Hawkeyes Host Iowa State Friday Night

Dec. 10, 2008

• Iowa and the Big Ten Network

Complete Release in PDF Format

THE SETTING
Iowa (8-2) concludes its three-game home stand by hosting Iowa State (6-2) Friday, Dec. 12 as part of the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Iowa defeated Northern Iowa 65-46 Tuesday in its last outing, while Iowa State dropped a 66-63 decision to Drake in Ames Tuesday evening.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. 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: The Big Ten Network will carry the game to a national cable audience. In its second year of operation, the Big Ten Network reaches over 70 million homes. The game can also be viewed on DIRECTV (channel 220) and the DISH Network (channel 439). Steve Schlanger and Shon Morris will call the action.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,450 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,459-991 (.596). That includes a 918-316 (.744) record in home games, a 541-675 (.445) record in games away from Iowa City, a 690-677 (.504) mark in Big Ten games and a 324-90 (.783) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 324-90 (.783) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the facility opened in January, 1983. Iowa is 151-73 (.674) in Big Ten games and 173-17 (.911) in non-Big Ten games.

THE HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES
Iowa hosts Iowa State Friday in the eighth event of the 2008-09 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. The Hawkeyes hold an 11-4 advantage in the series through seven events, having won in football, wrestling, women’s cross country, women’s soccer and women’s basketball. Iowa State collected two points in both volleyball and men’s cross country. Iowa won the Cy-Hawk series in 2006-07 and 2004-05. Iowa State won the series in 2005-06 and 2007-08. Along with Friday’s basketball game, competition remains in women’s swimming and diving, women’s gymnastics (two meets) and softball. The football game is worth three points, while all other events are two points. An estimated 4,000 tickets remain for the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series match up with the Cyclones. To order tickets for Friday’s game, or additional remaining games on the 2008-09 schedule, fans can visit the UI athletic ticket office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, contact the ticket office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or order tickets online at www.hawkeyesports.com.

BIG TEN NETWORK TO FEATURE CY-HAWK SERIES
The Big Ten Network will feature three events in the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series on Friday, Dec. 12. Live coverage of the men’s basketball contest will begin at 7 p.m. from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Leading up to the basketball game, the Big Ten Network will re-air Iowa’s 17-5 football win over Iowa State in September, at 3 p.m. CT. Last week’s wrestling match, a 20-15 win by top-ranked Iowa over the second-ranked Cyclones, will re-air at 5 p.m. CT, leading into the men’s basketball coverage. A number of charity events, organized by the Big Ten Network, Mediacom communications and the University of Iowa, will surround the basketball game. All proceeds will benefit Iowa small businesses affected by this summer’s floods.

IN-STATE SERIES CONTINUES
This is Iowa’s second contest in the series of games among Iowa’s four Division I men’s basketball programs. Iowa defeated Northern Iowa 65-46 in Iowa City Tuesday. After hosting Iowa State Friday (7:05 p.m., BTN) the Hawkeyes travel to Drake Saturday, Dec. 20 (3:05 p.m., ESPNU). Northern Iowa began the in-state series with a 71-66 overtime loss to Iowa State Dec. 3 in Cedar Falls before its loss in Iowa City. The Panthers play at Drake Jan. 17 and host the Bulldogs Feb. 18. Iowa State completes in action against in-state teams Friday, having won at Northern Iowa and lost to Drake in Ames. Drake earned the mythical state title a year ago with a sweep of Northern Iowa, a home win over Iowa State and a road win at Iowa.

HAWKEYES ARE TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 48 of its last 58 games (.828) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) over the last three-plus seasons, including win streaks of 21 straight overall and 12 straight Big Ten Conference wins. Iowa has won 10 of its last 13 home games against ranked opponents. Iowa was a perfect 17-0 at home in 2006 and 14-2 in 2007 before posting a 10-8 home record a year ago. Iowa has compiled a 19-6 Big Ten Conference record in that time.

IOWA COACH Todd Lickliter
Todd Lickliter is in his second season as the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa and his eighth year overall as a college head coach. Lickliter spent six seasons (2001-07) as the head coach at Butler University. Lickliter holds a career mark of 152-82 (.650), including a 21-21 (.500) record at Iowa. Lickliter posted a 131-61 (.682) record as Butler’s head coach. He led Butler to four post-season tournament berths, including trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2003 and 2007. Lickliter was named the 2006-07 Division I Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was recognized as the High-Major Coach of the Year by collegehoops.net. He was also named 2007 Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year after guiding the Bulldogs to a school and league-record 29 victories. He led Butler to the regular season co-championship in the Horizon League in 2007. The Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Florida (65-57). Butler during the 2006-07 season won three games over top 25 opponents (Tennessee, Gonzaga, Maryland) and recorded eight victories over teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament. Butler averaged 22 wins per year under Lickliter, winning league titles in 2002, 2003 and 2007 while winning at least 20 games in four of six seasons. Lickliter led the Bulldogs to an unbeaten home record (12-0) in 2002-03, and mentored Butler to a 70-12 (.854) home mark in his six seasons. His Bulldog teams were 6-5 against teams ranked in the “Top 25” and compiled four of the top 10 winning streaks in Butler history. In his first season as Butler’s head coach, Lickliter guided the Bulldogs to a then school-record 26 victories and a third consecutive Horizon League regular season title. Lickliter guided the 2003 Bulldogs to an even more impressive season in his second year as head coach. He led Butler to a 27-6 record, breaking the single-season mark for victories for a second consecutive year. Lickliter served as an assistant coach at Butler and Eastern Michigan and was a high school head coach in Indianapolis and Danville, IL. In his final two seasons as a Butler assistant coach, the Bulldogs compiled a 47-16 record, including “Top 25” wins over 10th-ranked Wisconsin and 23rd-ranked Wake Forest. The win over the Demon Deacons in the 2001 NCAA Tournament was Butler’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years. Lickliter played his final two collegiate seasons at Butler, where he earned a B.S degree in secondary education in 1979. Lickliter is 0-1 vs. Iowa State and 2-1 vs. ISU Coach Greg McDermott. Lickliter’s Butler teams defeated McDermott’s Northern Iowa teams on two occasions, 77-65 on Dec. 15, 2001 in Indianapolis and 56-54 in Cedar Falls on Nov. 25, 2003. Iowa State defeated Iowa last season in Ames in Lickliter’s first year with the Hawkeyes.

ISU COACH GREG MCDERMOTT
Greg McDermott is in his third season as the head coach at Iowa State and his 15th year as a college head coach. McDermott holds a 35-36 mark with the Cyclones and his career record stands at 256-163. He is a native of Cascade, IA and a Northern Iowa graduate. McDermott was the head coach at Northern Iowa for five seasons, posting a 90-63 record. He led the Panthers to three straight 20-win seasons and appearances in the NCAA Tournament his last three seasons. UNI won the Missouri Valley Conference post-season tournament in 2004. McDermott posted a 116-53 record in six years at Wayne State (NE) and posted a 15-11 record in one season at North Dakota State. He enjoyed a successful playing career at UNI, leading the team in field goal percentage for three straight seasons. McDermott concluded his playing career under Eldon Miller in 1988. McDermott is 4-3 vs. Iowa (1-1 while at ISU) and 1-2 vs. Hawkeye Coach Todd Lickliter.

THE SERIES
Iowa holds a 41-20 advantage in the series that began with a 30-27 Hawkeye win in 1910. Iowa earned a 77-59 win in Iowa City in 2006-07 before the Cyclones won 56-47 last season in Ames. The teams split games in 2003. That marked the first time since 1921 that the teams met twice in the same season and it was the first time the teams met in post-season action. Iowa has won five of the last nine meetings and seven of the last 12, but the series is even at 13-13 over the last 26 games since 1984. Just seven of the last 19 games have had a final margin of eight points or less. The home team has won the last five meetings. Iowa holds a 25-5 advantage in games played in Iowa City, including a 9-4 mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa State’s last win in Iowa City was a 73-69 decision in December, 2002. Iowa holds a 16-15 margin in games played at Ames. ISU has won the last three meetings in Ames, but the Hawkeyes have won on four of their last eight visits to Hilton Coliseum.

IOWA, ISU NOTES

• Iowa’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 Conference is 89-48. Iowa State is the second Big 12 team Iowa will face this season, as the Hawkeyes defeated Kansas State 65-63 in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Invitational.
• After the win over Kansas State, Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter is 1-2 vs. Big 12 teams. His Butler team was defeated by Oklahoma (65-54) in the Sweet 16 of the 2003 NCAA Tournament in Albany, NY and Iowa lost at ISU last season.
• ISU Coach Greg McDermott is 5-6 against the Big Ten, having faced Iowa (4-3), Minnesota (1-1), Ohio State (0-1), Wisconsin (0-1) and Purdue (0-0).
• Iowa State is 43-80 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference. ISU last season defeated Iowa (Ames) and Purdue (neutral) and lost to Minnesota (Ames).
• Iowa and Iowa State have played one common opponent. Iowa State defeated Northern Iowa 71-66 in overtime in Cedar Falls on Dec. 3, while Iowa defeated the Panthers 65-46 in Iowa City Tuesday.
• Iowa State senior Alex Thompson began his college career at Iowa. Thompson played for Iowa in 2005 and 2006 before transferring and redshirting at ISU in 2006-07.
• ISU senior Sean Haluska is the younger brother of former Iowa player Adam Haluska. Sean is in his second season at Iowa State after attending Indian Hills CC. Adam was a Hawkeye senior in 2006-07, earning first team all-Big Ten honors while leading the league in scoring. Adam, who played his freshman season at Iowa State, was selected in the 2007 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets and now plays professional basketball in Israel. The Haluska family is from Carroll, IA.

ROOKIES HAVE MET
Iowa freshmen Matt Gatens and John Lickliter led their Iowa City HS team to the Class 4A state title a year ago, defeating Davenport Central 64-54 in the title game. L.A. Pomlee, a freshman at Iowa State, was a member of that Central team. Gatens led all scorers in the title game with 24 points and added five rebounds. Lickliter contributed 11 points and three steals. Pomlee had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Central. Lickliter and Pomlee both played all 32 minutes, while Gatens played 31. Lickliter and Pomlee are both currently redshirt candidates for this season. Gatens was named the captain of the all-tournament team and was joined on the squad by Pomlee.

IOWA STATE WON A YEAR AGO
Iowa suffered its coldest shooting game of the early season in a 56-47 loss at Iowa State last Dec. 8, failing to shoot over 40% from the field for the first time in 11 games. Iowa State used an aggressive defense to contribute to Iowa’s shooting woes and outscored the Hawkeyes 20-5 from the free throw line. Both teams started slow as Iowa shot just 29% in the opening half, compared to 28.6% for the Cyclones. Iowa led by as many four points in the early going, but Iowa State held a 26-22 halftime advantage. The Hawkeyes never led in the second half, but cut the deficit to seven points on back-to-back baskets by Jarryd Cole with just under 10 minutes remaining. That was as close as Iowa would get. The Hawkeyes shot just 32.1% for the game, including 28.6% (6-21) from three-point range and 50% (5-10) from the free throw line. The Iowa defense held Iowa State to 31.4% shooting, but the Cyclones connected on 20-27 (74.1%) free throw attempts. Iowa held a slight 41-40 rebounding advantage and had just 12 turnovers, but nine of those came in the second half. Cole led Iowa with 15 points and nine rebounds, both career-bests. Jake Kelly added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Iowa State was led by Jiri Hubalek with 15 points and Rahshon Clark with 14. Craig Brackins and Wesley Johnson each added nine points and six rebounds.

IOWA DEFEATS NORTHERN IOWA
Jeff Peterson started the game with a three-point basket after 33 seconds, and ended the contest with a three-pointer to beat the shot clock with nine seconds to play. In between, Iowa rallied from a seven-point deficit in the first half to post a 65-46 win over Northern Iowa in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes trailed 22-15 with 3:49 left in the first half before scoring the final eight points of the period for a 23-22 halftime advantage. Iowa added the first five points of the second half, building a 28-22 advantage before the Panthers ended their nearly seven minute dry spell with a basket. Northern Iowa closed the gap to 30-29 with 14:32 remaining before Iowa pulled away. The Hawkeyes used a 12-0 scoring run over the next five minutes to regain control and the Panthers were never closer than 10 points the rest of the way. Iowa outscored the visitors 42-24 in the second half, shooting 60% from the field, 50% from three-point range and making all eight of its free throw attempts. The Panthers made just 5-21 (23.8%) three-point attempts in the game and Iowa held a 26-21 rebounding advantage. Iowa shot an even 50% from the field for the night and committed just five turnovers, a team low in 42 games under Coach Todd Lickliter. Iowa’s balanced scoring was led by Jake Kelly, who matched a career-high with 19 points. Kelly added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a team-high 36 minutes. Jeff Peterson added 18 points and five assists and Matt Gatens scored 14 points, hitting 4-5 three-point attempts. Cyrus Tate contributed six rebounds and three steals while leading Iowa’s defensive effort.

HAWKEYES AMONG TOP BIG TEN FRESHMEN
Iowa’s freshmen basketball players rank among the Big Ten leaders in several categories. Matt Gatens ranks first in three-point percentage (.606) and assist/turnover ratio (1.94), second in assists (3.5) and three-point field goals per game (2.0) and third in scoring (11.1) and field goal percentage (.545). his free throw percentage of .950 would rank first, but he is under the minimum for attempts. Anthony Tucker ranks first in three-point field goals per game (*3.4), second in scoring (13.1) and third in three-point percentage (.443).

IOWA GETS DEFENSIVE
Iowa held Bryant University to just 36 points in a 61-36 win and most recently defeated Northern Iowa 65-46, allowing the Panthers just 24 points in the second half. The 36 points by Bryant match the fewest allowed by Iowa under Coach Todd Lickliter. Iowa held Michigan State to just 36 points in a 43-36 win over the Spartans last season in Iowa City. Bryant shot just 29.7% from the field, including 33.3% from three-point range. The 14 points scored by Bryant in the first half mark the fewest Iowa has allowed under Lickliter as well. Iowa held Northern Iowa to 23.8% shooting from three-point range and to just 40 field goal attempts. The Hawkeyes have held five of 10 opponents to less than 50 points.

DRAKE RALLIES AT IOWA STATE
Drake rallied from a 60-50 deficit in the last eight minutes to take a 66-63 win at Iowa State Tuesday. The Cyclones started fast, hitting 9-17 (52.9%) three-point shots in the first half. ISU led by as many as 13 points in the opening period before Drake rallied to cut the halftime difference to just four points, 33-29. Iowa State expanded its lead through the first 12 minutes of the second half before Drake rallied once again. A three-point basket by Drake’s Craig Stanley gave the Bulldogs their first lead with just over three minutes to play and the Bulldogs held on from there. The Cyclones had two three-point shot attempts in the final seconds, but both were off target as Drake defeated Iowa State for the third straight season. The Cyclones shot 39% from the field in the game, including 39.4% from three-point range after hitting just 4-16 attempts in the second half. Drake shot 39% from the field and held a 40-32 rebounding advantage. Lucca Staiger led the Cyclones with 24 points, hitting 8-11 three-point shots. Bryan Petersen added 11 points and Craig Brackins had 10 points and eight rebounds.

IOWA IN NCAA STATS
Iowa ranks 14th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 55 points per game. The Hawkeyes also rank 16th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (42%) and three-point field goals per game (9.5).

NO TREYS FOR OPPONENT
Iowa held Southeast Missouri State without a three-point basket in a 75-41 win, as the Redhawks missed all 11 attempts from behind the arc. SE Missouri State became the first Iowa opponent in 125 games not to make at least one trey. The last time that happened was Dec. 10, 2004 when Iowa State missed all six three-point attempts in Iowa’s 70-63 win in Iowa City. Iowa allowed Kansas State just three treys in seven attempts in a 65-63 Hawkeye win and Boston College made just 2-10 three-point attempts in its 57-55 win over Iowa.

IOWA SHOOTING ON TARGET
Iowa is shooting 49% from the field, best among Big Ten Conference teams. Iowa also leads the Big Ten in three-point field goals per game (9.5) and is second in three-point percentage (.420). The Hawkeyes have made at least 50% of their field goal attempts in five games, with a best of 57.1% in the win over Texas-San Antonio. Iowa is also shooting 42% from three-point range, with a best of 52% (13-25) in the win at The Citadel. Iowa has made 13 three-point field goals in two games (13-30 vs. SE MO State and 13-25 at The Citadel) and made 12 in a win over Bryant. The 13 three-point field goals ties as the eighth most by an Iowa team in a single game. The Iowa record is 15, on two occasions. A year ago Iowa shot as well as 50% from the field in just four of 32 games, with a best of 57.5% at Penn State.

HAWKEYES FROM THE LINE
Iowa is shooting 74 % from the free throw line, including a perfect 8-8 in the win over Northern Iowa. Iowa made 20-22 free throw attempts (90.9%) in a win over Texas-San Antonio, including its last 14 attempts over the final 13 minutes of the game. The streak ended when the Hawkeyes missed their first free throw attempt at The Citadel. Iowa also shot 70.3% (26-37) in a win over Kansas State and 88.9% (8-9) in a loss at Boston College. The perfect performance against Northern Iowa is the best for an Iowa team since Nov. 19, 2004 when the Hawkeyes established a school record by hitting all 20 of their free throw attempts in a win over Western Illinois. Jermain Davis led Iowa vs. UTSA, making all 10 of his attempts. He is the 24th Iowa player ever to shoot 100% from the free throw line in a game, with a minimum of 10 attempts. Davis is the seventh player (sixth Hawkeye) to make as many as 10 free throws in a game without a miss, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jake Kelly added 9-10 free throws in a loss to West Virginia and Jeff Peterson made 11-12 free throws in a win over Kansas State.

IOWA SOLID ON DEFENSE
Iowa has been solid on defense through its first 10 games. The Hawkeyes are allowing just 55 points per game, holding five opponents to less than 50 points and allowing Bryant just 36 points. Iowa opponents are shooting 41.1% from the field and 32.5% from three-point range. Iowa ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense last season (58.0) and held opponents under 50 points in nine games. Iowa opponents shot 40.4% from the field.

BALANCED SCORING LEADS IOWA
Iowa has used a balanced scoring attack, with at least three players scoring in double figures in five games and four reaching 10 points or more in a 73-67 win over Texas-San Antonio and a 57-55 loss at Boston College. Six different Hawkeyes have led the team in scoring and four are averaging more than nine points per game. Senior Cyrus Tate is shooting 64.4% from the field, while guards Matt Gatens (54.5%) and Jeff Peterson (52.7%) are both over 50%. Tate shot 66.7% from the field last season, including 70.2% in Big Ten games. Freshman Anthony Tucker led Iowa with 21 points in the win at The Citadel, as he hit 7-11 three-point shots. Tucker hit 8-12 field goals, including 6-9 three-pointers, in scoring 24 points in the loss to West Virginia. Tucker added 19 points vs. Oakland and 14 vs. SE Missouri State. Tucker is shooting 46.6% from the field and 44.3% from three-point range. The seven three-pointers by Tucker at The Citadel match the fifth best total in school history. Chris Kingsbury twice made nine treys, while Justin Johnson had eight three-pointers in two games.

HAWKEYE GAMES NOTES

• Iowa is 7-1 when controlling the opening tip and 1-1 when not controlling the tip.
• Iowa is 1-1 when four players reach double figures, 4-1 when three score in double figures and 3-0 when two score 10 or more points. In 32 games last season, Iowa had more than three players score in double figures just four times.
• Iowa was guilty of five turnovers in a win over Northern Iowa, the fewest for the Hawkeyes under Coach Todd Lickliter. Iowa had six turnovers in a win at The Citadel and seven in wins over Charleston Southern and SE Missouri State. Iowa was guilty of 19 turnovers against Texas-San Antonio, 16 vs. Oakland and 21 vs. West Virginia, (including 17 in the first half). The Hawkeyes had less than 10 turnovers in just two of 32 games a year ago and had 20 or more turnovers in seven games.
• Iowa is 3-0 when scoring between 70-80 points, 5-1 when scoring between 60-70 points and 0-1 when scoring less than 60 points.
• Iowa is 5-0 when holding its opponent to less than 50 points, 1-1 when the opponent scores between 50-60 points, 2-0 when the opponent scores between 60-70 points and 0-1 when the opponent scores over 80 points.
• Iowa is 8-0 when collecting more assists than the opponent, 0-1 when the opponent has more assists and 0-1 when assists are even.
• Iowa is 5-0 when having fewer turnovers than its opponent, 2-1 when the opponent has fewer turnovers and 1-1 when turnovers are even.
• Iowa is 6-1 when collecting more steals than its opponent and 2-1 when the opponent has more steals. Iowa allowed The Citadel no steals in taking the 70-48 road win.
• Iowa is 8-0 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when trailing at halftime.
• Iowa is 3-1 in games decided by 10 points or less, including 1-1 in games decided by less than five points.

HAWKEYE PLAYER NOTES

• Along with scoring the game winning basket vs. Kansas State, Cyrus Tate ended the game with 10 points and seven rebounds, just one night after failing to score in a loss to West Virginia. Tate led Iowa with seven rebounds against Boston College and he had 12 rebounds vs. Bryant. He leads Iowa in rebounding (7.5) through 10 games.
• Jeff Peterson led Iowa with six assists against Kansas State, moving into the team lead in that department (3.9). Peterson also made 11-12 free throw attempts against the Wildcats. Peterson led Iowa in assists last season as a true freshman and added four assists in the win over Bryant. He is shooting 52.7% from the field and leads the team in free throws (33) and attempts (38).
• Anthony Tucker, a true freshman, scored in double figures in Iowa’s first six games. Tucker leads Iowa in scoring at 13.1 points a game.
• True freshman Aaron Fuller had a season-best seven rebounds and seven points against Kansas State, and he added seven points in a win over Bryant.
• True Freshman Matt Gatens has scored in double figures in seven games, ranks second on the team in assists (35) and has missed just one free throw (19-20, 95%). He is shooting 54.5% from the field, 60.6% from three-point range and 95% from the free throw line.
• Junior Devan Bawinkle had a season-best 12 points in the loss at Boston College, as he connected on four of seven three-pointers, all in the second half.
• Junior Jermain Davis, who did not make a three-point attempt in Iowa’s first six games, has made six in Iowa’s last four games. Davis matched his season scoring best with 10 points in the loss at Boston College and he added three rebounds and two assists.
• Sophomore Jake Kelly, still shaking off the effects of a broken middle finger on his shooting (right) hand, contributed 11 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals in the loss at Boston College. Matched career-bests with 19 points and five rebounds against Northern Iowa, while also collecting four assists and two steals. Kelly missed over a week of practice and Iowa’s exhibition game due to the injury.

VALUABLE POSSESSIONS
Iowa is averaging 13.9 assists and 11.6 turnovers per game. Through 10 games last season those averages were 12.8 assists and 18.2 turnovers per game.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins (now at 1,459) 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.

HAWKEYES FEATURE YOUNG LINE-UP
Iowa’s starting line-up in its first eight games included three true freshmen, including forward Aaron Fuller and guards Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker. Iowa’s starting line-up in four games last season included freshmen Jarryd Cole, Jeff Peterson and Jake Kelly. Cole later missed the final 19 games due to injury. Kelly started 25 games and Peterson 11. The three combined for 42 starts. Iowa had not started three freshmen in a game since the 2000-01 season. That season, Brody Boyd, Jared Reiner and Glen Worley started in a game at Illinois. Boyd, Worley and Sean Sonderleiter started in a game at Michigan State and Boyd, Worley and Cortney Scott started in a game at Michigan.

NEWCOMERS CONTRIBUTE
With seven new players on a 13-man roster, Iowa is relying on newcomers this season. In the opening win over Charleston Southern, newcomers contributed 37 of Iowa’s 68 points, 12 of 32 rebounds, eight of 14 assists and two of three steals, while playing 118 of the 200 minutes. Three newcomers, all freshmen, started Iowa’s first eight games. The Hawkeyes newcomers have scored 40 or more points in five games, with a high of 48 vs. Texas-San Antonio. The first-year Hawkeyes had a season-best 23 rebounds in a win over SE Missouri State. Freshman Matt Gatens led the newcomers with 15 points in the opening game and freshman Anthony Tucker has led Iowa’s scoring in three games. Gatens’ total matches the most points scored by a freshman in their first game since Jeff Horner had 15 points in the first game of the 2002-03 season. Tucker scored 24 points vs. West Virginia, 21 points at The Citadel and 19 vs. Oakland while leading Iowa in scoring at 13.1 points per game. Gatens is averaging 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

HOME, AWAY COMPARISONS
In its six home games, Iowa has outscored its opponents by an 18.8 margin, shooting 51.4% from the field while holding its opponent to 36.5% shooting. Iowa holds a 31.7-25.0 rebounding advantage. In four games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa has outscored its opponents 64.5-63.8. The Hawkeyes are shooting 45.2% from the field while the opponents are shooting 47.9%. The opponents hold a 31.8-26.3 rebounding margin.

OFF THE BENCH
The Iowa reserves are averaging 19.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, compared to 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds by the opponent reserves. Iowa is 5-2 when the reserves outscore the opponent reserves and 3-0 when the opponent reserves score more points. Iowa is 6-1 when the Hawkeye reserves have more rebounds than the opponent reserves and 2-1 when the opponent reserves have more rebounds.

OVERCOMING DEFICITS
The biggest deficit Iowa has overcome to earn a victory this season is seven points. In the season opening contest, Iowa trailed 7-0 before taking a 68-48 win over Charleston Southern. Iowa also trailed 22-15 in the first half of a 65-46 win over Northern Iowa. In Iowa’s two losses, Boston College trailed by four points and West Virginia trailed by two, both in the first half. Last season Iowa rallied from a 14-point deficit in two games, while two opponents defeated Iowa after trailing by 16 points.

SCORING BY HALVES
Iowa has outscored its opponents 304-252 in the first half and 362-298 in the second half. Iowa has led at halftime in eight games (all wins), and has outscored its opponent in the second half seven times.

CRUNCH TIME FREE THROWS
Iowa is 25-30 (.833) from the free throw line in the final four minutes of its four games that have been decided by 10 points or less. Iowa’s opponents in those games have made 7-10 (.700) free throw attempts in the final four minutes. Iowa is 3-1 in games decided by 10 points or less and 1-1 in games decided by less than five points.

TATE & COLE ARE IOWA CAPTAINS
Senior forward Cyrus Tate and sophomore forward Jarryd Cole will serve as Iowa’s captains in 2008-09. Tate averaged 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a year ago while starting 19 of the 31 games he appeared in. Tate shot 66.7% from the field for the season and 70.2% in Big Ten games. He led the conference in field goal percentage and was third in rebounding in conference games. Cole started six of the 13 games he played before a knee injury in Iowa’s final non-conference game forced him to miss the final 19 games. Cole averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 66.7% from the field.

LICKLITER TO REDSHIRT
Freshman guard John Lickliter, who joined the Iowa program as a walk-on to play for his father, Coach Todd Lickliter, plans to use the 2008-09 season to redshirt. Lickliter started every game at year ago at Iowa City High, helping the Little Hawks claim the Class 4-A state title.

THE RETURNING CAST
Iowa returns two starters and six lettermen from a year ago. The returning starters include senior forward Cyrus Tate (6-8, 255) and sophomore guard Jake Kelly (6-6, 185). Tate started 19 games as a junior, averaging 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds. Kelly started 25 of 32 games in his first season, averaging 7.3 points while shooting 43.5% from three-point range. The four additional returning lettermen include junior center David Palmer (6-9, 240), senior guard J.R. Angle (6-7, 215), sophomore guard Jeff Peterson (6-0, 192) and sophomore forward Jarryd Cole (6-7, 250). Iowa’s returning players, last season, played 44.9% of all minutes in 32 games, scoring 44.9% of Iowa’s points and grabbing 37.3% of Iowa’s rebounds. The group also had 45.5% of the assists and 50% of the steals last season. They combined to shoot 45.8% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range and 63.1% from the free throw line.

A YOUNG SQUAD
Iowa’s roster of 13 players includes five freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and two seniors. The sophomores are Jarryd Cole, Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson. The freshmen include forward Andrew Brommer (6-9, 235), forward Aaron Fuller (6-6, 210), guard Matt Gatens (6-5, 215), guard John Lickliter (5-11, 175) and guard Anthony Tucker (6-4, 200). In addition, junior guards Devan Bawinkel (6-5, 210) and Jermain Davis (6-4, 200) are both in their first year at Iowa after attending junior colleges a year ago. Along with two players from the state of Iowa, the roster includes two players from Illinois and Indiana, three from Minnesota, two from Missouri and one from Arizona and Tennessee.

HAWKEYE SCHEDULE NOTES

• Along with an opening win over Charleston Southern, Iowa traveled to The Citadel on Nov. 20. Both Charleston Southern and The Citadel are located in Charleston, South Carolina.
• Iowa’s schedule includes 17 home games, including nine Big Ten Conference games and home dates with in-state opponents Northern Iowa and Iowa State. In conference play, Iowa does not play at Illinois, while Minnesota does not visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Iowa’s Big Ten schedule includes five weekend home dates and four games during the week.
• After playing a number of games a year ago with a start time of 8 p.m., Iowa has just one remaining home game this season that starts as late as 7:30 p.m., that being a Big Ten contest against Wisconsin (Jan. 21).
• Iowa’s schedule includes at least three neutral site games, including two games in the Las Vegas Invitational. Iowa defeated Kansas State to split its two games in Las Vegas as the Hawkeyes earned their first neutral site win since a 78-65 win over Toledo on Nov. 17, 2006 at the Paradise Jam.
• Iowa could play between one and four neutral site games while taking part in the Big Ten Conference Tournament in Indianapolis, IN at the end of the season.

POST-SEASON OPPONENTS
Fifteen of Iowa’s 31 games during the regular season are against teams that advanced to post-season play last season. That includes 11 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa will play eight games against four Big Ten opponents that appeared in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, along with a single game at Drake and games against West Virginia and Kansas State. During the non-conference portion of the schedule Iowa will face teams from the Big East (West Virginia), Atlantic Coast (Boston College), Big 12 (Iowa State and Kansas State) and Missouri Valley (Drake and Northern Iowa) conferences. Iowa, in 2007-08, played 14 of 32 games against teams that advanced to post-season play. That included five teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1-8), three opponents who competed in the NIT (1-3) and one opponent who participated in the initial College Basketball Invitational (0-1).

LICKLITER VS. RANKED TEAMS
Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter holds a 7-10 record when coaching against nationally ranked opponents, including a 1-5 mark at Iowa and a 6-5 record in six seasons at Butler. In 2007-08, Iowa defeated sixth-ranked Michigan State (43-36), while dropping decisions to 11th-ranked Indiana (76-79), 24th-ranked Wisconsin (51-64), seventh-ranked Indiana (43-65), eighth-ranked Wisconsin (54-60) and 17th-ranked Michigan State (52-66). Lickliter’s Butler teams defeated ranked opponents Louisville (14th), Maryland (18th), Mississippi State (20th), Ball State (21st), Tennessee (22nd) and Gonzaga (23rd). His teams are 0-3 vs. top five opponents, including losses to third-ranked Oklahoma in 2003, third-ranked Florida in 2007 and fifth-ranked Duke in 2003.

NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR
Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter was named the 2007 Division I national Coach of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches (NABC) after leading Butler to 29 wins and a spot in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. With Iowa football Coach Kirk Ferentz earning national Coach of the Year in 2002, Iowa is one of seven Division I institutions to have a former football and men’s basketball national Coach of the Year currently coaching their respective team. The others are Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Maryland, SMU and Tennessee. Four current Big Ten Conference head coaches have earned national Coach of the Year honors.

AMONG SINGLE SEASON BESTS
Iowa made 222 three-point field goals while attempting 640 three-point shots a year ago. Both of those figures rank second best at Iowa for a single season. The Hawkeyes set single season records in 1995 when they made 274 of 743 three-point attempts. Through five games this season, Iowa is averaging 10 made three-point field goals and 24.2 attempts, compared to 6.9 made treys last season on an average of 20 attempts.

IOWA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Iowa made its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2006. 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.

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. The dates are Dec. 15, 22; Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26; Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23; and March 2 and 9.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2008-09
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. Season tickets are available for 2008-09, including general public ($364), UI faculty and staff ($294) and UI students ($80). Single game tickets for all home games are also on sale. Single game tickets cost $22 for weekday games and $27 for weekend games and the Iowa State game. Youth tickets (high school age and younger) priced at $10 each are available for all non-conference games, except the Iowa State game.

Additional ticket packages on sale include the following:

Big Ten Weekend-er ($135) – – includes a ticket to games vs. Indiana (Jan. 3), Northwestern (Feb. 7), Purdue (Feb. 14), Michigan (Feb. 22) and Penn State (Mar. 7).

Big Ten Weeknights ($76) – – includes a ticket to games vs. Minnesota (Jan. 8), Wisconsin (Jan. 21), Michigan State (Jan. 29) and Ohio State (Mar. 3-5).

Home for the Holidays ($66) – – includes a ticket to games vs. Western Illinois (Dec. 27), Indiana (Jan. 3) and Minnesota (Jan. 8).

Youngsters are Hawk Fans, Too ($10) – – includes a youth ticket to games vs. Western Illinois (Dec. 27), Minnesota (Jan. 8), Michigan (Feb. 22) and Ohio State (Mar. 3-5).

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.

AFTER THIS
Iowa takes a break for finals before returning to action Saturday, Dec. 20, traveling to Des Moines to meet Drake (3:05 p.m., ESPNU). Iowa concludes non-conference play Saturday, Dec. 27, hosting Western Illinois (7:05 p.m., ESPNU).