Black and Gold Blowout Set for Saturday Afternoon

Oct. 24, 2007

BLACK AND GOLD BLOWOUT
The 16th annual Black and Gold Blowout will be held Saturday, following the Michigan State at Iowa football game. The Carver-Hawkeye Arena doors will open at 2 p.m., with the basketball scrimmage slated to begin at approximately 3 p.m., depending on the conclusion of the football game. The Blowout will feature the first opportunity of the season for fans to see Coach Todd Lickliter’s Hawkeye team in action for the first time. Cost for the event is $5 and tickets are on sale at the UI athletic ticket office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Blowout tickets will be on sale Saturday at both Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The basketball activities Saturday will include:

  • Pre-game photo session with Iowa basketball players
  • Post-game autograph session for 30 minutes on the main concourse in Carver-Hawkeye Arena
  • First 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a free set of 2007-08 Iowa basketball trading cards
  • All fans will receive free posters, magnets and schedule cards
  • Fans will have the opportunity to register for a variety of prizes that will be given away throughout the Blowout
  • Halftime entertainment will be provided SEMCYCLE, featuring two of the finest unicyclist in the world. Sem and Teresa Abrahams have performed at halftime at numerous NBA (including the NBA finals), CBA and college basketball games, as well as overseas basketball events

HAWKEYES READY FOR ACTION
“We welcome the opportunity for the fans to come out and see us in action,” said Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter of the Black and Gold Blowout. “This is a game-type rehearsal with less control than practice. It gives us the chance to chart the action, keep stats and learn from watching the video. You don’t want the first game of the season to be your first contest in that environment. “We’ll look at combinations of different players together and make adjustments throughout the scrimmage. We’re not ready to determine minutes played and when those minutes occur, but the Black and Gold Blowout is another step in that direction.”

HEAD COACH Todd Lickliter
Todd Lickliter, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national Coach of the Year in 2007, is in his first season as men’s basketball coach at the University of Iowa. Lickliter joined the Iowa program after serving as the head coach at Butler University for six seasons. He posted a 131-61 (.682) record at Butler, including a 29-7 mark in 2006-07, in his first position as a college head coach. Butler advanced to post-season play in four of six seasons under Lickliter’s direction, including two appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16. Butler was ranked in the national top 25 for 16 consecutive weeks during the 2006-07 season and became the first team in the history of the Horizon League to be ranked in the top ten. The Bulldogs won three games over top 25 opponents (Tennessee, Gonzaga, Maryland) and recorded eight victories over teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament. Lickliter played one season at Central Florida, earning his associate degree in 1977, and then transferred to Butler, where he played his final two collegiate seasons, 1977-79. He earned a B.S degree in secondary education from Butler in 1979.

THE RETURNING CAST
Iowa returns three starters and six lettermen from 2007. The returning starters include senior center Kurt Looby, junior guard Tony Freeman and junior forward Cyrus Tate. Freeman started 17 of 31 games a year ago. He led the team in assists (3.7) and ranked third in scoring (7.5) and steals (1.1). Looby started 19 games, averaging 3.8 points and 4.6 rebounds. He led Iowa and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in blocked shots (1.7) per game. His 53 blocked shots rank eighth-best for a single season at Iowa. Tate started 22 games last season, averaging 4.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Along with the six returning lettermen, Iowa also returns sophomore guard Dan Bohall and sophomore forward David Palmer. Palmer sat out last season as a redshirt transfer. The Hawkeye roster includes three true freshmen.

With the seven returning players who saw action a year ago, Iowa returns 41.1% of its scoring, 55.3% of its rebounding, 44.1% of its assists and 47.7% of its steals. Iowa’s returning players shot 45.7% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 66.5% from the free throw line.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins (now at 1,438) with a 79-46 victory over Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 26, 2005. Iowa ranks 34th on the all-time list for victories and is one of 41 NCAA Division I programs with as many as 1,400 wins. Iowa’s basketball history includes 73 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.

THE HAWKEYE ROSTER
The Iowa roster includes 11 players. The squad includes three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Along with Iowa native Dan Bohall, the roster includes two players from Illinois and Indiana and one from Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and St. John’s, Antigua.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2007-08

  • Season tickets are available for 2007-08, including general public ($336), UI faculty and staff ($272) and UI students ($95).
  • Tickets for the Nov. 1 exhibition contest against Simpson College are on sale for $10.
  • Weekend package tickets for four Big Ten Conference home games are on sale for $100. The package includes games vs. Michigan State (Jan. 12), Penn State (Jan. 26), Ohio State (Feb. 2) and Illinois (Mar. 1-2).
  • Single game tickets are available for $20 for all games except Big Ten Conference weekend games, Wisconsin, Drake and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (Wake Forest). Tickets for those games are $25. UI students can purchase single game tickets for $15 on the day of the game, when available.
  • A $10 youth ticket (age 18 and below) is available for games vs. Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Florida Gulf Coast, Maryland Eastern Shore, Southeastern Louisiana and both nights of the Hawkeye Challenge.
  • 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 HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,408 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,438-970 (.597). That includes a 902-308 (.745) record in home games, a 536-662 (.447) record in games away from Iowa City, a 684-665 (.507) mark in Big Ten games and a 308-82 (.790) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 308-82 (.790) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 147-68 (.684) in Big Ten games and 161-14 (.920) in non-Big Ten games.

IOWA SEEKS EIGHTH STRAIGHT
Iowa begins the 2007-08 season seeking its eighth straight winning campaign, which would establish a school record. Iowa’s current streak began with a 23-12 record in 2000-01 and includes three seasons of more than 20 wins and six post-seasons appearances (three NCAA, three NIT). Iowa also had seven straight winning seasons 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 seven seasons, joining Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

HAWKEYES SET ARENA RECORD
Iowa set a Carver-Hawkeye Arena (opened in 1983) record with 12 consecutive Big Ten Conference home wins over the course of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The streak was snapped Jan. 28 when second-ranked Wisconsin won in Iowa City. Following the loss to Wisconsin the Hawkeyes concluded the 2007 season by winning their final four home games, improving to 15-1 in Big Ten games and 31-2 overall over the past two seasons in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Prior to the Badger loss, Iowa had not lost a Big Ten home game since a 75-65 loss to top-ranked Illinois on Feb. 19, 2005. Iowa’s record for consecutive home wins in league play is 14 straight. That mark was set during the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons when home games were played at the Iowa Field House.

TOP HOME PERCENTAGE
Iowa has posted a 44-5 (.898) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena over the last three seasons. That mark ranks as Iowa’s best home court winning percentage over any three year period in which Iowa won at least 40 games. Iowa’s winning percentage in Big Ten home games (20-4, .833) over the last three seasons is also the best percentage since the conference began playing more than 14 league games in 1974.

IOWA TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 32 of its last 34 games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s recent win streak included 21 straight overall wins and 12 straight Big Ten Conference wins. Iowa has won nine of its last 10 home games against ranked opponents. The Hawkeyes posted a 14-2 home record in 2006-07.

HAWKEYES TO HOST BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
Iowa will host Wake Forest on Monday, Nov. 26 as part of the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The game has a 6:05 p.m. start time and will be televised to a national cable audience on ESPN2 as the initial game in the 2007 series of games. Iowa holds a 2-4 record in the event, including a 2-0 home record and an 0-2 mark in road games and neutral site games. Iowa lost at Virginia Tech 69-65 a year ago. 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 in Iowa City in 2006 after not participating in the event in 2004 and 2005.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND INVITATIONAL
Iowa will take part in the South Padre Invitational in November. The Hawkeyes will host preliminary round games against Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 18) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Nov. 20) before traveling to South Padre Island. Once on the island, Iowa will meet Bradley on Nov. 23 and either Vanderbilt or Utah State on Nov. 24.

HAWKEYES HOST CHALLENGE
Iowa will host the 26th annual Hawkeye Challenge Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Iowa will meet Louisiana-Monroe in the first round, while Rice will face Eastern Illinois in the opening game Friday evening. Rice participated in the event early in the 1997-98 season, while Louisiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois will take part for the first time. Iowa was won four previous meetings with Eastern Illinois and all three meetings against Louisiana-Monroe when that school was named Northeast Louisiana. Iowa’s only meeting with Rice resulted in an 81-52 Hawkeye win in the Hawkeye Challenge.

IOWA IN TOURNAMENT PLAY
Iowa has fared well while taking part in regular-season tournaments over the past 25 years. In that time Iowa has won the Great Alaska Shootout (1986-87), the Cal-Irvine Anteater Classic (1986-87), the Maui Classic (1987-88), the San Juan Thanksgiving Shootout (1992-93), the San Juan Christmas Shootout (1997-98), the Big Ten Conference Tournament in 2001 and 2006 and its own invitational 24 times. In addition, Iowa was runner-up in the 1985-86 Far West Classic, the 1987-88 All-College Tournament, the 1988-89 Chaminade Classic, the 1991-92 Tampa Tribune Holiday Invitational, the 1994-95 Rainbow Classic, the 1995-96 Great Alaska Shootout, the 1999-00 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the 2001-02 Guardians Classic, the 2005-06 Guardians Classic, the 2002 Big Ten Conference Tournament and the 2004 Maui Invitational.

IOWA ATTENDANCE IMPROVES AGAIN
Iowa drew an average of 12,196 fans for its 16 home games during the 2006-07 season. That average ranks as an improvement over each of the last two seasons, as Iowa averaged 12,006 fans in 2006. Iowa annually ranks among the top teams in the nation in home attendance.

IOWA ON THE TUBE
Nearly every Iowa game throughout the 2007-08 season will be televised, with the only exception possibly being the final round of the South Padre Island Invitational in November. The majority of Iowa’s non-conference games are scheduled for the Big Ten Network, including the opening exhibition game vs. Simpson College on Nov. 1. Iowa’s home game with Wake Forest will be televised on ESPN2. The contest at Northern Iowa will air on FOX, the game at Iowa State will appear on ESPNU and CSTV will televise the Bradley game in the South Padre Island tournament.

HALK TALK WITH Todd Lickliter
Fans of the University of Iowa basketball program may join Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter and radio announcer Gary Dolphin each week during the season for the “Hawk Talk with Todd Lickliter” 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.

COMING UP NEXT
Iowa’s single exhibition game is Thursday, November 1 against Simpson College (7:05 p.m., BTN). The Hawkeyes open the regular season Friday, November 9 when they host Idaho State (8:05 p.m., BTN).

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