Iowa hosts Ohio State Saturday Evening

Jan. 26, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

• Purchase your Iowa Basketball tickets!
• The Heroes Among Us program
• 2006 Big Ten Tournament
• Listen to the Hawkeyes on XM Radio
• Watch and Listen to Steve, the Hawkeyes

THE SETTING
Iowa (15-5, 4-2) plays the second of two straight home games against nationally ranked opponents, hosting Ohio State (14-2, 4-2) Saturday, Jan. 28. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Iowa defeated 11th-ranked Indiana 73-60 Tuesday night at home, collecting its fourth win of the year against a ranked opponent. Ohio State scored a 75-64 win at Penn State Saturday in its last outing before visiting Iowa City. Iowa has won 13 straight home games since a 75-65 loss to Illinois last Feb. 19, including all 12 games this season.

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, KYOU Ottumwa and cable systems in Mason City, Sioux City, Council Bluffs-Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis and Memphis. Larry Morgan and Bill Hosket will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,363 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,411-952 (.597). That includes an 883-306 (.743) record in home games, a 527-646 (.449) record in games away from Iowa City, a 668-655 (.505) mark in Big Ten games and a 289-80 (.783) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 289-80 (.783) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 135-67 (.668) in Big Ten games and 154-13 (.922) in non-Big Ten games. Iowa has drawn over five million fans for men’s basketball since the arena opened in 1983. Iowa has posted an 81-25 (.764) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 51-4 (.927) mark in non-conference home games. Iowa’s current streak of 23 consecutive non-conference home wins ranks 15th-longest among Division I programs. That streak dates back to the final home game of the 2002-03 season, an NIT loss to Georgia Tech.

IOWA TO HONOR FINAL FOUR TEAMS
Members of Iowa’s 1955 and 1956 Final Four teams, including four members of the “Fabulous Five” starting line-up, will be the featured guests Saturday evening at Iowa’s annual Basketball Lettermen’s game vs. Ohio State. The four members of the 1956 starting line-up expected to be in attendance include Bill Seaberg, Sharm Scheuermann, Bill Logan and Bill Schoof. Schoof moved into the starting line-up as a senior in 1956, replacing McKinley Davis, a senior starter on the 1955 squad. Davis and Carl Cain, a starter in both 1955 and 1956, are not expected to be in attendance. Additional members of the 1955 and 1956 teams expected to return to campus include Roy Johnson, Dick Ritter and Bob George. As many as 50 Hawkeye lettermen are expected to be in attendance. Weekend festivities include a gathering on Friday evening and a reception Saturday before the Hawkeyes host Ohio State. Iowa posted an overall record of 19-7 in 1955, winning the Big Ten title with an 11-3 record. The Hawkeyes lost to LaSalle and Colorado after reaching the Final Four. Iowa returned to the Final Four the following season, falling to Bill Russell and San Francisco 83-71 in the NCAA title game after a semi-final win over Temple. Iowa posted a 20-6 overall record, winning a second straight Big Ten title with a 13-1 conference record.

IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is listed among teams receiving voted in both the Associated Press rankings and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Iowa has been ranked as high as 12th this season (AP, 12/5/05), its highest ranking since early in the 2001-02 season. Iowa, that season, moved as high as seventh (Nov. 26) in the Associated Press rankings and eighth (Nov. 19) in the coaches poll. Ohio State is ranked 16th in both polls.

IOWA STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Iowa is 11th in the RPI Index and 20th in the Sagarin Ratings. The RPI Index ranks Iowa’s strength of schedule 13th, while Sagarin rates Iowa’s schedule 17th. Iowa has played nine games against top 50 teams in the RPI Index and the five teams that have defeated Iowa hold a combined record of 56-15 (.789). The Hawkeyes are 4-3 against teams that were ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game, including 2-1 against top 10 teams.

HAWKEYES IN NATIONAL STATS
In NCAA statistical rankings, Iowa is fourth in field goal defense (37.3%), fifth in fouls per game (14.8) and sixth in scoring defense (59.0). Individually, Jeff Horner ranks 10th in assists per game (6.6), Erek Hansen is 11th in blocked shots per game (3.3) and Greg Brunner is 22nd in rebounds per game (10.4).

IOWA AT 15 VICTORIES
Iowa collected its 15th victory of the season earlier this week, improving to 15-5 with a 73-60 win over Indiana. The Jan. 24 date matches the earliest date in the season that Iowa has won 15 games under Steve Alford. In 2001, when the Hawkeyes won 23 games, they collected win No. 15 on Jan. 24 in an 87-74 decision over Minnesota. Alford has led the Hawkeyes to five straight winning seasons and five consecutive post-season appearances

BRUNNER SECOND IN CAREER REBOUNDS
Senior forward Greg Brunner has moved into second place on Iowa’s career rebounding chart, raising his total to 884. Kevin Kunnert (1971-73) is Iowa’s career leader with 914 rebounds. Brunner had 17 points and eight rebounds in the win over Indiana, hitting 8-11 field goals and adding two assists and two steals. In two games last week, Brunner totaled 34 points and 34 rebounds. He had 17 points and 23 rebounds in a triple-overtime win over Minnesota and 17 points and 11 rebounds in a loss at Michigan State. Brunner established a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record with 23 rebounds against Minnesota. The previous mark of 21 was set by Dwayne Scholten of Washington State on 12/6/86. The previous best in the Arena by an Iowa player was 19 rebounds by Ryan Bowen vs. Long Island on 11/29/98. The 23 rebounds are the most by any player in the Big Ten Conference and the second most in Division I this season. Rashad Jones of Arkansas-Little Rock had 30 rebounds earlier in the year. The Iowa record for single game rebounds is 30, set by Chuck Darling vs. Wisconsin on 3/3/52. Brunner’s 23 rebounds tie as the fourth highest total in school history and it is the most by a Hawkeye player since Kunnert had 23 rebounds vs. Drake on 12/27/72.

SI.COM LIKES IOWA BACKCOURT
SI.com, in a vivid online photo gallery, has named Iowa’s backcourt of Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska as one of the best, ranking the Hawkeye duo ninth best in the nation. Haluska averages 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Horner averages 12.4 points, 6.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds.

IOWA COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford (pronounced ALL-ford) is in his seventh season as the head coach at the University of Iowa and his 15th season as a college head coach. Alford holds a career record of 281-165 (.630), including a 125-88 (.587) 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 fourth among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in total wins. He is 45-57 (.441) in Big Ten games. Alford is 8-6 in the NCAA Tournament (3-3 in Division I and 5-3 in Division III) and 2-4 in the NIT. His record in the Big Ten Tournament is 10-5 in six seasons and his 10 wins rank as the most among all Big Ten coaches in the event. Iowa won the tournament in 2001, returned to the title game in 2002 and just missed the championship game in 2005. Alford led Iowa into the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament in his second season and the Hawkeyes returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2005. Iowa advanced to the NIT in 2002, 2003 and 2004. 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. In 2004 he was one of five players selected to ESPN’s Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team. Alford is 6-7 vs. Ohio State and 1-1 against OSU Coach Thad Matta.

OSU COACH THAD MATTA
Thad Matta is in his second season as the head coach at Ohio State and his sixth year overall as a college head coach. Matta guided the Buckeyes to a 20-12 record in his first season in Columbus. He has won 20 games in each of his five seasons as a head coach. His career mark stands at 136-45 and he is 34-14 at OSU. 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 1-1 vs. Iowa and Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

ALFORD MOVES TO FOURTH
Coach Steve Alford has collected 125 victories as Iowa’s head coach, a total that ranks fourth on Iowa’s list of coaches in career wins. Alford, earlier this season, moved past Bucky O’Connor, Iowa’s head coach from 1952-58 (he also was Iowa’s head coach for 11 games in 1950), who earned 114 wins as Iowa’s basketball coach. Iowa’s top three coaches in career wins are Tom Davis (269), Lute Olson (168) and Rollie Williams (139).

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 72-66 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 last season before Iowa won 74-72 in Iowa City on March 2. Iowa won both meetings during the 2004 season, 79-65 in Iowa City and 78-67 in Columbus. Iowa has won four of the last six meetings, but the Buckeyes have won seven of the last 12. The Buckeyes had won four straight games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena before Iowa won in 2004 and 2005. The visiting team in the series has won eight of the last 12 games and OSU has won two of three games over the last three years at neutral sites in the Big Ten Tournament. Ten of the last 15 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less, with seven decisions by five points or less. Iowa holds a 45-22 overall advantage in Iowa City and a 15-7 record vs. the Buckeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In the two meetings in 2005, the home team held serve, marking the first time since 1993 that the teams had split games in which each won on its home court. This is the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season.

THEY SPLIT A YEAR AGO
Iowa and Ohio State split two games last season, with the Buckeyes winning 81-69 in Columbus and Iowa winning 66-64 in Iowa City. An Iowa cold spell late in the first half proved to be decisive in the loss at Ohio State. Iowa trailed by eight points in the early going before a three-point basket tied the score at 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 just 40.7% in the second half. Iowa made just 4-12 (33.3%) 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. Greg Brunner added his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Ohio State was led by Terence Dials with 22 points and eight rebounds. Tony Stockman added 19 points and Je’Kel Foster 12.

Iowa’s Jeff Horner scored on a 15-foot jump shot with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Iowa to victory in Iowa City. Iowa forced a turnover in the final seconds before OSU was able to get a shot at the end of the game. Iowa’s Doug Thomas had converted a three-point play with 42 seconds remaining to give Iowa a 72-69 advantage, but OSU’s Terence Dials tied the score on a three-point play with 27 seconds left. OSU led for the first 11 minutes of the second half before Iowa pulled even at 54. The Hawkeyes built a six point advantage with five minutes remaining before OSU rallied. The score was tied three times in the last two minutes. Ohio State shot 56.5% in the first half and led by as many as nine points early in the game. The Hawkeyes trailed 35-34 at intermission as a three-point basket by Jack Brownlee in the final second gave Iowa a lift going into the break. Iowa shot 58.3% from the field in the second half, shot 85% from the line for the game and won the rebounding battle by a 30-27 margin. Horner led Iowa with one of his best games. He scored 25 points, a career-high in Big Ten play, and added eight rebounds, eight assists and no turnovers. His first basket of the game, a three-pointer with 16:42 left in the first half, put him over 1,000 career points. Adam Haluska added 22 points and Brunner led both teams with 10 rebounds. Dials led Ohio State with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Ivan Harris added 13 points and seven rebounds.

IN THE RANKINGS
Ohio State is ranked 16th in both major polls this week, while Iowa is among teams receiving votes after being in the rankings for the majority of the season. 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 last season in Columbus.

IOWA, BUCKEYE NOTES

• For all games, Iowa leads the Big Ten in field goal defense (.373) and Ohio State is third in field goal shooting (.496).
• Iowa and OSU have met in three of the last five 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.
• Iowa and Ohio State played one common opponent in non-conference play. Iowa lost at Iowa State 72-60 and the Buckeyes defeated the Cyclones 70-67 in Des Moines. In Big Ten play, OSU has defeated Penn State twice and Iowa won at PSU. Both teams lost to Michigan State, while OSU defeated Wisconsin and Iowa lost in Madison. OSU lost at Indiana and Iowa defeated the Hoosiers in Iowa City.
• Iowa Coach Steve Alford posted a 1-1 record vs. Butler University when Thad Matta was an assistant 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.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa has posted a 4-3 record vs. ranked teams. The Hawkeyes defeated 7th-ranked Kentucky (67-63), 21st-ranked North Carolina State (45-42), 6th-ranked Illinois 63-48 and 11th-ranked Indiana 73-60. Iowa has lost to 2nd-ranked Texas (59-68), 24th-ranked Wisconsin (52-66) and 11th-ranked Michigan State (55-85).
• Iowa has made more free throws (296) than its opponents have attempted (278).
• Iowa shot 68.8% (11-16) from the field in the second half of a home win over Indiana, marking the best shooting half of the season. Iowa’s previous best was 60% in the second half of the season-opening win over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
• Iowa is 2-0 when scoring 80 points or more, 7-0 when scoring between 70-80 points, 5-1 when scoring between 60-70 points and 1-4 when scoring less than 60 points. Iowa is 10-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points, 3-3 when holding its opponent between 60-70 points and 2-2 when the opponent scores over 70 points.
• Iowa is 11-1 when collecting more assists than the opponent, 2-4 when the opponent has more assists and 2-0 when assists are equal.
• Iowa is 9-2 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent and 6-3 when the opponent has fewer turnovers.
• Iowa is 4-1 when collecting more steals than its opponent, 10-4 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 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, 5-0 when four reach double figures, 6-2 with three in double figures and 3-3 when two are in double figures.
• Iowa is 15-3 when leading at halftime, 0-2 when trailing at intermission and 0-0 when tied at halftime.
• Iowa is 13-2 when controlling the opening tip and 2-3 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 6-2 in games decided by 10 points or less, 5-1 in games decided by five points or less and 1-1 in overtime.
• Iowa has held six opponents to 50 points or less and nine to under 60 points. Only seven Iowa opponents have shot as well as 40% from the field.
• Iowa has won at least 11 games before the start of Big Ten play four times in seven years under Coach Steve Alford. Along with the 11 wins this season, the Hawkeyes won 12 games prior to Big Ten play last season and 11 games in both 2001 and 2002.
• Under Steve Alford, Iowa is 36-6 when shooting at least 50% from the field, including 3-0 in 2005-06. Michigan State is the only Iowa opponent to shoot 50% (30-60) from the field this season. 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.

TEAM BALANCE LEADS IOWA PAST INDIANA
Iowa featured one of its most balanced attacks of the season in taking a 73-60 home win over 11th-ranked Indiana. The Hawkeyes never trailed and led by as many as 10 points in the first half before holding just a 30-27 margin at the break. Iowa started fast in the second half, using a 14-3 scoring run in the first five minutes to increase the advantage to 44-30. The Hawkeyes would lead by as many as 16 points before Indiana’s three-point shooting kicked in. Indiana cut the margin to seven points in the final two minutes, but could get no closer. Iowa shot 68.8% from the field in the second half, its best shooting half of the season, and also made 18-25 (72%) in the final 20 minutes. Those points were needed, as Indiana hit 9-20 three-pointers in the second half and 13-31 (41.9%) for the game. Overall, Iowa shot 51.1% from the field, compared to 36.7% for the visitors. Iowa won the rebounding battle (36-30) and collected eight blocked shots. Adam Haluska led Iowa’s attack with 20 points and 10 rebounds, collecting the first double-double of his Hawkeye career. Greg Brunner added 17 points and eight rebounds, Jeff Horner had 13 points and eight assists, Erek Hansen added 11 points and six blocked shots and Mike Henderson had nine points, five rebounds and three steals.

OHIO STATE SWEEPS PENN STATE
Ohio State made it a season sweep of Penn State with a 75-64 road win last Saturday in its most recent outing. The Buckeyes held a 32-27 halftime advantage before shooting 65% from the field (13-20) in the second half. Ohio State held a 38-28 rebounding advantage and made 23-28 (82.1%) free throws. Ron Lewis led the balanced scoring attack with 15 points, while Je’Kel Foster added 13 and Matt Sylvester and Jamar Butler each scored 12. Foster led OSU with nine rebounds and J.J. Sullinger added eight.

OVERTIME NOTES

• With the 76-72 triple overtime win over Minnesota last week, Iowa is now 2-4 all-time in triple overtime games, with three of the six games being played vs. Minnesota.
• Iowa had lost four straight triple overtime games and had not won a triple overtime game since a 112-111 win over Purdue on Feb. 11, 1974.
• Iowa has played just one four overtime game (83-80 win over Cal in 1960-61) and its overall record in all overtime games now stands at 46-50. Iowa lost at Northern Iowa in single overtime earlier this season.
• The win over Minnesota was the first triple overtime game ever in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where the Hawkeyes began playing home games during the 1983 season. Iowa’s most recent triple overtime game in Iowa City was a 57-55 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 27, 1982 in the last Big Ten Conference game played in the Iowa Fieldhouse.

BRUNNER & HORNER SEE DOUBLE, AGAIN
Forward Greg Brunner and guard Jeff Horner both registered double-doubles in Iowa’s win over Minnesota last week. Brunner collected 17 points and 23 rebounds and Horner had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Minnesota game marks the fourth time during their careers that Brunner and Horner have posted a double-double in the same game. Earlier this season, Brunner had 23 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Fairfield, while Horner added 12 points and 10 assists. In an 88-75 win over Western Carolina on 12/18/04, Brunner had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Horner collected 20 points and 10 assists. In an 84-82 double overtime win at Indiana on 2/7/04, Brunner had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Horner had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

HALUSKA GETS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior guard Adam Haluska recorded the first double-double of his Hawkeye career with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Indiana. Haluska hit 6-9 field goals and 9-9 free throws. Haluska did record one double-double during his freshman season at Iowa State, collecting 10 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

TWO NOMINATED FOR 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.

BRUNNER MOVES TO SECOND
Senior forward Greg Brunner has raised his career rebounding total to 884, moving into second place on Iowa’s career list. Kevin Kunnert (1971-73) is Iowa’s career leader with 914 rebounds. Brunner is 13th in career scoring (1,312) and is tied for sixth (92) in career blocked shots. Brunner has 29 career double-doubles, most among active players in the Big Ten Conference. Brunner has nine scoring and rebounding double-doubles this season while scoring in double figures in 13 games and collecting 10 or more rebounds in 11 outings. He had 26 points at Northern Iowa and led Iowa with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Kentucky. He leads the Big Ten in rebounding (10.4) and is averaging 13.9 points per game, scoring 17 point in each of Iowa’s last three games.

HORNER HITS 500, AGAIN
Senior guard Jeff Horner, just the fourth Iowa player ever to total over 500 assists, collected career rebound No. 500 in Iowa’s win over Indiana. Horner ranks third in career assists with 548, moving past B.J. Armstrong with his nine assists in the win at Penn State. Horner ranks 14th in career scoring (1,293). In other career stats, Horner is second in three-point field goals (223), second in three-point attempts (615) and ninth in steals (145). Horner missed four games in December with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, stopping his consecutive games streak at 102. The injury occurred during Iowa’s game at Northern Iowa Dec. 6. Horner made a solid return in Iowa’s 60-50 win at Saint Louis, collecting 17 points and six assists in 36 minutes. He had 11 points and three assists vs. Wisconsin and 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals in a win over Illinois. He added 17 points and nine assists at Penn State, he had 10 points and 10 assists vs. Minnesota and 13 points and eight assists vs. Indiana. He is averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

HALUSKA OVER 1,000 POINTS
Junior guard Adam Haluska surpassed 1,000 career points with his career-high 29 point performance in the win at Penn State. He has 1,055 points in his career, with 284 of those coming in his freshman season at Iowa State, and joins teammates Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner as 1,000-point scorers. Haluska hit 6-10 three-pointers at PSU and 5-6 free throws and he had 12 points and four rebounds in the win over Minnesota, scoring Iowa’s first four points in the decisive third overtime. He added 19 points vs. Michigan State and 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Indiana. He has scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games. He leads Iowa in scoring at 15.2 points per game, he is averaging 4.8 rebounds and he has led Iowa in steals in eight games. Haluska hit two crucial three-point baskets in the final 96 seconds against Drake and he added 18 points and nine rebounds in a win over Robert Morris. Haluska scored 17 points in Iowa’s win at Saint Louis, hitting 6-10 field goals and 4-6 treys. He added 15 points (9-10 FTs) in a win over Illinois. Haluska has started all 84 games he has played in his career. His 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).

HANSEN CONTRIBUTES AT BOTH ENDS
Center Erek Hansen is making key plays on both offense and defense in his senior season. Hansen scored a career-high 20 points in the win over Minnesota, hitting 7-12 FGs and 6-6 free throws. He connected on two free throws to tie the score at the end of the second half and added two more to force a third overtime. Hansen also had six rebounds and five blocked shots while playing a career-high 38 minutes. Hansen added 11 points (4-5 FGs) and six blocks in Iowa’s win over Indiana. Hansen ranks third in career blocked shots with 188 and his 65 blocks this year ranks sixth best for a single season. Hansen matched his career-high with seven blocked shots in a win over Fairfield and he had 14 points at Iowa State. He has collected three blocked shots or more in 13 games. Hansen had seven points, six rebounds and six blocked shots at Penn State, converting a three-point play on offense and a key blocked shot on defense in the final minutes. Hansen is averaging 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds. He leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally with 3.3 blocked shots per game.

HENDERSON NUMBERS IMPROVED
Junior guard Mike Henderson has played a key role in Iowa’s success this season, as he has improved his numbers in several categories from a year ago. Henderson matched his season scoring high with 15 points, hitting 5-6 field goals and 4-5 free throws, against Valparaiso. Henderson also had six rebounds and five assists. He added 10 points vs. Arizona State and he had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists vs. Drake. Henderson played a solid defensive game in Iowa’s home win over Illinois and he also had 10 points and eight rebounds. He collected nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in the win over Minnesota, including 5-6 free throws at crucial times, and he added nine points, five rebounds and three steals in the win over Indiana. Henderson is averaging 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per outing, improving his shooting to 42.7% from the field and 76.6% from the free throw line. Henderson has scored in double figures in six games this year after scoring 10 or more points just three times in his first two seasons.

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 is averaging 13.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He has recorded nine double-doubles and set a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record with 23 rebounds vs. Minnesota. He ranks second in career rebounds (884), is tied for sixth in blocked shots (92) and is 13th in career scoring (1,312). Horner had a season-high 19 points vs. Valparaiso, 10 assists in wins over Fairfield and Minnesota and 17 points vs. Saint Louis in his return to action after missing four games. He led Iowa’s win over Illinois with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals and he added 17 points and nine assists at Penn State. He is averaging 12.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. Horner ranks 14th in career scoring (1,293), third in career assists (548) and ninth in career steals (145). Brunner has played in all 113 games in his career, with 101 starts. Horner has started 108 of the 109 games he has played at Iowa, missing four games in December due to injury.

1,000 POINT CLUB ADDS MEMBERS
Seniors Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner joined Iowa’s 1,000 Point Club as juniors a year ago and junior Adam Haluska surpassed 1,000 career points in Iowa’s win at Penn State. Brunner ranks 13th in career scoring with 1,312 points, while Horner is 14th with 1,293. 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. He also is tied for sixth in career blocked shots (92). Horner is the only Iowa player ever to score over 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds and distribute over 500 assists (548). Horner was honorable mention all-Big Ten a year ago. Haluska has 1,055 career points, with 284 of those coming during his freshman season at Iowa State. He has scored 771 points at Iowa. He leads Iowa in scoring (15.2 ppg) and has scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 22-33 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach, including a 4-3 mark in 2005-06. The Hawkeyes defeated seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63), 21st-ranked North Carolina State (45-42), sixth-ranked Illinois (63-48) and 11th-ranked Indiana 73-60.. Iowa dropped a 68-59 decision to second-ranked Texas, fell 66-52 at 24th-ranked Wisconsin and were defeated 85-55 at 11th-ranked Michigan State. Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 8-13 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), sixth-ranked Illinois (63-48 in 2006), 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 55 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 9-9 in home games, 10-11 at neutral sites and 3-13 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 660-520 in the first half and 653-634 in the second half. Iowa has led at halftime in 18 games and the Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent in the second half in 12 games. The second half scoring was even (20-20) vs. NC State. Iowa and its opponents have both scored 25 points in two overtime games, a single overtime loss at Northern Iowa and a triple overtime win vs. Minnesota.

HOME, AWAY COMPARISONS
In its 12 home games, Iowa has outscored its opponents by a 70.2-52.7 margin, shooting 43.5% from the field while holding its opponent to 34.3% shooting. Iowa holds a 42.4-35.5 rebounding advantage. In eight games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena (two neutral site games), Iowa has been outscored 62.0-68.4. The Hawkeyes are shooting 37.9% from the field while opponents are shooting 41.9% and Iowa is being out-rebounded by a 38.0-38.1 margin.

IOWA FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Iowa had made over 80% of its free throws in three games and at least 70% of its free throws in 12 of 20 games, with a season-best 83.3% (20-24) in a win over Fairfield. Iowa has posted a 10-2 record when shooting at least 70% from the free throw line.

OFF THE BENCH
The Iowa reserves are averaging 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, compared to 11.6 points and 9.3 rebounds for the opponent reserves. Iowa is 7-2 when the reserves outscore the opponent’s reserves, 7-2 when the opponent reserves score more points and 1-1 when the reserve scoring is even. Iowa is 10-3 when the Hawkeye reserves have more rebounds than the opponent reserves and 5-2 when the opponent reserves have more rebounds.

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 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 were either ranked or receiving votes in the pre-season rankings.

BASKETBALL TICKETS AVAILABLE
Following is information on Iowa basketball ticket options for remaining games. Iowa basketball tickets may be purchased in person at the athletic ticket office at the north entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena or at the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau information desk inside Coral Ridge Mall. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.hawkeyesports.com, or by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS.

• General public single game tickets are available for $25.
• Youth tickets ($10) are available for the Penn State game on Mar. 1.
• Single game student tickets are available for $15 for all remaining home games. Approximately 300 student tickets remain for Saturday Big Ten Conference games vs. Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
• Discounted tickets to select home games and earmarked for purchase by groups of 24 or more are also available for purchase. For information about group tickets, fans should call the UI Group Sales Office at (319) 335-9328.

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: Jan. 30; Feb. 6, 12, 20 and 27; and March 6, 13 and 20.

AFTER THIS
Iowa travels to Purdue Wednesday, Feb. 1 for a 7 p.m. contest. The Hawkeyes host Michigan Saturday, Feb. 4 at 4:10 p.m.