Iowa Takes Part in ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday

Nov. 27, 2006

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THE SETTING
Iowa (2-3) concludes a five-game road swing Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Virginia Tech (3-2) as part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Game time is 6:05 p.m. CT at VTU’s Cassell Coliseum (9,847). Iowa dropped a 67-64 contest at Arizona State Nov. 25 in its last outing after posting a 1-2 record in the Paradise Jam. Iowa defeated Toledo 78-65 in the first round before losing to 10th-ranked Alabama 72-60 in the semi-finals and Villanova 89-60 in the consolation round. Virginia Tech is 3-2 on the season after dropping two of three games in the Old Spice Classic in Florida. The Hokies defeated lost to Southern Illinois 69-64 Sunday after a 77-56 win over Montana and a 71-68 loss to Western Michigan.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play, along with color commentator Bob Hansen. The Hawkeye Radio Network coverage includes a 60-minute pre-game show.
Television: ESPNU will televise Wednesday’s game. Doug Bell and Bob Wenzel will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,382 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,423-958 (.597). That includes an 889-306 (.744) record in home games, a 534-653 (.450) record in games away from Iowa City, a 675-658 (.506) mark in Big Ten games and a 295-80 (.787) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN THE ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Iowa holds a 2-3 record in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a 2-0 record at home, an 0-1 record on the road and an 0-2 record at neutral sites. 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. The Hawkeyes defeated North Carolina State 45-42 in Iowa City a year ago. Iowa did not participate in the event in 2004 and 2005.

COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford (pronounced ALL-ford) is in his eighth season as head coach at the University of Iowa and his 16th season as a college head coach. Alford holds a career record of 293-172 (.630), including a 137-95 (.591) 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 career wins, just two wins from third place. Alford’s 293 career victories are the most in the nation among all head coaches who are 42-years old or younger. Alford has posted a 13-5 record in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, leading the Hawkeyes to the tournament title in both 2001 and 2006. His total wins and winning percentage in the event rank tops among all Big Ten coaches. Alford is 52-60 (.464) in Big Ten games after leading Iowa to a second place finish (11-5) in the 2006 regular season. Alford is 8-7 in the NCAA Tournament (3-4 in Div. I and 5-3 in Div. III) and 2-4 in the NIT. Alford is the only Iowa coach to lead his Hawkeye teams to six consecutive winning seasons. Iowa has advanced to post-season action in each of the past six years and the Hawkeyes have won 20 or more games in three of his seven seasons. 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 and 2006. 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 has not coached against Virginia Tech or Hokie Coach Seth Greenberg.

ALFORD MOVES TO FOURTH
Coach Steve Alford has collected 137 victories as Iowa’s head coach, a total that ranks fourth on Iowa’s list of coaches in career wins. Alford, in 2006, 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. Iowa’s top three coaches in career wins are Tom Davis (269), Lute Olson (168) and Rollie Williams (139).

VA TECH’S SETH GREENBERG
Seth Greenberg is in his fourth year at Virginia Tech and his 17th season as a college head coach. Greenberg has posted a 48-46 record with the Hokies and his career record stands at 261-216. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2005 Greenberg posted a 105-70 record in six years at Long Beach State (1990-96) and a 108-100 mark in seven seasons at South Florida (1996-2003). He served as the associate head coach at Long Beach State from 1987-90 and has also been an assistant coach at Miami, FL (1985-87), Virginia (1983-84), Pittsburgh (1980-83) and Columbia (1979-80). Greenberg is 0-1 vs. Iowa and has not coached against Iowa Coach Steve Alford.

THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the two schools in men’s basketball.

IOWA/TECH NOTES

• Iowa is 11-18 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, having played 10 of the 12 members. The Hawkeyes have not previously played Virginia Tech or Miami, FL.
• Iowa is 2-4 vs. Atlantic Coast teams under Steve Alford. The Hawkeyes have defeated Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, along with dropping games to Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State. Five of the six meetings have been part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. North Carolina defeated Iowa in the championship game of the 2005 Maui Invitational.
• Iowa and Virginia Tech both lost by similar fashion in their last outings. Iowa lost 67-64 at Arizona State when the Sun Devils hit a three-point desperation shot to beat the shot clock with 12 seconds left in the game. Virginia Tech lost to Southern Illinois 69-64 as the Salukis hit a three-point basket with 26 seconds remaining to break a 64-64 tie.
• VA Tech Coach Seth Greenberg was the head coach at Long Beach State when the Hawkeyes defeated Long Beach 101-79 in the championship game of the Hawkeye Challenge early in the 1993-94 season.
• Iowa Coach Steve Alford previously had his father, Sam, as a member of his coaching staff, both at Iowa and at Southwest Missouri State. VA Tech Coach Seth Greenberg’s brother, Brad, is the associate head coach of the Hokies.
• Iowa’s Tyler Smith and Tech’s A.D. Vassallo both attended Hargrave Military Academy for one year. Vassallo played at Hargrave in 2004-05 and Smith attended Hargrave last year.

IOWA NOTES

• Iowa is playing the final game of a five game trip away from Iowa City. This marks the first time since early in the 2000-01 season that Iowa has played five straight games away from home. Like this season, that five-game stretch in 2000-01 also included three games at a neutral site (Rainbow Classic). Iowa’s longest consecutive road game streak under Steve Alford occurred in 1999-00 when the Hawkeyes played at Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri and Drake, winning two of the four.
• Senior guard Adam Haluska was recently named one of 50 candidates named to the pre-season Watch List for the Naismith Award, which goes annually to the Player of the Year.
• With 18 points in Iowa’s loss to Villanova, senior Adam Haluska became the 39th Hawkeye player to surpass 1,000 career points. Haluska is in his third season at Iowa and had 1,026 points. His career total, including one season at Iowa State, stands at 1,310.
• Freshman Tyler Smith was named to the all-tournament team at the Paradise Jam. Smith scored in double figures in all three games. He led Iowa to its win over Toledo on the first round, collecting 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. Smith added 19 points in the loss to 10th-ranked Alabama and 13 points in the loss to Villanova.

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Iowa’s last three opponents, Alabama, Villanova and Arizona State, have all shot better than 50% from the field. In 34 games a year ago, Iowa allowed just three opponents to shoot as well as 50% from the field. Those were road games at Michigan State, Purdue and Minnesota, with Iowa losing two of the three. Iowa is 4-11 over the past four seasons when its opponent shoots 50% or better from the field.
• Iowa is 0-0 when scoring 80 points or more, 2-0 when scoring between 70-80 points, 0-1 when scoring between 60-70 points and 0-0 when scoring less than 60 points.
• Iowa is 1-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points, 1-1 when holding its opponent between 60-70 points and 0-2 when the opponent scores over 70 points.
• Iowa is 1-1 when collecting more assists than the opponent and 1-2 when the opponent has more assists.
• Iowa is 1-2 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent and 1-1 when the opponent has fewer turnovers.
• Iowa is 0-2 when collecting more steals than its opponent, 1-1 when the opponent has more steals and 1-0 when steals are equal.
• Iowa has had four players score in double figures in one game (Toledo) and three players score in double figures in three games. Iowa is 1-0 when four reach double figures, and 0-3 with three score in double figures and 0-1 with two players in double figures.
• Iowa is 2-1 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when trailing at intermission.
• Iowa is 2-1 when controlling the opening tip and 0-2 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 0-1 in games decided by 10 points or less and 0-1 in games decided by five points or less.

ARIZONA STATE RALLIES PAST IOWA
Arizona State hit a desperation three-point shot from 25 feet just before the shot clock expired and held on for a 67-64 win over Iowa in Tempe on Nov. 25. The game winning shot came with 12 seconds left in the game after Iowa had forced the Sun Devils away from the basket as the shot clock was set to expire. The Hawkeyes missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds. The Sun Devils scored the first 13 points of the game before Iowa settled down. After missing its first five shots and committing five turnovers in the first six minutes, Iowa gained control, had no turnovers the remainder of the half and went to halftime with a 31-25 advantage. Iowa continued to control the action through the first 15 minutes of the second half, building the advantage to as many as 12 points with just under five minutes to play. That’s when Arizona State used a 19-4 scoring run to rally for the win. ASU connected on 8-11 three-point shots in the final 20 minutes. ASU shot 50.9% from the field, becoming the third straight Hawkeye opponent to shoot over 50% from the field. The Sun Devils won the rebounding battle 30-25. Iowa shot 48.1% from the field and 80% (4-5) from the free throw line and forced 16 ASU turnovers. Iowa was led by senior Adam Haluska, who had 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Freshman Tyler Smith added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals and junior Justin Johnson added eight points and four assists.

IOWA HOME STREAK RANKS THIRD
Iowa currently holds the third longest home winning streak in the nation. Iowa won all 17 home games a year ago and has won 19 straight dating back to the final home game of the 2005 season. Iowa’s last home loss was a 75-65 decision to Illinois on Feb. 19, 2005. Last season marked Iowa’s first unbeaten home season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened in 1983. The 17 victories set a school record for home wins in a season. The Hawkeyes lost just one home game in 1993 (15-1) and 1996 (14-1). The 19-game streak is a new mark for Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s record for consecutive home wins is 24. That streak began in 1946-47 and ended in 1948-49. Last season marked Iowa’s seventh perfect home season in school history and the first since 1966. Iowa’s current streak of 24 consecutive non-conference home wins ranks 14th-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.

HENDERSON OUT OF ACTION DUE TO INJURY
Senior guard Mike Henderson is expected to be out of action for three to six weeks after suffering a hand injury in practice on Oct. 30. Henderson suffered a fracture to the pinkie finger on his right hand and underwent surgery two days later. It is hoped he will be able to rejoin the team in early December. Henderson (6-3, 200), a Waterloo, IA native, started all 34 games a year ago. He averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing while shooting 46.4% from three-point range. He earned the team “Most Improved Award” at the conclusion of the season. As a junior Henderson scored in double figures in 11 games. He matched a career-high with 17 points in a win at Purdue and scored 16 points vs. Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament and in a home win over Penn State. Henderson added 15 points and seven rebounds in an early season win over ninth-ranked Kentucky as Iowa was 11-0 when he scored in double figures.

HALUSKA NAMED CAPTAIN
Senior Adam Haluska will serve as Iowa’s 2006-07 team captain. Haluska is a native of Carroll, IA who has started every game for the Hawkeyes over the past three seasons. A year ago he earned third team all-Big Ten recognition. Haluska averaged 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. He has scored 1,310 career points, including 1,026 with the Hawkeyes. He was named to the Guardians Classic all-tournament team a year ago and was an all-tournament selection in Iowa’s Hawkeye Challenge.

PRE-SEASON HONORS FOR HALUSKA
Senior guard Adam Haluska has earned pre-season recognition for his action on and off the floor. Following are Haluska’s pre-season honors:

• Named the recipient of the 2006-07 Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award. The award is presented by Playboy Magazine and recognizes a student-athlete who excels in the classroom and on the court. The magazine will donate $5,000 to the University of Iowa general scholarship fund.
• Named to pre-season all-Big Ten team, as selected by vote of media representatives attending Big Ten Conference Basketball Media Day.
• One of 50 players named to the pre-season Watch List for the John R. Wooden all-America team.
• One of 50 players named to the pre-season Watch List for the Naismith Award, which goes each year to the national Player of the Year.

Haluska earned academic all-America honors last season and is a two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree. He earned third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago after averaging 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He ranks among Iowa’s career leaders in three-point field goals and three point attempts.

THE HAWKEYE ROSTER
The Iowa roster includes 14 players. One of those players, David Palmer, will redshirt as a transfer from another Division I program. The squad includes two seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen. Nine of the players are in their first year with the Iowa program. Along with the four Iowans on the roster, there are two players from Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee and one from California, Ohio and Texas and St. John’s, Antigua.

THE RETURNING CAST
Iowa returns two starters and five lettermen from 2006. The returning starters include seniors Adam Haluska and Mike Henderson, who each started all 34 games last season. Haluska was a third team all-Big Ten selection and an academic all-American. With just five players returning from a year ago, Iowa returns 38.8% of its scoring, 27.9% of its rebounding, 40.8% of its assists and 41.8% of its steals. Iowa’s returning players shot 42.9% from the field, 34.9% from three-point range and 77.4% from the free throw line.

HALUSKA OVER 1,000 POINTS
Guard Adam Haluska heads into his final season as Iowa’s most honored player, both on the court and off. Along with earning third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago, Haluska is a two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree and a year ago he was recognized as an academic all-American. Haluska has earned the Chris Street Award, one of the top Iowa team awards presented at the end of each season, in each of the past two years. Last season he was also named to the NABC District 12 all-District second team and he was a member of the all-tournament team in both the Hawkeye Challenge and the Guardians Classic. Haluska surpassed 1,000 career points with his career-high 29-point performance in a win at Penn State last season. He has 1,310 points in his career, with 1,026 of those coming with the Hawkeyes. His 185 three-point field goals attempts last season rank sixth best at Iowa. He ranks eighth in career three-point field goals (135) and sixth in career attempts (379). Haluska began the season with 29 points in the win over The Citadel, matching his career high. He also added five rebounds and six assists. He added 10 points and five rebounds in the win over Toledo and 18 points vs. Villanova. Haluska increased his consecutive free throw streak to 21 (including three last season) before missing his final attempt vs. Villanova. He added 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals vs. Arizona State, including 4-4 free throws. He scored in double figures in 27 of 34 games a year ago and was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week for his play in wins over Indiana and Ohio State. He averaged 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds and led Iowa in steals in 11 games. Haluska has started all 103 games he has played in his career. His consecutive starts streak ranks 10th longest among all Division I players, according to STATS — Chicago.

HENDERSON NUMBERS IMPROVED
Guard Mike Henderson played a key role in Iowa’s 2006 success, improving his numbers in several categories from his sophomore season while earning the team “Most Improved Award”. Henderson matched his career scoring high with 17 points in the win at Purdue. Henderson led Iowa in a home win over Penn State, collecting 16 points while connecting on 6-7 field goals and 3-4 free throws. Henderson averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing, improving his shooting to 48.7%. In Big Ten games only, he ranked sixth in league field goal percentage (54.9%). Henderson scored in double figures in 11 games after scoring 10 or more points just three times in his first two seasons.

SMITH STEPS FORWARD IN PARADISE
Freshman Tyler Smith, who had just two points in his first college game, led Iowa with 28 points in the win over Toledo. Smith connected on 11-17 field goal attempts and 5-8 free throws. He also led Iowa with five assists and collected six rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Smith had another solid outing in the loss to Alabama, collecting 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Against Villanova, he added 12 points and three rebounds and he added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals at Arizona State. He was named to the Paradise Jam all-tournament team and through five games is averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 52.6% from the field.

FREEMAN SOLID AT THE POINT
Guard Tony Freeman had a solid first season with the Hawkeyes a year ago and played well in Iowa’s opening win. Freeman had a career high 11 assists and six rebounds in the opening game of the season. He added a career-best eight rebounds in the win over Toledo and added 16 points, four rebounds and three assists against Alabama. He led Iowa with five assists vs. Villanova. Freeman, last season, played in 33 of 34 games, with four starts in the non-conference season. Freeman averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds and collected 53 assists and 19 steals. He is averaging seven points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

LOOBY HITS THE BOARDS
After sitting out last season as a redshirt, junior Kurt Looby began to prove that his hard work from a year ago will pay dividends. Looby led Iowa with 14 rebounds in the win over The Citadel and added three blocked shots as well. After playing just two minutes in the first half against Toledo, he ended the game with 13 points and nine rebounds, all in the second half. Looby added 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots vs. Villanova. He leads Iowa in rebounding (6.8) and blocked shots (2.0) and is scoring 7.2 points per game. He is a native of St. John’s Antigua. His mother, Olivet, was able to visit the Virgin Islands to attend the Paradise Jam, seeing her son play college basketball for the first time.

GORNEY ADDS TO THE MIDDLE
Junior center Seth Gorney started for the first time in his career against The Citadel and responded with 10 points, two rebounds and three steals, matching his career scoring high. Gorney hit 4-7 field goals and 2-2 free throws in 25 minutes. Gorney added 10 points (4-6 FGs) and five rebounds vs. Toledo and he had 10 points and three assists in the loss to Alabama. Last season Gorney had 10 points in an early season win over Maryland-Eastern Shore before scoring just 17 points the rest of the season while averaging four minutes per game. His 25 minutes of action in each of Iowa’s first two games more than doubled his previous high (12 minutes vs. Penn State) and he played 28 minutes vs. Alabama.

TATE ON TARGET IN FIRST ACTION
Sophomore forward Cyrus Tate connected on 6-7 field goal attempts to score 13 points vs. The Citadel in his first action as a Hawkeyes. It was more of the same in Iowa’s win over Toledo as Tate hit 3-5 field goals and 3-4 free throws, collecting nine points, seven rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes. He is shooting 68.4% from the field and averaging 6.2 points and four rebounds per game. Tate attended junior college one season before joining the Iowa program.

IOWA SEEKS SEVENTH STRAIGHT
Iowa, in 2007, is seeking its seventh consecutive winning season. The current streak of six straight ranks as the second longest in the history of Iowa basketball. Iowa’s record for 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 had five consecutive winning seasons on three occasions, 1979-83, 1985-89 and 1995-99. Iowa is one of four Big Ten teams to post a winning record in each of the last six seasons, joining Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Iowa, in 2006, advanced to post-season play for the sixth straight season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

IOWA VS. RANKED FOES
Steve Alford has posted a 28-35 record against ranked opponents as Iowa’s head coach, including a 10-4 mark in 2005-06. Iowa has played one ranked opponent this season, dropping a 72-60 decision to 10th-ranked Alabama. The Hawkeyes, last season, defeated seventh-ranked Kentucky (67-63), 21st-ranked North Carolina State (45-42), sixth-ranked Illinois (63-48), 11th-ranked Indiana (73-60), 16th-ranked Ohio State (67-62), 20th-ranked Michigan (94-66), 21st-ranked Indiana (70-67), 16th-ranked Michigan State (66-54), 25th-ranked Wisconsin (59-44) and seventh-ranked Ohio State (67-62). Iowa dropped a 68-59 decision to second-ranked Texas, fell 66-52 at 24th-ranked Wisconsin, was defeated 85-55 at 11th-ranked Michigan State and lost at eighth-ranked Illinois, 71-59. Alford’s Hawkeye teams are 9-15 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 Ohio State (67-60 in 2005-06), 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 15 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 eighth-ranked Illinois, 2005-06), once to ninth-ranked (Kentucky, 2000-01) and four times to 10th-ranked (Michigan State, 2000, Illinois, 2002, Michigan State, 2005 and Alabama, 2006-07). In the 63 games against ranked teams, Alford and his Iowa team are 13-9 in home games, 11-12 at neutral sites and 4-14 when playing ranked teams in their home arena.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins (now at 1,423) with a 79-46 victory over Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 26, 2005. Iowa is one of 37 NCAA Division I programs with as many as 1,400 wins. Iowa’s basketball history includes 72 winning seasons and 24 years in which the Hawkeyes have won 20 or more games. Iowa (with 22) is one of 31 programs to earn more than 20 invitations into the NCAA Tournament.

IOWA SCHEDULE NOTES

• Iowa has reached the title game in 11 of 13 in-season tournaments under Coach Steve Alford. The Hawkeyes have won their own Hawkeye Challenge in each of the seven years. Iowa was second in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2006, second in the Maui Invitational in 2005 and second in the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 2000. In the only events Iowa did not advance to the title game, the Hawkeyes placed third in the Rainbow Classic in 2001 and lost in the semi-finals of the 2006 Paradise Jam. Under Alford, Iowa is 26-7 while playing in tournament events during the season, plus 13-5 in the Big Ten Tournament and a combined 3-6 in the NIT and NCAA tournaments.
• Iowa is slated to play two schools which are headed by former University of Iowa presidents. Mary Sue Coleman is the President at the University of Michigan and David Skorton at Cornell University.
• Herb Sendek, the first year coach at Arizona State, was the head coach at North Carolina State a year ago when the Hawkeyes defeated the Wolfpack 45-42 in Iowa City as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Seth Greenberg, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, was the head coach at Long Beach State when Iowa defeated the Forty-Niners 101-79 in the finals of the 1993 Hawkeye Challenge.

IOWA HAS STRONG FINISH
Following is a list of Iowa’s accomplishments in 2006:

• Posted 25 wins, which ranks as the second highest total in school history. The Hawkeyes won 30 games in 1987 and 24 games in 1988. The 22 regular season wins tie as the second most in school history. The Hawkeyes won 27 regular season games in 1987 and 22 in both 1988 and 1989.
• Posted 10 wins in 14 games against top 25 teams. Iowa was 3-2 against top 10 teams.
• Prior to tournament play, Iowa was the only Division I team in the nation to record 10 wins against teams that were ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game.
• Posted 11 Big Ten wins, the most for an Iowa team since the 1996-97 team won 12 conference games. The 11 Big Ten wins are the most for Iowa since the Big Ten went to a 16-game league schedule in 1998.
• Won the Big Ten Conference Tournament with three straight wins. Iowa also won the event in 2001 and was second in 2002. Iowa is one of three teams with two tournament titles and Coach Steve Alford is the only Big Ten coach to take three teams to the championship game.
• Earned a tie for second place in the regular season standings. Iowa had not placed as high as second in the regular season since earning a tie for second with a 12-6 record in 1997.
• Earned a third seed in the NCAA Tournament. The three seed is the highest since the Hawkeyes were seeded second in the 1987 event. Iowa was also a three seed in 1981.
• Earned the No. two seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa’s previous best seed in the event was fourth in 2004.
• Advanced to the title game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament for the third time since 2001.
• Defeated seven top 25 opponents in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa set school records for home wins and total wins over ranked opponents last season.
• Completed its first-ever undefeated home season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened in 1983, and its first undefeated home season since 1966.
• Completed the seventh season in Iowa history with an undefeated home record. Iowa was also undefeated at home in 1902 (3-0), 1926 (9-0), 1945 (11-0), 1948 (12-0), 1950 (6-0) and 1966 (12-0).
• Established a school record 17 home wins in one season. The previous record of 16 was established in 1985.
• Improved its overall home winning streak to 18 games, a streak that ranks longest in the Big Ten and fourth best in the nation.

IOWA’S HAWKEYE CHALLENGE
Iowa will once again host its own Hawkeye Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2. Iowa will meet Texas-Pan American in the second game on Friday, following the opening game that pits Coppin State against LaSalle. LaSalle is making its third appearance in the tournament after placing second in 1996 and fourth in 2001. Texas-Pan American finished fourth in 1992 in its only appearance in the event and Coppin State is taking part in the tournament for the first time. Coppin State played in Iowa City during the 1998-99 season.

IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Iowa made its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2006, falling to Northwestern State in the opening round at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Iowa earned the Big Ten Conference’s automatic bid by virtue of claiming the league’s tournament title. The Hawkeyes hold an overall record of 27-24 in the tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 1955 (fourth), 1956 (second) and 1980 (fourth). Iowa reached the regional championship in 1987 and lost in the regional semi-final in 1988 and 1999.

IOWA INTRODUCES SOLDIERS FIRST PROGRAM
Coach Steve Alford and the Iowa Hawkeyes have introduced a new program that thanks active members of the U.S. Military for their service to the country by providing them the opportunity to enjoy a home game of the Iowa Hawkeyes with their family and/or friends. The “Soldiers First” program offers five men or women who are on “active duty” with any branch of the U.S. Military the opportunity to cheer Alford’s 2006-07 Iowa squad with three guests. Ticket requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible servicemen and servicewomen can call the UI Sports Marketing Office at (319) 335-9431 to learn more about the “Soldier’s First” program. Information and a registration form are also on the home page for men’s basketball at hawkeyesports.com, the official world wide web site of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

BASKETBALL TICKETS AVAILABLE
The following is information on Iowa basketball tickets.

Season tickets are available for 2006-07, including general public ($300), UI faculty and staff ($243) and UI students ($85). Single game tickets are available for $20 and $25, depending on the date of the game. UI students can purchase single game tickets for $15 on the day of the game, when available. There are several options available for fans interested in purchasing tickets for selected games:

• A three-game package is available for $57 that includes games vs. Northern Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana.
• The Big Ten mid-week package is available for $68 and includes games vs. Michigan State, Penn State, Northwestern and Purdue.
• The Big Ten weekend package includes games vs. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois and is available for $100.
• The pre-Big Ten season package includes both nights of the Hawkeye Challenge and games vs. Iowa State, Texas Southern and Cornell, for $80.
• The Holiday Special package, which includes games vs. Cornell, Michigan State and Minnesota, is $54.
• Tickets for the two nights of the Hawkeye Challenge are $36.
• “Youth Basketball Nights” have been set for both nights of the Hawkeye Challenge and games vs. Georgia State, Texas Southern, Cornell, Penn State, Northwestern and Purdue. Tickets for students high school age or younger are $10 for these games.
• Discounted tickets to select home games, earmarked for purchase by groups of 20 or more, are also available for purchase. For information about group ticket packages, fans should call the UI Sports Marketing Office at (319) 335-9431.

Fans interested in obtaining men’s basketball tickets can do so at the UI Athletic Ticket Office, located in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, by calling the ticket office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or by visiting the UI website at hawkeyesports.com.

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. This marks the second year of the “Heroes Among Us” program, as 15 Iowans were recognized at home games a year ago.

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 6 to 7:30 p.m. The show will take place on the following dates: November 27; December 4, 11 and 18; January 8, 17, 22 and 29; February 5, 12, 19 and 28; March 5 and 12.

COMING UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return home to begin a four-game home stand, hosting the Hawkeye Challenge Friday and Saturday. Iowa will meet Texas-Pan American (8:11 p.m., ESPN Plus) in the first round Friday following the opening game that pits Coppin State vs. LaSalle. Overall eight of Iowa’s next nine games are in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the lone road game a Dec. 16 contest vs. Drake in Des Moines.