Iowa to Face Creighton in Dale Howard Classic Sunday

Nov. 18, 2011

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Iowa Game Notes

TIP-OFF
? Iowa and Creighton will tip-off for the 25th time Sunday at 3:06 p.m. in Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa owns a 14-10 all-time record against the Bluejays, with the last meeting coming in 2001 – – a 69-56 Hawkeye victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Long Island, N.Y.
? Tickets for Sunday’s Dale Howard Classic can be purchased at the Wells Fargo Arena box office, calling 1-866-55-DAHLS or visiting dahlstickets.com.
? Iowa has started the season with three consecutive wins. The last time Iowa won three straight was Dec. 5-12, 2008, collecting wins over Bryant, Northern Iowa and Iowa State.
? Through three games (120 mins.), Iowa has been tied or played with the lead in all but 1:08.
? Iowa is 5-0 when scoring 80 points or more under McCaffery the last two seasons. Furthermore, the Hawkeyes are 10-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.
? Melsahn Basabe has missed only one free throw this season. The sophomore is 19-of-20 (.950) from the charity stripe through three games.
? Sophomore Zach McCabe celebrated his 20th birthday Friday.
? Former Hawkeye and NBA player, and current video coordinator Ryan Bowen will celebrate his birthday on Sunday.

HAWKEYE HUDDLE INFORMATION
In addition to the game, there will be a Hawkeye Hoops Huddle held at Hy-Vee Hall, which is across the street from the Wells Fargo Arena, from noon-2 p.m. The huddle is open to all Hawkeye fans and includes cash refreshments, snacks, door prizes, Herky and the Iowa cheerleaders.

HAWKEYES DROP NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Iowa’s sharp-shooting lifted the Hawkeyes to an 88-55 triumph over Northern Illinois on Thursday on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes shot a blistering 62 percent (13-21) from 3-point territory and 54 percent (33-61) from the field en route to victory. Josh Oglesby (16), Matt Gatens (15) and Eric May (14) combined for 45 points, shooting a combined 9-of-13 (.692) from long distance. Bryce Cartwright handed out a game-high nine assists, one shy of his personal best, in only 19 minutes of action. Iowa raced out to a 49-30 halftime advantage and never looked back. The Hawkeyes outscored the Huskies 16-0 in fast break points and the Iowa reserves scored 43 points.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS TIP-INS
? Thursday marked the first time Iowa shot at least 50 percent from 3-point range since Feb. 10, 2010 (12-24, .500, versus Northwestern).
? After missing his first field goal attempt, Josh Oglesby made his last four shot attempts of the first half, three of which were 3-pointers, to finish the half with 11 points. The freshman finished the game with a career-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds.
? Eric May scored 14 points and is the only Hawkeye to have scored in double figures in all three games: Chicago State (12), North Carolina A&T (20) and Northern Illinois (14). The 20 points versus North Carolina A&T equaled a personal best.
? Iowa forced 16 turnovers and turned the Huskie miscues into 28 points.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON
? Greg McDermott is in his second season as Creighton head coach, owning a 26-16 (.619) mark. McDermott previously coached at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). His overall record stands at 311-206 (.602).
? Creighton snapped UAB’s 38-game nonconference regular-season home win streak with a 70-60 victory Wednesday. The Bluejays are 3-0 for the 12th time in 14 years.
? Doug McDermott poured in a game-high 27 points, Gregory Echenique controlled 10 boards, while Grant Gibbs dished out a game-high seven assists in the UAB road victory.
? Creighton returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year’s 23-16 team that reached the championship series of the College Basketball Invitational.
? Creighton returning starters Doug McDermott, Antoine Young and Gregory Echenique. McDermott averages a team-best 20.3 and also pulls down 6.3 rebounds per contest. Young averages 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and a team-best 4.7 assists. Echenique averages 6.7 points, 6.7 boards and a team-best 1.7 blocks.
? The Bluejays own a +7.0 rebounding margin and average 22 assists through three games.
? Creighton has four Iowans on its roster, including junior Grant Gibbs. Gibbs, who is a native of Cedar Rapids, played in 24 games for Gonzaga (2008-10) before transferring to Creighton.
? The Bluejays will play three Big Ten teams this season: Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern. The Hawkeyes will play three games against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference: Creighton, Drake and Northern Iowa.

McDERMOTT AND BASABE TIES
Iowa’s Melsahn Basabe and Creighton’s Doug McDermott traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., last summer to participate in the USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp. Basabe did not make the squad, but McDermott was selected on the 12-member team that played overseas.

DIALING UP LONG DISTANCE
Iowa has made a combined 31 triples its first three games. The 31 treys are the most by a Hawkeye team to start the season. Iowa made 30 triples to start the 1994-95 campaign, making seven against Morgan State, 14 versus Drake and nine against Pepperdine.

BALANCED SCORING
Iowa has five players averaging double figures in scoring: Matt Gatens (16.3), Eric May (15.3), Melsahn Basabe (12.3), Zach McCabe (11.0) and Aaron White (10.0). Coach McCaffery has played at least ten players in each of Iowa’s first three games. Iowa’s bench averages 40.3 points its first three games.

HOT SHOTS
Senior Matt Gatens and junior Eric May have been on fire shooting the ball to start the season. The duo are shooting at a 61 percent clip (34-of-56) from the field and 52 percent (15-of-29) from behind the 3-point arc. May is averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists after three games. May is shooting at a better percentage from 3-point range, than two. The native of Dubuque is 7-of-11 (.636) from long distance, compared to 11-of-19 (.579) from inside the arc. Gatens started the season ranked 30th in Iowa career scoring and after three games has surpassed Kenny Arnold, Michael Payne, Chris Kingsbury, Kevin Kunnert and Bob Hansen. He enters Sunday’s game versus Creighton with 1,152 career points and is 16 points from tying Chad Calabria for 24th place on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. The Iowa City native is averaging a team-best 16 points and is shooting 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field the first three games.

SINKING THE FREEBEES
Starters Matt Gatens (9-of-10), Melsahn Basabe (19-of-20) and Bryce Cartwright (6-of-6) are a combined 34-of-36 (.944) from the free throw line. Gatens is tied with Penn State’s Pete Lisicky (1993-98) and Ohio State’s Jamar Butler (2005-08) for fourth in Big Ten career free throw percentage. Entering this weekend’s play, Basabe ranks second in the Big Ten in free throw attempts with 6.7 per game. Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger is the conference leader, averaging 10 free-throw attempts. Last season, Basabe shot 71.4 percent (80-of-112) from the charity stripe.

GOOD START FOR McCABE
Zach McCabe has had a solid start to the 2011-12 campaign. The sophomore has come off the bench to average 11 points and four rebounds. McCabe totaled 13 points and five rebounds against Chicago State, collected 12 points and six boards versus North Carolina A&T and had eight points versus Northern Illinois. McCabe, who celebrated his 20th birthday Friday, is shooting 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the floor and 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range.

BROMMER RE-INJURES KNEE
Senior Andrew Brommer sprained his knee on Oct. 13 and missed four weeks of preseason practice and Iowa’s season opener against Chicago State. The center returned to practice and played six minutes in Iowa’s game against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 14 before reinjuring the knee. He did not dress in Iowa’s last game versus Northern Illinois and his availability for Sunday’s game against Creighton is questionable.

WHITE TABBED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Iowa freshmen Aaron White has been named Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week after his performance in Iowa’s season opening victory over Chicago State (Nov. 11). White shared the weekly honor with Indiana’s Cody Zeller. White shined in his Hawkeye debut, leading all scorers and rebounders with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of action. The native of Strongsville, Ohio, shot 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field and sank all five free throw attempts. The 19 points are the most by an Iowa freshman in a season opener, equaling Dick Ives’ 19 scored against Nebraska in his debut on Dec. 10, 1943. Furthermore, White’s performance marked the first time a Hawkeye posted a double-double, in a season opener, since Dean Oliver had 10 points and 12 assists in a victory over Chicago State in 1997. It was the first time a Hawkeye freshman had a double-double, points and rebounds, since Jess Settles had 13 points and 11 rebounds versus Drake in 1993.

EXPERIENCED BACKCOURT
Iowa has the most experienced starting backcourt duo in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are the only league team with two starting senior guards, Bryce Cartwright and Matt Gatens.

DISHING THE ROCK
Iowa has done an excellent job distributing the basketball the first three games. The Hawkeyes are averaging a Big Ten-best 22.7 assists. Iowa had 22 assists against Chicago State, 20 versus North Carolina A&T and 26 against Northern Illinois. The 26 dimes against the Huskies are the most by a Hawkeye team since being credited with 26 versus in a 101-59 win over Georgia State on Dec. 20, 2006.

BASABE ETCHED HIS NAME IN HAWKEYE RECORD BOOKS
Melsahn Basabe is the only Hawkeye rookie to ever amass over 340 points, 200 rebounds and 40 blocks. The native of Glen Cove, NY, finished his rookie campaign with 342 points, 210 rebounds and 41 blocks. In fact, he is the first Iowa player — regardless of class — to accomplish the feat since Ryan Bowen totaled 447 points, 271 rebounds and 41 blocks his senior season in 1997-98.

BASABE RANKS HIGH ON HAWKEYE ROOKIE CHARTS
Melsahn Basabe had a stellar rookie campaign in 2011 and ranks among some of the best Iowa freshmen of all-time in a number of statistical categories. Basabe scored 342 points (11.0 avg.), pulled down 210 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and blocked 41 shots (1.3 avg.). Also, he was 131-229 (.572) from the field and 80-112 (.714) from the foul line.

HAWKEYE FAST BREAKS
? Seven of Iowa’s first eight contests will be played at home, with the non-home game during the stretch being played on a neutral floor in Des Moines versus Creighton.
? Iowa had five players score 12 points or more in its win over North Carolina A&T on Nov. 14. It marked only the fourth time the Hawkeyes had five players tally 12 points or more in a game (UW-Green Bay in 2003, Michigan in 2004, SIU-Edwardsville in 2010 and North Carolina A&T in 2011).
? Matt Gatens is 16 points from equaling Chad Calabria (1968-70) for 24th place on Iowa’s career scoring chart.
? Iowa saw an increase in its attendance numbers in 2010-11. Compared to 2009-10, last year’s Hawkeyes averaged 2,085 more fans than the previous season, an increase of 20%. Iowa averaged 9,550 fans two years ago, compared to 11,635 last year.
? Bryce Cartwright ranked first in Big Ten assists (6.83) and 18th nationally a year ago. He became the first Hawkeye since Dean Oliver (5.2 avg.) in 2001 to lead the Big Ten in assists, in conference play.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has assembled one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. Assistant coaches Kirk Speraw, Sherman Dillard and Andrew Francis have over six decades of combined coaching experience. Furthermore, the entire coaching staff combines for 47 years of head coaching experience. Director of Basketball Operations Jerry Strom is in his 31st season as a member of the Iowa basketball staff. Also, former Hawkeye standout and professional basketball player Ryan Bowen is the video coordinator. Bowen was on four NBA rosters (Denver, Houston, New Orleans and Oklahoma City).

CARTWRIGHT JOINS SELECT GROUP
Point guard Bryce Cartwright dished out 123 assists, during Big Ten play, becoming only the sixth Hawkeye since 1975 to lead the league in assists. Cartwright finished with 10 more assists than second place Darius Morris of Michigan (113). Cartwright’s 6.83 assists average is the highest by an Iowa player since Cal Wulfsberg’s 7.7 average in 1975. Cartwright, who averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 assists in 2011, is one of only two Iowa players to ever average better than 10.5 points and 5.8 assists in a single-season. Andre Woolridge is the other Hawkeye to accomplish the feat. Woolridge averaged 20.2 points and six assists in 1997; 13.1 points and six assists in 1996 and 14 points and 5.8 assists in 1995.

WELCOME NEW HAWKEYES
Iowa has six new faces on the team this season: Gabriel Olaseni, Josh Oglesby, Aaron White, Stephen McCarty, Kyle Denning and Christopher Rickert. Olaseni, Oglesby and White are on scholarship, while Denning, McCarty and Rickert are walk-ons.

HAWKEYEBASKETBALL.COM
Check out the Iowa basketball team’s new website, HawkeyeBasketball.com, devoted to everything on-and-off-the-court surrounding the program. HawkeyeBasketball.com, allows fans a chance to go behind the scenes with the Hawkeye basketball program on and off the court. The site is complete with exclusive videos, photo galleries and content featuring the basketball program. HawkeyeBasketball.com will be updated throughout the year with exclusive videos, including game highlights and player features, along with news stories and other content.

ALL-SESSION BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
All-session tickets for the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For more information regarding how to purchase tickets within Iowa’s block, contact the UI Athletic Ticket Office. Conseco Fieldhouse is the site of the men’s tournament from March 8-11, featuring 22 games over eight days. Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament all-session tickets for the lower and club levels are available for $325 through Big Ten university ticket offices only. All-session tickets for the upper levels are available for $240 or $175 (depending on seat location) through Ticketmaster or the Conseco Fieldhouse Box Office only. Orders will be limited to eight all-session tickets. In addition, the men’s tournament will continue to feature a special discounted rate of $50 for all-session tickets available only to students of Big Ten universities. All students must have a valid student ID for entry. Student section seating will be available in eight balcony sections and orders will be limited to one all-session ticket. Details on the student ticket program will be sent to the university ticket offices for distribution directly to students. The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will call Indianapolis and Conseco Fieldhouse home this March and again in 2014 and 2016. The 2012 tournament marks the eighth time Indianapolis has hosted the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa returns home for four straight home contests beginning Wednesday when it hosts Campbell (7 p.m.) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will then play IPFW (Nov. 26), Clemson (Nov. 29) and Brown (Dec. 3).