Hawkeyes Host Drake Saturday Night

Dec. 14, 2011

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Iowa Game Notes

TIP-OFF
? Iowa will play its third in-state game Saturday at home against Drake. Iowa lost at UNI (80-60) and Iowa State (86-76) . The Hawkeyes have nine Iowans on their roster.
? Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youths and UI students.
? Saturday will be only the second game Iowa will have been televised on the BTN this year.
? Roy Devyn Marble has started at point guard the last two games and led the team in scoring both times, scoring 14 at Northern Iowa and a personal-best 21 at Iowa State.
? Marble averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals the last six outings.
? Iowa has collected 10 steals or more in five times. The Hawkeyes are averaging 9.1 thefts per contest, which ranks 30th best in the country.
? Melsahn Basabe has led the team in rebounding the last three outings, including pulling down a game-best nine at Iowa State last week.
? Iowa is 6-0 when scoring 80 points or more, under McCaffery, the last two seasons. Furthermore, the Hawkeyes are 11-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.
? Andrew Brommer has missed only three field goals this season (10-of-13, .769).
? The Big Ten is the No. 1 ranked conference in the RPI and Sagarin ratings entering this week.

HAWKEYES FALL AT IOWA STATE
Iowa State beat Iowa, 86-76, last Friday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. The win was the Cyclones third straight over the Hawkeyes. Iowa had three players score in double figures to lead the visitors: Roy Devyn Marble, Melsahn Basabe and Matt Gatens. Marble posted personal bests in scoring and assists, leading all scorers with 21 points and dishing out a team-best five assists. Basabe tallied a season-best 18 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. Gatens scored nine of his 11 points in the second half. Iowa State shot 55 percent (28-of-51) from the field, including 59 percent (19-of-32) from the floor the first 20 minutes. Iowa had another stellar night at the foul line, sinking 88 percent of its attempts (22-of-25), including 16-of-17 (.941) in the second stanza.

IOWA, IOWA STATE TIP-INS
? Roy Devyn Marble, who has started the last two games at point guard, scored 10 of his 21 points from the charity stripe, sinking 10-of-11 (.909). Marble led the Hawkeyes in scoring those two games, both on the road.
? Bryce Cartwright, who missed the previous game (Northern Iowa) due to an injured hamstring, saw six minutes off the bench. The senior had two assists.
? Melsahn Basabe scored his season-high 18 points on 7-of-12 (.583) shooting from the field and 4-of-6 (.667) from the free throw line.
? Both Iowa and Iowa State made 22 free throws. The Cyclones had six more attempts than the Hawkeyes.

MARBLE STEPS UP
Roy Devyn Marble’s level of play has been stellar the last six games. The sophomore has averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals the last six outings. Marble played a career high 37 minutes, starting at point guard, at Northern Iowa (Dec. 6). Marble led Iowa in scoring the last two games, netting 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting against the Panthers and a career-high 21 points, bolstered by 10-of-11 shooting from the foul line, in Iowa’s last outing at Iowa State (Dec. 9). He has amassed 32 assists to only eight turnovers, ranking second in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (4.0) and third in the country. Marble has been credited with four assists or more six times this season.

SCOUTING DRAKE
? Drake enters Saturday game on a two-game win streak, notching home victories over Air Force (62-60) and Eastern Michigan (66-53).
? Drake will have had eight days to prepare for Iowa. The Bulldogs won their last game, 66-53, over Eastern Michigan on Dec. 8.
? Saturday will be Drake’s second true road game of the season. The Bulldogs lost at Boise State (108-64), an opponent that the Hawkeyes host on Dec. 22. Drake is 1-2 on neutral courts, playing three games in the Paradise Jam at the U.S. Virgin Islands.
? The Bulldogs have two players who average double figures in scoring: Ben Simons (16.8) and Rayvonte Rice (16.3).
? Ben Simons ranks 19th in the country in 3-point percentage (.472).
? Drake has been without two players due to injury: Seth VanDeest and Reece Uhlenhopp. VanDeest, who has a career two-year average of 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, underwent shoulder surgery in late July. Uhlenhopp, who has a two-year average of 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot.
? Drake averages 66.6 points per game and shoots 45 percent from the field. However, the Bulldogs are shooting only 65 percent from the foul line and have a -0.6 rebounding margin.

LAST MEETING
Iowa sprinted out to a 14-0 advantage and ultimately came away with a 59-52 victory at Drake last year at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. Improved free throw shooting and timely buckets helped the Hawkeyes pull away down the stretch. Iowa led by one point (41-40) with seven minutes remaining before closing the game on a 19-11 run. Iowa shot 55 percent (11-of-20) from the field in the final 20 minutes and outscored Drake 17-5 at the foul line for the game. Matt Gatens poured in 19 points and collected a game-high three steals. Melsahn Basabe and Zach McCabe each netted nine points. Senior Jarryd Cole was credited with a game-high 11 rebounds.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa holds a 55-10 advantage in the Drake series that began with a 36-13 Iowa victory in 1909. Iowa has won 29 of the last 32 meetings. Eight of the last 13 encounters have gone down to the wire, with Iowa winning by four points in 1998, seven points in two overtimes in 1999, two points in 2000, one in 2002 in Des Moines, five in 2005 in Iowa City, four in 2009 in Iowa City and seven at Des Moines in 2010. Drake won by five in Iowa City in 2007. Iowa boasts a commanding 28-3 advantage in games played in Iowa City, including an 11-1 record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa had won 20 straight over the Bulldogs in Iowa City before Drake’s 56-51 win in December, 2007. Iowa holds a 19-3 advantage over Drake in the current home arenas of each school. The Hawkeyes are 11-1 versus Drake in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and 8-2 in games played at Drake’s Knapp Center.

DRAKE COACH MARK PHELPS
Mark Phelps is in his fourth season as a college head coach (50-56) after serving as associate head coach at Arizona State the previous two seasons. Phelps also served as an assistant coach at NC State from 1996-2006. The Wolfpack tied for the second most wins in the ACC from 2001-02 through the 2005-06 season. Last season, Phelps guided the Bulldogs to a 13-18 record, including a 7-11 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. Phelps began his career in the prep coaching ranks, compiling a 148-53 record while serving as a high school head coach between 1990 and 1996. He is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., and a 1996 graduate of Old Dominion. Phelps is 1-2 versus the Iowa Hawkeyes.

IOWA, DRAKE TIP-INS
? Entering this week, Iowa ranks 19th in the nation in turnover margin (4.8), 30th in steals (9.1), 41st in assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and 42nd in fewest turnovers per contest (12.2). Individually, Roy Devyn Marble ranks third in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (4.0), while Matt Gatens ranks 20th in free throw percentage (.919).
? Keno Davis, who will serve as the BTN’s color analyst Saturday, is the son of former Iowa basketball coach Tom Davis. Keno served as an assistant under his father at Drake from 2003-07. When Tom retired in 2007, Keno became the team’s head coach, and led the Bulldogs to a 28-5 record and a berth in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Following the season, Keno was named the Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year. After one season as Drake’s head coach, he was named Providence’s head coach, where he coached for three years (2008-11).
? Iowa holds an all-time record of 121-42 (.742) against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference, having played nine of the current 10 members (Iowa has not played Missouri State).
? Drake coach Mark Phelps was the assistant head coach at Arizona State when the Sun Devils defeated Iowa 67-64 in Tempe, early in the 2006-07 season. He was also an assistant at NC State when Iowa defeated the Wolfpack, 45-42, in Iowa City early in the 2005-06 season.
? Drake assistant Mike Gibson was an assistant at Arizona State when Iowa lost to the Sun Devils in 2006-07. He previously served as a graduate assistant at Michigan State, in 2005-06, when Iowa won two of three games against the Spartans.
? Dr. Tom Davis served as Iowa’s head basketball coach from 1987-99 and ranks as Iowa’s winningest coach with a record of 269-140. Davis later served as the head coach at Drake, posting a 54-65 mark from 2003-07. Davis was a head coach on the collegiate level for 32 seasons. He enjoyed 16 seasons in which his teams won 20 or more games and he led 16 teams to post-season action. Davis guided nine of his Iowa teams to postseason play and was the 1987 AP National Coach of the Year after leading Iowa to a 30-5 overall record.

IMPROVED DECEMBER STATS FOR BASABE
After a sluggish start to the season, sophomore Melsahn Basabe’s numbers in December have been good. Basabe averaged 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds the last three games. He shot 16-of-32 (.500) from the field in those contests. Basabe has posted a season-high 18 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds at Iowa State (Dec. 9). He had eight points and six rebounds at Northern Iowa (Dec. 6) and totaled 14 points and a season-high 10 rebounds for his eighth career double-double versus Brown (Dec. 3).

STEALING THE ROCK
Iowa is averaging 9.1 steals this season, collecting 10 steals or more in five times. Last season, the Hawkeyes averaged 6.7 thefts. The 9.1 steals rank second in the Big Ten and 30th in the country.

BALANCED SCORING
Iowa has seven players averaging 7.4 points or more. Matt Gatens is first on the team (13.5), followed by Roy Devyn Marble (9.5), Melsahn Basabe (8.5), Eric May (8.3), Zach McCabe (7.7), Josh Oglesby (7.6) and Aaron White (7.4).

SINKING THE FREEBEES
Starters Matt Gatens (34-of-37), Melsahn Basabe (27-of-35) and Roy Devyn Marble (22-of-30) are a combined 83-of-102 (.814) from the free throw line. Gatens ranks third in Big Ten career free throw percentage. Roy Devyn Marble improved his free throw percentage from .633 to .733 by going 10-of-11 at Iowa State on Dec. 9. The Hawkeyes have missed only six free throws (37-of-44, .841) in the final five minutes of games. Additionally, the Hawkeyes have missed only one free throw (12-of-13, .923) in the final minute of their 10 games.

IMPROVEMENT UNDER McCAFFERY IN SECOND YEAR OF PROGRAM
Fran McCaffery-coached teams have posted improved win totals from their first year to second with McCaffery as a head coach. At Lehigh, his team improved by two wins (13 in 1986 to 15 in 1987). His UNC Greensboro team had four more victories from 2000 (15) and 2001 (19). At Siena his team improved by five victories, registering 15 in 2006 to 20 in 2007.

BIG TEN RANKINGS
Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in steals (9.1), third in scoring (74.7), fourth in turnover margin (+4.8) and free throw percentage (.736), fifth in rebounding (36.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2), and sixth in assists (14.7).

DIALING UP LONG DISTANCE
Iowa 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.

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.

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.

HAWKEYE FAST BREAKS
? Iowa has not had a game decided by fewer than 10 points this season. The average margin of victory in the Hawkeyes’ five victories is 24.6 points, while the margin of defeat is 17 points.
? Roy Devyn Marble has 32 assists to only eight turnovers this season. His 4.0 assist/turnover ratio ranks third in the Big Ten.
? Sophomore Zach McCabe is shooting at a 61 percent clip (14-of-23) from the field over the last five games.
? Iowa is 14-4 in games played on Dec. 17.
? Freshman Josh Oglesby became the first Hawkeye reserve to lead the team in scoring, in back-to-back games (Northern Illinois and Creighton), since Ricky Davis paced Iowa with 25 and 18 on the road at Wisconsin (Feb. 3) and Michigan State (Feb. 7), respectively, in 1998. Like Oglesby, Davis accomplished the feat as a freshman.
? After playing back-to-back road games, Iowa returns home to close out its non-conference schedule with three home contests: Drake (Dec. 17), Central Arkansas (Dec. 19) and Boise State (Dec. 22).
? Coach McCaffery has played at least 10 players in nine of Iowa’s 10 contests; nine played in the Hawkeyes’ last game at Iowa State. Also, Iowa’s bench averages 30.3 points.
? Iowa’s 61.9 percent (13-of-21) 3-point percentage and 26 assists against Northern Illinois are the best of any Big Ten team this season.
? 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’ 11 points versus IPFW propelled him past Kenyon Murray (1993-96) into 17th place on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. The senior is only 10 points from tying Jeff Moe (1985-88) for 16th place. Gatens has amassed 1,238 points entering Saturday’s contest against Drake.
? 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 year, an increase of 20%. Iowa averaged 9,550 fans two years ago, compared to 11,635 last year.

WHITE TABBED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Iowa freshmen Aaron White was 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.

HAWKEYES ARE TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 77 of its 109 games (.706) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) over the last eight seasons, including win streaks of 21 straight overall and 12 straight Big Ten Conference wins. Iowa has won 10 of its last 20 home games against ranked opponents. Iowa was a perfect 17-0 at home in 2006, 14-2 in 2007, 10-8 in 2008, 13-4 in 2009, 9-9 in 2010 and 8-8 in 2011.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 353-113 (.758) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the facility opened in January, 1983. Iowa is 162-89 (.645) in Big Ten games and 191-24 (.888) in non-Big Ten contests.

SPERAW TAKING PART IN “SHOTS FROM THE HEART”
Iowa men’s basketball assistant coach Kirk Speraw is one of 256 collegiate basketball coaches taking part in the second annual “Shots from the Heart”, which is an event created by Angela Lento and Joe Dwyer of collegeinsider.com to increase awareness for the growing problem of Heart Disease and raise money to benefit the Skip Prosser Foundation. Speraw posted a victory over Old Dominion’s Jim Corrigan in the first round of the tournament. He moves on to round two to face Saddi Washington of Oakland University. Speraw shot his free throws, sinking all 25. The second round will take place in December, while the Sweet 16 and Round of Eight will occur in January, and the semifinals and finals are scheduled for February. To view the brackets and/or learn how you can contribute to the Skip Prosser Foundation” visit: collegeinsider.com.

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 will close out its non-conference schedule by hosting two games in four days next week. The Hawkeyes will welcome Central Arkansas Monday (7 p.m.) and Boise State Thursday (7 p.m.).