iowa basketball. Iowa enjoyed seven straight winning seasons from 1950-56. Iowa has had five consecutive winning seasons on four occasions, 1979-83, 1985-89, 1995-99 and 2001-05. Iowa is one of four Big Ten teams to post a winning season in each of the last five years, joining Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Iowa advanced to post-season play for the fifth straight season a year ago, returning to the NCAA Tournament.

SEVEN STRAIGHT IS IOWA RECORD
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). Harrison coached Iowa to five straight winning seasons from 1944-48, Lute Olson coached Iowa to 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 ON THE TUBE
Every Iowa game throughout the 2005-06 season will be televised. Iowa will appear on national cable television (ESPN and ESPN2) as many as 11 times. Hawkeye games not selected for national coverage will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus, while several conference games will be televised throughout the Big Ten Conference viewing area as part of the Big Ten regional network agreement with ESPN Plus.

ANOTHER STRONG SCHEDULE
Iowa’s non-conference schedule has the Hawkeyes meeting teams from nearly every major conference in the nation. The Hawkeyes participated in the Guardians Classic to begin the season, advancing to the championship game, defeating seventh-ranked Kentucky before falling to second-ranked Texas. Iowa’s non-conference home schedule is highlighted by games vs. Arizona State of the Pac 10 Conference and North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Iowa will also host Fairfield, Tulane and Valparaiso in the Hawkeye Challenge and Maryland-Eastern Shore, Colgate and Utah Valley State in the first round of the Guardians Classic. Iowa will meet Texas-San Antonio, Drake and Robert Morris in home games as well. Non-conference road games are at Northern Iowa, Iowa State and Saint Louis.

BRUNNER IS TOP RETURNING REBOUNDER
Senior forward Greg Brunner ranked second in the Big Ten in rebounding in each of the last two seasons. With the leading rebounder not returning last season or this season Brunner is the Big Ten’s top returning rebounder for the second straight year. Brunner leads Iowa’s rebounding through four games with an 8.8 average, and he is scoring 13.8 points per game. This marks the fourth time in the last five seasons Iowa has had the top returning rebounder. Reggie Evans led the league in rebounding in 2001 and returned to defend his title in 2002. Jared Reiner led the Big Ten in rebounding in 2003 and returned in 2004.

IOWA HOSTS BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
For the first time since the 2001 season, Iowa will host a game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa returns to the event by hosting North Carolina State Nov. 30 in a game televised by ESPN2. The Hawkeyes hold a 1-3 record in the event. Iowa lost to Maryland in Baltimore in 2000 before defeating Georgia Tech in Iowa City in 2001. Iowa lost to Duke at the United Center in Chicago in 2002 and lost at Florida State in 2003. Iowa did not participate in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in 2004 and 2005. The Hawkeyes have not played North Carolina State since a 102-96 double-overtime loss to the Wolfpack in the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament. North Carolina State holds a 3-2 series advantage over Iowa, but the teams have never met in Iowa City.

IOWA’S HAWKEYE CHALLENGE
Iowa’s Hawkeye Challenge, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, features Tulane meeting Valparaiso in Friday’s opening game and Iowa hosting Fairfield in the second game. All three teams are taking part in the tournament for the first time, while Fairfield and Tulane are making their first-ever trip to Iowa City and Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa defeated Valparaiso in Iowa City in the first round of the 2003 NIT.

2005-06 SCHEDULE NOTES

• Iowa’s schedule includes 16 games against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago, including 14 games against teams that were in the NCAA Tournament. That includes two games against Illinois (NCAA), Indiana (NIT), Michigan State (NCAA), Minnesota (NCAA), and Wisconsin (NCAA), single games vs. Arizona State (NIT), Iowa State (NCAA), North Carolina State (NCAA), Northern Iowa (NCAA), Kentucky (NCAA) and Texas (NCAA).
• North Carolina State will be the first team from the Atlantic Coast Conference to play in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Georgia Tech defeated Iowa 79-78 in the NIT at the conclusion of the 2003 season.
• Arizona State will be the first team from the Pac 10 Conference to play in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since Iowa defeated UCLA 88-71 on Dec. 22, 1990. Iowa’s last contest against a Pac 10 team came in the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 1999-00. Stanford defeated Iowa 72-58 at Madison Square Garden in New York, handing Iowa its first loss under Steve Alford after the Hawkeyes had defeated Connecticut, the top-ranked team in the nation and the defending NCAA champion, in the semi-finals. The Hawkeyes will play a return game in Tempe during the 2006-07 season.
• Valparaiso last visited Iowa City for the first round of the 2003 NIT when Iowa scored a 62-60 win. The Crusaders were coached at the time by Scott Drew, who had taken over for his father, long-time Valparaiso Coach Homer Drew. When Scott left Valpo to take over at Baylor, Homer returned from retirement as the head coach. Bryce Drew, Homer’s son and Scott’s brother, is in his first season on the Crusader coaching staff.
• Iowa will look for its second straight mythical state title after sweeping Drake, Iowa State and Northern Iowa a year ago. Iowa hosts Drake, and former Hawkeye Coach Tom Davis, but must travel to both Iowa State and Northern Iowa to face teams that were also in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

HOME, AWAY COMPARISONS
In its two home games, Iowa has outscored its opponents by a 79.5-46 margin, shooting 50% from the field while holding its opponent to 33.9% shooting. Iowa holds a 41.5-32.5 rebounding advantage. In two games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa has been outscored 65.5-63.0. The Hawkeyes are shooting 36% from the field while opponents are shooting 37.1% and Iowa is being out-rebounded by a 40-41.5 margin.

IOWA FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Iowa had made over 70% of its free throws in two of four games, with a season-best 73.9% (17-23) in a win over Kentucky. Iowa has posted a 2-0 record when shooting over 70% from the free throw line.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa is 2-0 when scoring between 70-89 points, 1-0 when scoring between 70-80 points and 0-1 when scoring less than 60 points. Iowa is 2-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points and 1-1 when holding its opponent between 60-70 points.
• Iowa is 2-1 when collecting more assists than the opponent and 1-0 when assists are equal.
• Iowa is 3-1 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent.
• Iowa is 2-0 when collecting more steals than its opponent, 0-1 when the opponent has more steals and 1-0 when steals are equal.
• Iowa has had four players or more score in double figures in two of four games, with a season-best five players in the win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. Iowa is 0-0 when six players score in double figures, 1-0 when five players score 10 points or more, 1-0 when four reach double figures, 0-0 with three in double figures and 1-1 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa is 3-1 when leading at halftime, 0-0 when trailing at intermission and 0-0 when tied at halftime.
• Iowa is 2-0 when controlling the opening tip and 0-2 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 1-1 in games decided by 10 points or less and 1-0 in games decided by five points or less.
• Under Steve Alford, Iowa is 34-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 1-0 in 2005-06.
• Iowa allowed just four opponents to shoot at least 50% from the field last season, and Iowa was 3-1 in those games. In 2004, Iowa was 0-5 when its opponent shot at least 50% from the field.

FINAL 2005 NOTES

• For the first time ever, Iowa, in 2005, played all four teams that advanced to the Final Four. During the course of the season, Iowa played six games against the Final four teams, posting a 2-4 record. Iowa was the only team in the nation to play all of the Final Four teams, while Iowa and Duke were the only teams to collect two wins against the four teams.
• The 19 wins mark the highest regular season victory total for Iowa under Steve Alford and the most for Iowa since 1998. Iowa won 18 regular season games in 2001 on the way to posting a 23-12 final record.
• As a team, Iowa ranked 15th nationally in blocked shots per game (5.4). Individually, Erek Hansen ranked 19th in blocked shots per game (2.6) and Jeff Horner ranked 27th in assists per game (5.5).
• Iowa closed the regular schedule with three straight victories for the first time since 1997. It also marks the first time since 1987 in which Iowa closed the season with three straight wins, when two of the wins were on the road.
• Iowa had not won its final two road games of the season since 1991 when Iowa won at Indiana and at Northwestern in the final two road games.
• 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 eighth-ranked Illinois 68-61.

HAWKEYES SET THREE RECORDS
Iowa set three team records during the course of the 2005 season. The Hawkeyes set a single-game record for free throw percentage (100%) in the first game of the year, making all 20 of their attempts in a win over Western Illinois. Iowa established a season record with 174 blocked shots and a single game record with 12 blocked shots. The previous season record of 165 blocks was set in 32 games in 1993. The Hawkeyes had 12 blocks vs. three opponents, including North Carolina, UNC Greensboro and Saint Louis. The previous record of 11 blocked shots was set in an 80-65 win at Drake on Jan. 4, 1993.

IOWA SET ARENA RECORDS
Also in 2005, Iowa set three Carver-Hawkeye Arena team records. Iowa established a new mark when by shooting 67.5% (27-40) from the field in a win over Air Force. That percentage ranks as the second best ever for an Iowa team in a single game. The Hawkeyes set a record for free throw accuracy with the 100% (20-20) performance against Western Illinois. Iowa set a new high with the 12 blocked shots in wins over UNC Greensboro and Saint Louis.

IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Iowa made its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2005, falling to Cincinnati in the opening round at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Iowa earned the bid after posting a 21-win season, including wins over Purdue and 10th-ranked Michigan State in the 2005 Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes hold an overall record of 27-23 in the tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 1955 (fourth), 1956 (second) and 1980 (fourth). Iowa had advanced to at least the second round in its last 10 tournament appearances before last season. Iowa reached the regional championship in 1987 and lost in the regional semi-final in 1988 and 1999.

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 from 7-8:30 p.m. and the dates are Nov. 28; Dec. 5, 8, 12 and 19; Jan. 10, 16, 23 and 30; Feb. 6, 12, 20 and 27; and March 6, 13 and 20.

AFTER THIS
Iowa returns to action Wednesday, Nov. 30, hosting North Carolina State as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. That game will be televised to a national cable audience on ESPN2 and has an 8:35 p.m. start time.