Iowa Travels to Purdue for Tuesday Game

Jan. 15, 2012

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Iowa Game Notes

TIP-OFF
? Iowa has won six of its last nine games entering Tuesday game at Purdue.
? Tuesday night is Iowa’s first return contest against a Big Ten opponent it has already played this season.
? Iowa is in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Big Ten with Wisconsin and Indiana at 3-3.
? In Iowa’s three Big Ten victories, opponents have shot 15-of-82 (.183) from long distance.
? Iowa has collected 10 steals or more in nine games, including being credited with 10 in two of the last four contests. The nine games with 10 or more steals lead the Big Ten and are the fourth most in the country.
? Iowa has one of the deepest benches in the Big Ten, averaging 29 points per game.
? Iowa has vaulted 88 RPI points (193-105), according to realtimerpi.com, after road victories over Wisconsin and Minnesota, and a home win over Michigan.
? Iowa’s scoring average of 74.2 is its highest since the 1997-98 season (80.2).
? Iowa is 9-0 when scoring 80 points or more, under McCaffery, the last two seasons. Furthermore, the Hawkeyes are 12-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.
? Four of Iowa’s first six Big Ten games were against ranked opponents.

HAWKEYES BEAT ANOTHER RANKED OPPONENT, TOP MICHIGAN
For the second time in five games, the Iowa Hawkeyes topped a ranked opponent, this time beating No. 13 Michigan 75-59 on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It marked the first time since the 2006-07 season an Iowa team beat two ranked opponents in the same season (No. 24 Michigan State and No. 25 Indiana). Iowa scored the last five points of the first half to help build a 33-23 halftime cushion. The Wolverines closed the gap to six with 12:42 remaining, but the Hawkeyes answered with a 10-0 surge and never again relinquished the double digit lead. Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Matt Gatens (19), Roy Devyn Marble (13), Aaron White (12) and Zach McCabe (11). Eric May and McCabe each pulled down seven rebounds, while Marble (4) and Bryce Cartwright (5) combined for nine assists. Michigan was led by freshman Trey Burke (19 points) and senior Zach Novak (14 points and eight rebounds).

IOWA, MICHIGAN TIP-INS
? Iowa did an excellent job possessing the basketball, turning the ball over only eight times. The Hawkeyes have played four contests this year where it committed fewer than 10 turnovers.
? Iowa sank 10-of-14 free throws in the last five minutes to help maintain its double digit advantage. Freshman Aaron White was 7-of-8 from the foul line the last three minutes.
? The win snapped a six-game losing streak to Michigan.
? The Hawkeyes outrebounded the Wolverines by nine (39-30). It was Iowa’s largest positive rebounding margin since grabbing 15 more boards than Central Arkansas on Dec. 19.
? Iowa held Michigan to 8-of-31 (.258) shooting from 3-point territory. The Wolverines were only 3-of-16 (.188) from long distance in the first stanza.
? Iowa improved to 5-1 in Saturday games this season.
? After falling to ranked opponents 23 consecutive times, Iowa has won three of its last five against ranked competition, dating back to last season. The Hawkeyes beat No. 6 Purdue (67-65) in the 2011 regular season finale, and have beaten No. 11 Wisconsin (72-65) in Madison on Dec. 31 and No. 13 Michigan (75-59) in Iowa City on Jan. 14.
? Iowa only plays Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan, its last three opponents, once this season. Iowa will also only play Illinois once (Feb. 26 in Champaign).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Purdue holds an 84-71 advantage in the series that began with a 17-11 Boilermaker win in 1909. Purdue had won eight straight over Iowa, before Iowa recorded a 67-65 victory in the regular-season finale on March 5, 2010, in Iowa City. The Boilermakers won this season’s early meeting in Iowa City, 79-76 on Dec. 28, 2011, in the conference opener. The Boilermakers hold a 55-21 advantage in games played in West Lafayette. Purdue has won the last four meetings in Mackey Arena. The Hawkeyes’ last victory at Mackey Arena came on Feb. 1, 2006 (77-68). Iowa and Purdue have met four times at a neutral site, with three of the four meetings taking place in the Big Ten Tournament and two of the four taking place in Indianapolis. Iowa defeated the Boilermakers 71-52 in the 2005 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago and 87-72 in the 2002 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. Purdue defeated Iowa in the 2007 event in Chicago, 74-55. In addition, the Hawkeyes and Boilermakers both advanced to the 1980 Final Four at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis where both lost in the semifinals. A consolation game was played, at that time, and Purdue defeated Iowa, 75-58.

SCOUTING PURDUE
? Purdue is Iowa’s second opponent in three games to have had a “bye” before playing the Hawkeyes (Michigan State). The Boilermakers lost their last game, 67-62, at home to Wisconsin on Jan. 12.
? In their last loss, Wisconsin led by as many as 18 points (22-4) in the first half. Purdue only had three turnovers, but shot 55 percent (12-of-22) from the foul line and 34 percent (21-of-61) from the floor. Terone Johnson scored a career-high 16 points off the bench to lead the Boilermakers.
? Tuesday will mark the second time that Purdue will have four or more days to prepare for the Hawkeyes. In their previous meeting on Dec. 28, the Boilermakers had seven days to prepare for Iowa.
? Purdue is 9-1 at home, winning its first nine before falling to the Badgers last Thursday, which snapped their 26-game winning streak. The 26-game home win streak was the third longest in school history, and second longest at Mackey Arena.
? Purdue has played seven games decided by five points or less (4-3).
? Senior Robbie Hummel leads the team in scoring (16.0), rebounding (6.0) and blocks (1.2). Senior Ryne Smith ranks second in scoring (10.1).
? Robbie Hummel (38) and Ryne Smith (50) combine for 88 of Purdue’s 147 triples this season.
? Purdue boasts a +10.8 scoring margin and +5.1 turnover margin. The Boilermakers average 72.4 points per game and are shooting 44.6 percent from the field.

IOWA, PURDUE TIP-INS
? Both Iowa’s Matt Gatens and Purdue’s Robbie Hummel rank among the Big Ten active career leaders in steals. Gatens is third with 123, while Hummel ranks fourth with 119.
? Iowa’s second (Roy Devyn Marble, 10.8), third (Aaron White, 9.7), fourth (Melsahn Basabe, 8.9) and fifth (Zach McCabe, 7.5) leading scorers are all underclassmen.
? After not playing a nonconference ranked opponent, four of Iowa’s first five Big Ten games were against ranked foes: Wisconsin (11), Ohio State (6), Michigan State (6) and Michigan (13). Last season, Iowa opened conference play with five of its first six against ranked competition.
? Iowa ranks 40th in the country in steals (8.4) and 51st in free throw percentage (.728). Individually, Roy Devyn Marble is 11th in assist/turnover ratio (2.8).
? Purdue ranks second in the country in fewest turnovers per game (9.6), seventh in turnover margin (5.1), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and 35th in 3-pointers (8.2). Individually, Ryne Smith ranks 24th in 3-pointers made per game (2.8) and 39th in 3-point percentage (.450).
? Purdue’s roster is comprised of 14 student-athletes. The roster consists of three seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. Nine players hail from Indiana, two from Illinois, and one from Ohio, North Carolina and Croatia.
? Purdue posted a 4-3 record vs. Iowa during the playing career of Boilermaker Coach Matt Painter (1990-93).
? Fran McCaffery’s last game as head coach at Siena was against Purdue in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers beat the Saints (72-64) in the first round at Spokane, Wash.

PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER
Matt Painter, a former Boilermaker player under Gene Keady, is in his seventh season as the head coach at Purdue after serving as associate head coach for one season. Painter has a record of 151-69 (.686) at Purdue. He is in his eighth season as a head coach with a 176-74 (.704) record. Painter guided the Boilermakers to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament title, an NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” appearance and a 27-10 overall record in 2009. In 2010, he mentored Purdue to its second straight NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” appearance, a co-Big Ten regular season championship and a 29-6 record. Last year, he led the Boilermakers to a second place finish in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. He led Purdue to a 9-18 mark in his first season after posting a 25-5 record in one season at Southern Illinois. Painter was the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2004, leading the Salukis to a 17-1 league record and a No. 15 national ranking. He previously served as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois (1995-98) and Southern Illinois (1998-2003). Painter was a four-year (1990-93) letterwinner at Purdue and was a team captain as a senior. He earned all-Big Ten honorable mention recognition and helped Purdue earn four straight post-season invitations, including three NCAA Tournament invitations. Painter is 9-3 vs. Iowa and 3-1 vs. Hawkeye Coach Fran McCaffery.

PURDUE WON THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Purdue beat Iowa 79-76 on Dec. 28, 2011, in the Big Ten opener in Iowa City. Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Roy Devyn Marble (17), Melsahn Basabe (14) and Matt Gatens (11). Marble also equaled a career high with six assists. Basabe grabbed a team-best eight boards. He has led the team in rebounding in six of the last seven games. Gatens matched season highs with six boards and five assists. Iowa outscored Purdue 21-7 at the charity stripe, but the Boilermakers (6) sank three more 3-pointers than the Hawkeyes (3) and shot 50 percent (33-of-66) from the field. Robbie Hummel had a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds) to lead Purdue. Matt Gatens, Roy Devyn Marble and Bryce Cartwright combined for 15 assists and only one turnover. Eric May scored all nine of his points and snagged all six of his rebounds in the second half.

IOWA VS. RANKED TEAMS
Iowa has played four games against ranked competition, including its last three. The Hawkeyes beat No. 11 Wisconsin (72-65) on Dec. 31 in Madison, and most recently 13th-ranked Michigan (75-59) on Jan. 14 in Iowa City. Iowa fell to No. 6 Ohio State (76-47) on Jan. 7 in Iowa City and No. 6 Michigan State (95-61) on Jan. 10 in East Lansing.

IOWA TO HONOR 1987 TEAM AND LETTERMEN’S DAY ON FEB. 4
There will be more than a basketball game on Feb. 4 when Penn State visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That Saturday will be a special afternoon as the UI men’s basketball program will honor the 1986-87 Hawkeyes. Former UI head coach Tom Davis, and a majority of players and staff from the 1987 team will reunite in Iowa City. Additionally, for “Lettermen’s Day”, the team will wear special throwback jerseys. Fans will have an opportunity to meet this illustrious group before the Feb. 4 game. There will be an autograph session of selected players from 12:30-1:30 p.m. around the concourse. Following autographs there will be a pregame ceremony recognizing the team and its accomplishments. That team, which was the top-ranked team in the country for a number of weeks during the season, set the program’s single-season record for wins (30) and was one game from the earning the program’s fourth Final Four appearance. Eight players from the 1987 team ultimately went on to get drafted in the NBA, while others played professionally overseas.

ESPN.COM RANKS NATION’S TOP FRESHMEN
ESPN.com released a midseason report on the nation’s top freshmen. Included in the list are Iowa’s Aaron White. White is ranked No. 15. Indiana’s Cody Zeller is second and Trey Burke of Michigan is seventh. White ranks third in Iowa scoring (9.7) and second in rebounding (4.7).

STAT SHEET STUFFER
Roy Devyn Marble’s level of play has been stellar the last 15 games. The sophomore has averaged 12.5 points and 3.7 assists during that span. Also, he is shooting 44 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line during the 15-game stretch. Since moving to the starting point guard spot, Marble has led Iowa in scoring five of the last 10 games. As a starter this season, he is averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He has amassed a staggering assist/turnover ratio this season. He has 64 assists to only 23 turnovers, ranking second in the Big Ten (2.8) and 11th in the country. Marble has been credited with four assists or more 11 times this season.

GATENS CLIMBING CHARTS
Matt Gatens ranks 15th on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. The senior is only four points from tying Bruce King (1975-77) for 14th place and 15 points from equaling Ed Horton (1986-89) for 13th. Gatens has amassed 1,357 points entering Tuesday’s contest at Purdue. The senior was 4-of-7 from 3-point territory in Iowa’s win over No. 13 Michigan and now has 193 triples. Gatens is now tied with Brody Boyd (2001-04) for fifth in career 3-pointers made. The seven attempts against the Wolverines moved him past Boyd and into sole possession of fourth place on Iowa’s all-time career 3-point attempts chart.

WHITE LEADS BIG TEN RESERVES IN REBOUNDING
Aaron White leads Big Ten reserves in rebounding. The Iowa freshman has pulled down 89 rebounds. Michigan State’s Derrick Nix ranks second (74), Austin Thornton of Michigan State is third (66), while Purdue’s Terone Johnson is fourth (59).

IMPROVED NUMBERS FOR MARBLE
Last season, Roy Devyn Marble averaged 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and was credited with 41 assists and 21 steals in 31 contests. He started the last six of 2010-11. Also, he shot 53 percent from the free throw line (35-of-66). This year, Marble has seen improved numbers, averaging 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and has collected 64 assists and 30 steals. He has started the last 11. From the foul line this season, the sophomore has seen significant improvement, shooting 70 percent (58-of-83). The 83 free throw attempts are the fourth most by a Big Ten student-athlete this season.

FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTIONS
Freshmen Aaron White and Josh Oglesby have combined for seven games of scoring 15 or more points this season. White has scored 15 points or more in four of the last seven contests.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK – – 10
Iowa has won five of its last six games when Melsahn Basabe pulls down 10+ rebounds, including a 3-0 mark in 2011-12. His three games with 10 or more rebounds ranks fifth best in the conference this season. Basabe is one of four active Big Ten players with at least 10 games of 10+ rebounds since the beginning of last season. Basabe has accomplished the feat 11 times.

Matt Gatens AMONG SELECT GROUP
Matt Gatens is one of five active Division I players with 1,350+ points, 400+ rebounds and 190+ made 3-pointers in a career.

PERIMETER DEFENSE IMPROVING
In 13 nonconference games, Iowa opponents shot 35 percent (70-of-201) from long distance. However, through six games in league play, Hawkeye opponents are shooting just 28 percent (38-of-134) from 3-point territory, a percentage defense that ranks second best in the league. In Iowa’s three Big Ten victories, opponents were just 15-of-82 (.183) from long distance.

SINKING THE FREEBEES
Last year, Iowa’s free throw percentage was 67.6 percent. This season, the Hawkeyes have improved in that area, shooting 72.8 percent, which ranks third best in the Big Ten. Twenty-two percent of Iowa’s offense this year has come from the foul line. The Hawkeyes have missed only 18 free throws (76-of-94, .809) in the final five minutes of games. Additionally, the Hawkeyes have missed only nine free throws (28-of-37, .757) in the final minute.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,644 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,588-1,056 (.601). That includes a 951-351 (.730) record in home games, a 547-715 (.433) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 706-721 (.495) mark in Big Ten games and a 357-115 (.756) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

WHITE OUT
Aaron White has been contributing solid numbers off the bench. The freshman, who leads all Big Ten reserves in rebounding (4.7), averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds the last eight games. White has scored in double digits eight times, including seven of the last nine games. The last nine games, White has averaged 12.2 points, shooting at a 63 percent clip (37-of-59) from the field. The 6-foot-8 wing player has scored 15 points or more five times, which is the third most by a Big Ten rookie this season. White netted eight of his 12 points from the charity stripe last Saturday in helping the Hawkeyes to another win over a ranked opponent. White drained 7-of-8 free-throw attempts in the last three minutes of the game to help maintain a double-digit advantage over the Wolverines. White was named Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week after his performance in Iowa’s season opening victory over Chicago State (Nov. 11). The native of Strongsville, Ohio, shined in his Hawkeye debut, leading all scorers and rebounders with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The 19 points are the most by an Iowa freshman in an 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.

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. Additionally, Iowa’s new video coordinator, Al Seibert, has 18 years of collegiate coaching experience.

IMPROVEMENT UNDER McCAFFERY IN SECOND YEAR
Fran McCaffery-coached teams have posted improved win totals and scoring output 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. His Lehigh team averaged 2.8 more points its second year compared to year one. His UNC Greensboro team had a +1.9 scoring increase and +1.8 at Siena. Currently, Iowa is averaging seven more points this year compared to last season.

HAWKEYE FAST BREAKS
? The Big Ten is the No. 1 ranked conference in the RPI and Sagarin ratings.
? Iowa averages 83.2 points in its wins, compared to 61.9 points in its defeats, a differential of 21.3 points. The Hawkeyes own a +16.9 point differential in their scoring defense, and +9.9 rebounding and +8.3 assists margins in wins compared to losses.
? Roy Devyn Marble has 64 assists to only 23 turnovers. His 2.8 assist/turnover ratio ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally.
? Iowa’s attendance numbers are up again this season, after a 20 percent bump a year ago. Last season, Iowa averaged 11,096 fans. Through 13 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 11,290.
? 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.
? At least 10 players have seen action in 15 of Iowa’s 19 contests. Iowa’s bench averages 29 points.
? Iowa has had five players score in double figures three times (North Carolina A&T, Drake and Central Arkansas). The Hawkeyes had five players score 12 points or more in its win over North Carolina A&T (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).

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.

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 then advanced to the Sweet 16 with a win over Saddi Washington of Oakland University. In both rounds, Speraw sank all 25 of his free throws. Speraw’s next opponent is Derrick Jones of Louisiana Tech. The Sweet 16 and Round of Eight will occur in January, while 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.

“HAWK TALK WITH Fran McCaffery”
University of Iowa basketball fans may join Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery and radio announcer Gary Dolphin during the season for the “Hawk Talk with Fran McCaffery” radio call-in show. The show takes place at Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe in Iowa City from 7-8:30 p.m. Fans can call in and ask the coach a question by calling 1-877-464-2957. Below is the January schedule.

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 Bankers Life 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. Bankers Life 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 through Ticketmaster or the Bankers Life Fieldhouse Box Office only. 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 Bankers Life 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 Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will have its first of two conference “byes” this weekend and will have eight days to prepare for its next opponent. The Hawkeyes will host Nebraska Thursday, Jan. 26 (6 p.m., ESPNU) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.