Iowa Hosts Northern Iowa Tuesday Night

Dec. 4, 2006

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THE SETTING
Iowa (4-4) meets Northern Iowa (6-1) Tuesday, Dec. 5 in the first of three straight games against in-state rivals. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Iowa won the 2006 Hawkeye Challenge with an 83-67 victory over Coppin State Saturday. Northern Iowa won its fourth straight game Saturday with a 57-48 win at Bucknell.

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 carry the game on cable outlets around the nation, while ESPN Regional will carry the game to a network of stations that includes KGAN Cedar Rapids, KDSM Des Moines, KWQC Quad Cities, KYOU Ottumwa, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, Baltimore, MD, Cox-Northeast in Providence, RI and cable systems in Council Bluffs-Omaha, Mason City and Sioux City. Larry Morgan and Mac McCausland will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,385 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,425-960 (.597). That includes an 891-306 (.744) record in home games, a 534-654 (.449) record in games away from Iowa City, a 675-658 (.506) mark in Big Ten games and a 297-80 (.788) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 297-80 (.787) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 140-67 (.676) in Big Ten games and 157-13 (.924) in non-Big Ten games. Iowa has drawn over 5.4 million fans for men’s basketball games since the arena opened in 1983. Iowa has posted an 89-25 (.781) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 54-4 (.931) mark in non-conference home games. Two of the four non-conference home losses game in the National Invitation Tournament. The Hawkeyes have won 21 straight home games and 26 consecutive non-conference home games.

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 295-173 (.630), including a 139-96 (.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 third among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins. Alford’s 295 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 is 11-4 vs. Northern Iowa (4-3 at Iowa) and has not coached against UNI Coach Ben Jacobson.

ALFORD THIRD IN CAREER WINS
Coach Steve Alford has collected 139 victories as Iowa’s head coach, a total that ties for third on Iowa’s list of coaches in career wins. With Iowa’s win over Coppin State, Alford tied Rollie Williams (139) for third place on Iowa’s career win list, trailing just Tom Davis (269) and Lute Olson (168). Williams coached the Hawkeyes from 1930-42 and in 1950-51, Olson was the Iowa coach from 1975-83 and Davis coached the Hawkeyes from 1987-99.

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 21 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 21-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 26 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 RETURNS TO ACTION
Senior guard Mike Henderson, who missed Iowa’s first seven games after suffering a hand injury in practice on Oct. 30, saw his first action of the season in Iowa’s win over Coppin State. Henderson suffered a fracture to the pinkie finger on his right hand and underwent surgery two days later. Henderson had the cast removed Nov. 27 before playing eight minutes in Iowa’s most recent win. 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.

UNI COACH BEN JACOBSON
Ben Jacobson is in his first season as the Northern Iowa head coach after being named to the position last March. It is also Jacobson’s first head coaching position at the college level. With Jacobson serving as UNI’s top assistant since 2001, the Panthers have won 20 or more games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Jacobson has 12 years of experience as a college assistant, serving one season at North Dakota State before moving to Northern Iowa. He was an assistant at North Dakota (1996-2000) after serving as both a student assistant and graduate assistant on the North Dakota staff. Jacobson was a two-year starter and four-year letterman at North Dakota, concluding his career as UND’s career assist leader. He was a two-year team captain and led his team to two conference titles. Jacobson has not coached against Iowa or Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford.

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 30-6 advantage in the series that began with a 51-9 Iowa win in 1906, but Northern Iowa has won three of the last five meetings. Northern Iowa won 67-63 in overtime last season in Cedar Falls after Iowa won by a 76-73 score in Iowa City in 2005. The extra period a year ago marked the first overtime game ever between the two teams. The teams did not meet between 1917-1980, and Iowa holds a 16-5 advantage since the series resumed. Iowa has won all 20 games played in Iowa City, including all nine games played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA’S MYTHICAL TITLE AT STAKE
This is Iowa’s first contest in the series of games among Iowa’s four Division I men’s basketball programs that decides the mythical state title. After hosting Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes host Iowa State this Friday and travel to Des Moines to meet Drake Saturday, Dec. 16. Northern Iowa defeated Iowa State 70-57 Nov. 29 in Cedar Falls and Drake defeated Iowa State 80-78 Dec. 3 in Ames. Northern Iowa and Drake meet Jan. 27 in Des Moines and Feb. 8 in Cedar Falls. Iowa State earned the mythical title a year ago with a win at Drake and home wins over Iowa and Northern Iowa.

A YEAR AGO
Northern Iowa outscored the Hawkeyes 11-7 in overtime, taking a 67-63 win at the UNI-Dome. The game was even throughout, especially in the second half. Iowa led by as many as nine points in the opening half and held a 31-24 halftime advantage. Northern Iowa closed the gap early in the second half, but never took the lead until the last few minutes. Iowa’s Greg Brunner gave his team a 54-53 lead with 1:56 to play before the Panthers took a 56-54 advantage on a three-point basket. Brunner added two free throws with 41 seconds to play to knot the score at 56 and the teams headed to overtime after UNI missed two potential game-winning shots in the final seconds. Mike Henderson scored Iowa’s first four points in the overtime period, giving the Hawkeyes a 60-59 advantage. After UNI took the lead on another three-point basket, the Hawkeyes were unable to score again until the Panthers had built a 65-60 margin. Brunner added a three-pointer with 14 seconds to play to cut the margin to two, but the Panthers made their final two free throws to secure the win. Brunner led Iowa with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Jeff Horner added 10 points before leaving the game late in regulation with an injury. Adam Haluska led Iowa with three assists and three steals, while Erek Hansen added eight points and four blocked shots. Northern Iowa was led by Eric Coleman with 19 points, while Ben Jacobson added 16 and Grant Stout 11. Stout collected eight rebounds and Jacobson had seven.

IOWA/UNI NOTES

• Iowa holds an all-time record of 116-33 vs. current members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Iowa’s Mike Henderson and Northern Iowa’s Carlton Reed, both attended East HS in Waterloo. Reed is redshirting in his first season at UNI after playing for two seasons at Iowa.
• The largest crowd to ever attend a basketball game in the state of Iowa was on hand at the UNI-Dome in 1990 when Northern Iowa defeated Iowa 77-74 in front of 19,042 fans.
• Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta served as Director of Athletics Development and External Relations at Northern Iowa from 1990-96.
• Rick Hartzell, UNI’s athletic director, was an assistant baseball coach at Iowa from 1980-82.
• Iowa senior guard Adam Haluska and UNI senior forward Grant Stout were named to pre-season all-conference teams in their respective conferences.
• Both Iowa and Northern Iowa have lost to a ranked opponent. Iowa lost to Alabama 72-60 (10th at the time) in the semi-finals of the Paradise Jam. Northern Iowa dropped a 70-61 contest at Washington (17th at the time).

IOWA NOTES

• Iowa recently completed a five-game road swing that saw the Hawkeyes travel nearly 8,000 miles while competing in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, along with playing single games at Arizona State and Virginia Tech. Iowa has played in four different time zones (Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain). 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.
• Iowa has already played opponents from four of the stronger leagues in the nation, including the Southeastern (Alabama), Big East (Villanova), Pac-10 (Arizona State) and Atlantic Coast (Virginia Tech). In its next three games, Iowa will play two teams from the Missouri Valley Conference and one team from the Big 12.
• 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 has 1,089 points to rank 32nd on Iowa’s career list. His career total, including one season at Iowa State, stands at 1,373.
• 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.
• Among all freshmen in the Big Ten, Iowa’s Tyler Smith ranks second in scoring (13.5) and assists (27), third in rebounding (4.8), fourth in steals (12), 10th in free throw percentage (.692) and 14th in field goal percentage (.473).

HAWKEYE TIDBITS

• Three Hawkeye opponents, Alabama, Villanova and Arizona State, have 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 1-0 when scoring 80 points or more, 2-0 when scoring between 70-80 points, 1-4 when scoring between 60-70 points and 0-0 when scoring less than 60 points.
• Iowa is 2-0 when holding its opponent to less than 60 points, 2-2 when holding its opponent between 60-70 points and 0-2 when the opponent scores over 70 points.
• Iowa is 3-1 when collecting more assists than the opponent and 1-3 when the opponent has more assists.
• Iowa is 3-2 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent and 1-2 when the opponent has fewer turnovers.
• Iowa is 1-2 when collecting more steals than its opponent, 1-2 when the opponent has more steals and 2-0 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 five games. Iowa is 1-0 when four reach double figures, and 2-3 with three score in double figures and 0-2 with two players in double figures.
• Iowa is 4-1 when leading at halftime and 0-3 when trailing at intermission.
• Iowa is 2-2 when controlling the opening tip and 2-2 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 0-2 in games decided by 10 points or less and 0-2 in games decided by five points or less.

IOWA SHOOTS PAST COPPIN STATE
Senior guard Adam Haluska scored a career-high 31 points and just missed a triple double in leading the Hawkeyes to an 83-67 win over Coppin State in the title game of the Hawkeye Challenge. Haluska, who was named tournament MVP, hit 10-18 field goals, including 6-12 treys. He added 5-5 free throws, collected nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists and also had two steals. The Hawkeyes shot 54% from the field in the first half, leading by as many as 16 points before taking a 38-24 halftime advantage. Coppin State fought back in the early portion of the second half, cutting Iowa’s advantage to 48-46 with 12 minutes to play. The Hawkeyes still led by just two, 50-48, with 9:48 to play, when they used an 11-2 run over the next two minutes to regain control. Iowa built the advantage back to 16 points with four minutes to play to win their 24th title in the 25-year history of the event. Haluska struggled with his shooting in the first half, hitting 3-8 shots and scoring just eight points. He caught fire in the second half with 23 points, including a four-point play when fouled while hitting a three-point shot, Freshman Tyler Smith added 16 points and Justin Johnson added 13 points. Cyrus Tate led Iowa with nine rebounds and Tony Freeman collected five assists. Smith and Johnson joined Haluska on the all-tournament team.

NORTHERN IOWA WINS AT BUCKNELL
Senior guard Brooks McKowen scored 15 points in the second half to lead Northern Iowa to a 57-48 win at Bucknell Saturday afternoon. McKowen hit a big three-point basket just before the shot clock expired, to give the Panthers a six point lead with just under three minutes to play. After cutting its deficit to three points with 3:23 remaining, Bucknell did not score from the field the rest of the way. McKowen led the Panthers with 17 points and six assists. The Panthers built a 28-24 advantage at halftime as Eric Coleman hit 6-7 field goals in leading the first half offense. Coleman ended the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Grant Stout added 13 points and six rebounds.

EARLY SEASON HONORS FOR HALUSKA
Senior guard Adam Haluska has earned recognition for his action on and off the floor. Following are Haluska’s early 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.
• Named Most Valuable Player in Iowa’s Hawkeye Challenge, collecting 31 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the title game. He had eight points, five rebounds, four rebounds and three steals in an opening round win over Texas-Pan American.

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.

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 scored 20 or more points in four of eight games, including a career-high 31 points vs. Coppin State. Haluska has raised his career scoring total to 1,373, including 1,089 in three seasons at Iowa. His 185 three-point field goals attempts last season rank sixth best at Iowa. He ranks sixth in career three-point field goals (146) and career attempts (406). 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 18 points vs. Villanova and increased his consecutive free throw streak to 21 (including three last season) before missing his final attempt vs. Villanova. He added 24 points in narrow road losses at Arizona State and Virginia Tech before the 31 points vs. Coppin State. He is shooting 94.1% (32-34) from the free throw line. Haluska has started all 106 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. Henderson missed the first seven games of this season with a hand injury before playing for the first time (eight minutes) in Iowa’s win over Coppin State.

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. Smith had 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists vs. Texas-Pan American and 16 points and seven rebounds vs. Coppin State. Smith was named to the Paradise Jam all-tournament team and the Hawkeye Challenge all-tournament team. Through eight games is averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

FREEMAN SOLID AT THE POINT
Guard Tony Freeman had a solid first season with the Hawkeyes a year ago. 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 and added 11 points (4-5 FGs, 2-2 FTs) against Virginia Tech. Freeman collected 10 points and five assists in the win over Texas-Pan American and six points and five assists vs. Coppin State. Freeman, last season, played in 33 of 34 games, with four starts in the non-conference season. He is averaging 7.8 points, three rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

JOHNSON MAKING HIS MARK
Junior guard Justin Johnson is making his mark in his first season with the Hawkeye program. Johnson has started five of eight games, averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Moving back into the starting line-up in Iowa’s most recent three games, Johnson contributed nine points and six rebounds vs. Virginia Tech and he led the team with 14 points and five rebounds in the win over Texas-Pan American. Johnson added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists in Iowa’s win over Coppin State and he was named to the Hawkeye Challenge all-tournament team.

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 and he added six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots vs. Virginia Tech. He leads Iowa in rebounding (5.1) and blocked shots (2.1) and is scoring 5.8 points per game. He currently leads the Big Ten in blocked shots 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. He added eight points and four rebounds in the win over Texas-Pan American. 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 Hawkeye. 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. Tate collected four points, seven rebounds and two assists at Virginia Tech and he had six points and season-best nine rebounds vs. Coppin State. He is shooting 52.9% from the field and averaging 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Tate attended junior college one season before joining the Iowa program.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins (now at 1,425) 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.

ANOTHER STRONG SCHEDULE
Playing five of its first six games on the road, Iowa again faces a demanding schedule in 2006-07. After opening the season at home, Iowa participated in the Paradise Jam, defeating Toledo before falling to Alabama and Villanova. Iowa also played at Arizona State and Virginia Tech in November. The in-state series includes home dates with Northern Iowa and Iowa State and a visit to Drake before Big Ten play begins in January. Alabama was ranked 10th at the time of its win over Iowa, while Villanova and Virginia Tech were listed among teams receiving votes in the early season rankings. Iowa will play 17 regular season games against teams that advanced to post-season play a year ago. That includes two games vs. Illinois (NCAA), Indiana (NCAA), Michigan State (NCAA) Wisconsin (NCAA), Penn State (NIT) and Minnesota (NIT) and single games vs. Northern Iowa (NCAA), Ohio State (NCAA) and Michigan (NIT) Alabama (NCAA) and Villanova (NCAA).

IOWA ON THE TUBE
Nearly every Iowa game throughout the 2006-07 season will be televised, with the only exception being the first round of the Paradise Jam in November. Fox Sports televised the semi-finals and third place game of the eight-team tournament. The majority of Iowa’s non-conference games will be televised on ESPN Regional. Games at Drake and Virginia Tech will be aired on ESPNU and the contest at Arizona State was on Fox Sports. During the Big Ten season, Iowa games vs. Michigan State, Indiana (twice), at Wisconsin and at Penn State will be televised on ESPN. Iowa’s home game with Wisconsin can be seen on CBS and the home finale against Illinois could appear on either CBS or ESPN. All other conference games will be on ESPN Regional, 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.

IOWA SCHEDULE NOTES

• Iowa has reached the title game in 12 of 14 in-season tournaments under Coach Steve Alford. The Hawkeyes have won their own Hawkeye Challenge in each of the eight 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 28-7 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.
• Iowa Coach Steve Alford and LaSalle Coach John Giannini met when both were coaching in the NCAA Division III ranks. Alford’s Manchester College team defeated Giannini and Rowan University 79-66 in the national semi-final game of the NCAA Tournament. Manchester lost to Wisconsin-Platteville in the title game that season before Alford left to become the head coach at Southwest Missouri State. Giannini led Rowan to the Division III national title the following season.
• 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.

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.
• “Youth Basketball Nights” have been set for 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.

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.

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: 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 host Iowa State (Dec. 8) Friday before finals the following week. Iowa concludes its three straight games against in-state rivals with a Dec. 16 game at Drake before closing December with three straight home games.