Iowa Meets Fairfield Friday In Hawkeye Challenge

Dec. 1, 2005

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THE SETTING
Iowa (5-1) hosts Fairfield (0-3) Friday in the first round of the Hawkeye Challenge. Game time is 8:11 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Valparaiso (2-0) meets Tulane (1-2) in the other first round game Friday evening. The consolation and championship games will follow the same time format Saturday. Iowa is 5-1 after a 45-42 win over North Carolina State Wednesday night. Fairfield dropped an 81-78 decision to Providence Monday in its last outing.

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. The Hawkeye Radio Network coverage includes a 60-minute pre-game show. Television: ESPN Regional will carry the game to a network of stations that includes KGAN Cedar Rapids, KDSM Des Moines, KWQC Quad Cities and KYOU Ottumwa, 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 2,348 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,400-948 (.596). That includes an 874-306 (.741) 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 280-80 (.777) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins with a 79-46 victory over Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 26. Iowa becomes one of 34 NCAA Division I programs with as many as 1,400 wins. Iowa’s basketball history includes 71 winning seasons and 22 years in which the Hawkeyes have won 20 or more games. Iowa (with 21) is one of 31 programs to earn more than 20 invitations (Iowa has 21) into the NCAA Tournament.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked 14th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 15th in the Associated Press rankings. Iowa’s current ranking matches its highest ranking of a year ago, when the Hawkeyes spent nine consecutive weeks in the top 25. 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 280-80 (.778) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 132-67 (.663) in Big Ten games and 148-13 (.919) 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 72-25 (.742) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 45-4 (.918) mark in non-conference home games.

TWO NOMINATED SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Iowa seniors Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner are two of 30 seniors from Division I basketball programs around the nation who have been named as candidates for the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. The award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually to the nation’s senior player-of-the-year. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college players leaving college early to turn professional. The nomination of Brunner, from Charles City, and Horner, from Mason City, make Iowa one of seven programs to have two candidates among the list of 30 players. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, who initiated the idea for the award and now serves as honorary Chairman, will announce the winner during the CBS telecast of the NCAA Men’s Final Four in April.

IOWA WON TOURNEY TITLE A YEAR AGO
Iowa claimed the Hawkeye Challenge title last season by defeating Centenary College 88-53 in the first round and North Carolina-Greensboro 83-58 in the championship game. Iowa’s Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce were named to the all-tournament team, with Horner and Pierce sharing MVP honors. Iowa has won 22 of the 23 tournament titles and is 45-1 overall in its own tournament. The Hawkeyes have not lost in the championship game. Iowa’s lone tournament loss was in 1985 when Arkansas State defeated the Hawkeyes 66-62 in the first round. Alabama-Birmingham won the tournament that year and Iowa defeated Lehigh 89-68 for third place. Fairfield, Tulane and Fairfield are all making their first appearance in Iowa’s tournament.

IOWA OPPONENTS RANKED
Six teams on Iowa’s 2005-06 schedule were in the initial national 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 were listed among teams receiving votes, including North Carolina State (ranked 21st at the time of Iowa’s win on 11/30/05), 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 was runner-up 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.

FAIRFIELD COACH TIM O’TOOLE
Tim O’Toole is in his eighth season at Fairfield, his alma mater, and his eighth season as a college head coach. O’Toole holds a 103-104 record at Fairfield. He has served as an assistant coach at Fordham (1988-89), Army (1989-90), Iona (1990-91), Syracuse (1992-95), Duke (1995-97) and Seton Hall (1997-98). In O’Toole’s one season at Seton Hall the Pirates earned an NIT bid. He helped Duke produce a 42-22 record in his two seasons in Durham and helped Syracuse post a three-year record of 85-26 while taking part in three straight NCAA tournaments. As a player, O’Toole was a two-time captain at Fairfield, including the 1987 season when Fairfield earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 16th-seeded Stags lost in the first round to Indiana (92-58) in Indianapolis, as Steve Alford and the Hoosiers went on to win the national title. O’Toole has not coached against Iowa or Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

THEY’VE MET BEFORE
Fairfield Coach Tim O’Toole hasn’t coached against Iowa’s Steve Alford as a head coach, but O’Toole and Alford met on the court as college players. In 1987, Indiana, on the way to the NCAA title, scored a 92-58 win over Fairfield in the first round of the tournament. Alford played 25 minutes for the Hoosiers, collecting 13 points by hitting 4-5 field goals, 2-2 three-pointers and 3-3 free throws. O’Toole started and played 24 minutes for the Stags, collecting seven points and three rebounds before fouling our of the contest in the final minutes.

O’TOOLE VS. IOWA
Fairfield Coach Tim O’Toole has met Iowa as a head coach, but he is 1-0 vs. the Hawkeyes as an assistant. O’Toole was an assistant coach at Duke during the 1995-96 season when the Blue Devils defeated Iowa 88-81 in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

ALFORD MOVES TO FOURTH
Coach Steve Alford collected win No. 115 as Iowa’s head coach in Wednesday’s 45-42 win over North Carolina State. That total moves Alford into fourth place on Iowa’s list of career wins, surpassing the total of Bucky O’Connor, Iowa’s head coach from 1952-58 (he also was Iowa’s head coach for 11 games in 1950). Iowa’s top three coaches in career wins are Tom Davis (269), Lute Olson (168) and Rollie Williams (139).

THE SERIES
Iowa and Fairfield are meeting for the first time. Iowa holds a 1-0 all-time record against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, holding a single win over Rider.

HAWKEYES HOLD OFF WOLFPACK
Iowa used a 10-0 scoring run over a six minute period late in the game to defeat 21st-ranked North Carolina State 45-42 in Iowa City as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Trailing 35-31 with 9:52 to play, Iowa began its scoring run with a jumper by Erek Hansek and tied the game on two free throws by Mike Henderson. Iowa took the lead for good on a basket by Greg Brunner with five minutes to play. Adam Haluska scored two baskets after turnovers to increase the advantage to 41-35 with 3:55 remaining. NC State cut the margin in half on a three-point basket before Brunner added another basket and Jeff Horner scored Iowa’s final points on a jumper with 1:17 to play. The Wolfpack cut the margin to 45-42 with 56 seconds left and got the ball back after an Iowa miss with 20 seconds to play. A final three-point attempt by NC State in the last two seconds was off target and Iowa had the hard fought win. Iowa’s defense was outstanding once again, as NC State shot just 34% from the field and 16.7% from three point range. Iowa collected 11 steals while forcing 24 turnovers and blocked five shots. Haluska led Iowa’s scoring with 18 points and Horner added 11. Erek Hansen led the Hawkeyes with eight rebounds and Haluska and Brunner each collected six. Horner added six assists and Haluska had three steals.

LOW TOTAL FOR A WIN
The 45 points scored by Iowa against North Carolina State marks the fewest points scored by Iowa since the Hawkeyes scored 49 in a 49-51 loss at Northwestern on March 3, 2004. The point total is the lowest for Iowa in a winning effort since a 50-49 win at Drake on Nov. 11, 2002. The 45 points are the fewest by an Iowa team in a winning effort in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since a 42-39 win over Northwestern on Jan. 12, 1984. The 45 points match the lowest total scored by Iowa under the direction of Steve Alford, as the Hawkeyes lost a 45-54 contest at Wisconsin on Feb. 23, 2000.

FAIRFIELD FALLS TO PROVIDENCE
Fairfield fell to 0-3 on the season with an 81-78 loss to Providence College Monday. The Stags were led in that game by reserve Danny Oglesby, who scored a career-high 24 points. Fairfield led throughout much of the contest before Providence made just enough free throws down the stretch to collect the win. Michael Van Schaick and Terrence Todd each added 14 points and Jonathan Han scored 12.

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 and he closed out the week with 15 points and seven rebounds vs. Texas-San Antonio. He added 18 points and six rebounds vs. North Carolina State and leads the team with a 15.2 scoring average. Having started all 70 games he has played in his career, Haluska’s consecutive starts streak ranks fifth longest among all Division I players, according to STATS — Chicago. Haluska trails Gerry McNamara (Syracuse), Joe Herber (West Virginia), Patrick Sparks (Kentucky) and Donald Wilson (Portland).

TWO HAWKEYES NAMED TO NAISMITH LIST
Senior forward Greg Brunner and senior guard Jeff Horner are two of 50 players named as pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy, presented annually to the Player of the Year. 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. Brunner leads Iowa with an 7.8 rebounding average through six games and he is scoring 13 points per contest. He had scored in double figures in four of six games and had season high marks of 17 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Kentucky. For the second straight season, Brunner is the top returning rebounder in the Big Ten. 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. As has been the case in each of the past three seasons, Horner leads Iowa in assists. Horner has 40 assists in six games and is averaging 11.2 points per game. Horner has converted all of his 14 free throws through six games and he leads the Big Ten in both free throw percentage and assists per game. Both Brunner and Horner have played in 99 games at Iowa, with Horner starting all but one contest and Brunner earning 87 starts.

1,000 POINT CLUB ADDS MEMBERS
Seniors Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner joined Iowa’s 1,000 Point Club as juniors a year ago. Horner has scored 1,162 points (ranks 22nd) 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 1,113 career points (ranks 27th) and he has 723 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.

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.
• As part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Iowa defeated 21st-ranked North Carolina State 45-42 Nov. 30, 2005 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, giving the Hawkeyes their second win over a ranked opponent in the first six games of the season.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 20-31 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach, including a 2-1 mark in 2005-06. The Hawkeyes defeated seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63) and 21st-ranked North Carolina State (45-42), while dropping a 68-59 decision to second-ranked Texas. 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 51 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 7-9 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 five of their first six games. Iowa opponents are averaging just 51.8 points per game, shooting 35.3% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range. Iowa has collected 55 steals and forced 119 turnovers while collecting 32 blocked shots. The Hawkeyes have held each opponent under 70 points and won the rebounding battle in five of six 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 forced 23 turnovers by Texas-San Antonio in a recent 79-46 win and North Carolina was guilty of 24 turnovers in Iowa’s most recent victory.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 212-142 in the first half and 197-169 in the second half. Iowa has led at halftime in all six games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in four games. The second half scoring was even (20-20) vs. NC State.

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.

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 98 of 99 games in his career. 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,

HOME, AWAY COMPARISONS
In its four home games, Iowa has outscored its opponents by a 70.8-45 margin, shooting 44.5% from the field while holding its opponent to 34.4% shooting. Iowa holds a 41.2-34.2 rebounding advantage. In two games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena (both neutral site games), 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.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa is 3-0 when scoring between 70-80 points, 1-0 when scoring between 60-70 points and 1-1 when scoring less than 60 points. Iowa is 4-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points and 1-1 when holding its opponent between 60-70 points.
• Iowa is 3-1 when collecting more assists than the opponent, 1-0 when the opponent has more assits and 1-0 when assists are equal.
• Iowa is 5-1 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent.
• Iowa is 4-0 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 three of six 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, 2-0 when four reach double figures, 0-0 with three in double figures and 2-1 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa is 5-1 when leading at halftime, 0-0 when trailing at intermission and 0-0 when tied at halftime.
• Iowa is 3-0 when controlling the opening tip and 1-2 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 2-1 in games decided by 10 points or less and 2-0 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.
• None of Iowa’s first six opponents have shot 50% from the field. Iowa allowed just four opponents to shoot at least 50% from the field last season, and Iowa was 3-1 in those games. Iowa was 0-5 when its opponent shot at least 50% from the field in 2004.

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.

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).
• 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 next season.
• 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.

HAWKEYES LOOKING FOR HEROES
Is there a hero among you, your friends, your family? Coach Steve Alford and the Iowa Hawkeyes are looking for heroes, people who have gone above and beyond to help others. “There are wonderful things being done each day in every community across the state of Iowa by outstanding people,” said Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford. “Our basketball staff feels the “Heroes Among Us” program is an easy way to salute the friends and neighbors of ours who are making a different in the lives of their friends and neighbors.”

Nomination forms for the “Heroes Among Us” program are available online at hawkeyesports.com, the official web site of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fans can print their nomination form by visiting the men’s basketball home page and clicking on the “Heroes Among Us” line under the “Features” heading.

The UI will select one here to be saluted at each Hawkeye home game throughout the remainder of the season. The hero, and the individual who nominated them, will be provided pairs of tickets to the game and a $10 gift certificate to the Official Iowa Hawk Shop. The hero will also be recognized when they are in attendance.

HAWK 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 Dec. 5, 8, 12 and 19; Jan. 10, 16, 23 and 30; Feb. 6, 12, 20 and 27; and March 6, 13 and 20.

HAWK TALK ON THE ROAD
The Hawkeye Radio Network will feature two special editions of “Hawk Talk with Steve Alford” as the Hawkeyes travel next week for intra-state games at Northern Iowa and Iowa State. The show will air Monday, December 5 from Carlos O’Kelley’s in Cedar Falls from 7-8:30 p.m. Iowa’s announcing team of Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen will host the show the evening prior to Iowa’s game vs. Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome. Dolphin and Hansen will also host the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series Preview show Wednesday, Dec. 7 from the Carlos O’Kelley’s location on Merle Hay Avenue in Des Moines. Air time is 7-8:30 p.m. as the Hawkeye Radio Network previews Iowa’s Friday evening contest at Iowa State.

AFTER THIS
Iowa continues its busy week Saturday evening in the final round of the Hawkeye Challenge. Game times for Saturday at 5:45 p.m. (consolation game) and 8:11 p.m. (championship). The Hawkeyes hit the road next week, traveling to Northern Iowa Dec. 6 and Iowa State Dec. 9.