Men's Hoops Returns to Action Tuesday

Nov. 24, 2012

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (5-1) travels to Blacksburg, Va., on Tuesday to face Virginia Tech (5-0) in the 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:17 p.m. (CT) from Cassell Coliseum.

ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE QUICK HITS
? The Hawkeyes’ last game against Wichita State was Fran McCaffery’s 500th career game as a head coach.
? Iowa’s first six games have been decided by eight points or more.
? Roy Devyn Marble has scored in double figures in all six games this season.
? Aaron White leads the team in rebounding (6.5), steals (1.5) and free throws made (38) and attempted (51), and is second in scoring (12.5).
? The Hawkeyes have attempted 20 or more free throws in each of their first six games, including attempting 39 (made 31) against Wichita State.
? This marks the second time in three years under Fran McCaffery that the Hawkeye head coach has started two freshmen in the season opener (Basabe and McCabe in 2010).
? Iowa has won nine of its last 10 home games, dating back to Feb. 1.
? Iowa is 10-2 when scoring 80 points or more, the last three seasons. The Hawkeyes are 18-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, the last two years.
? Iowa’s average starting lineup height is 6-foot-6. The Hawkeye starting lineup consists of two freshmen, one sophomore, and two juniors.

ON THE AIR
Radio: All Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play, along with color commentator Bob Hansen. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network coverage includes a 60-minute pregame show.
Television: ESPNU will televise Tuesday night’s contest from Blacksburg, Va. Tom Hart and Tim McCormick will call the action.

HAWKEYES RECORD SPLIT AT CANCUN CHALLENGE
? Iowa split its two games at the Cancun Challenge. The Hawkeyes beat Western Kentucky 63-55 in the semifinals, but fell to Wichita State 75-63 in the championship.
? The Hawkeyes had three players score 21 points each in the two games (10.5 avg.): Eric May, Mike Gesell and Roy Devyn Marble.
? Mike Gesell (19) and Melsahn Basabe (11) posted season highs in scoring against Western Kentucky. Basabe also rejected four shots for the second time (Central Michigan).
? Iowa made eight 3-pointers compared to only four two-pointers in its loss to Wichita State. However, the Hawkeyes were rewarded for attacking the basket, earning 39 free throw attempts (making 31).
? Eric May registered a season high with 13 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds off the bench against Wichita State.
? Iowa had four players score in double digits for the third time this year in the Cancun Challenge championship: Aaron White (14), Eric May (13), Josh Oglesby (12), and Roy Devyn Marble (11).
? Aaron White and Eric May combined for 20-of-22 (.909) from the charity stripe in Iowa’s game against Wichita State.
? Wichita State shot 42 percent (23-of-55) from the field, marking the first time this season the Hawkeyes allowed a team to shoot better than 40 percent.
? Aaron White tied the Cancun Challenge record for most free throws made in the four tournament games with 28. White tied Ryan Thompson of Rider (2009).
? Iowa’s Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble were named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in each of the first six games.
? Aaron White is attacking the rim averaging a team-best 8.5 free-throw attempts per game. He is averaging 6.3 free-throw makes per outing.
? The Hawkeyes have attempted 20 or more free throws in each of their first six games. Iowa has attempted 23 free throws twice (Central Michigan and Howard) and 25 twice (Gardner-Webb and UTPA).
? Iowa has made (116) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (100), which is a staple of Fran McCaffery-coached teams.
? Roy Devyn Marble scored 15 of his season-high 22 points in the first half against Howard. It marked the third time in his career the junior reached the 20-point plateau.
? Iowa blocked 10 shots vs. UT-Pan American in its season opener, the most by an Iowa team since Nov. 14, 2005 (Md.-Eastern Shore).

HAWKEYES IN THE CHALLENGE
Iowa is 2-9 in the Challenge after falling to Clemson (71-55) in Iowa City a year ago. The Hawkeyes did not take part in the event in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Iowa lost its last road contest in the Challenge in 2010 at Wake Forest (76-73) on a last-second 3-pointer. The Hawkeyes’ last victory in the Challenge came against NC State (45-42) in 2005.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday will be the third meeting between Virginia Tech and Iowa with the Hokies winning the previous two meetings, both in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Virginia Tech edged Iowa 69-65 in Blacksburg in 2006 and 70-64 in Iowa City in 2009.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
? Virginia Tech won its first five games of the season, winning four of the five at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies are 5-0 for the first time since the 1984-85 season.
? The Hokies have scored 80 points or more in four of the five victories, including post 95-plus points twice.
? Point guard Erick Green averages a team-best 24.4 points, bolstered by 44-of-51 (.863) from the foul line, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Forward Jarell Eddie averages 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds, while guard Robert Brown averages 11.6 points and 4.4 assists.
? Erick Green poured in a career-high 27 points in the Hokies’ last game against Appalachian State.
? Virginia Tech’s lone road game came at UNC Greensboro (won 96-87).
? The Hokies have made 43 percent of its 110 three-point attempts.
? Virginia Tech has averaged 6,720 fans in its four home games.
? The Hokies remain at home later this week when they host Oklahoma State from the Big 12 on Saturday.
? Virginia Tech is coached by first-year coach James Johnson. He spent the last five seasons on the Hokies’ men’s basketball staff.
? Former Drake head coach (1997-2003) Kurt Kanaskie is in his first season as an assistant at Virginia Tech. Kanaskie was an associate head coach at Navy last season and was on the Penn State coaching staff for eight seasons (2003-11).

IOWA POSTS LARGEST COMEBACK IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Iowa trailed Gardner-Webb by 23 points (38-15) with 13 seconds left in the first half on Nov. 17 in Iowa City. Sophomore Josh Oglesby drained three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with one second remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 20 (38-18) at halftime. The Hawkeyes rallied in the second half and ultimately won by nine points (65-56), which is a 32-poitn swing. The comeback is believed to be the largest in school history. The last team in the country to overcome a 20+ halftime deficit was Harvard, which trailed Brown by 22 points (53-31) and won 85-78 on Feb. 12, 2011. The last Big Ten team to overcome a 20+ halftime deficit was Illinois, which trailed at Clemson by 20 points (47-27) and won 76-74 on Dec. 2, 2009.

HAWKEYE DEFENSE IMPROVING
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. Through six games in 2012, Iowa is yielding just 56.3 points. Iowa held Howard to 36 points on Nov. 15, which were the fewest points a Hawkeye team allowed since a 61-36 win over Bryant on Dec. 5, 2008.

BASABE, MAY LEADING HAWKEYE RESERVES
Junior Melsahn Basabe and senior Eric May have been Iowa’s leaders off the bench. Basabe is averaging 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. He also has rejected a team-best 12 shots, blocking four shots in two games (Central Michigan and Western Kentucky). May is averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. His scoring numbers have been aided by his ability to attack the basket and get to the free throw line in the early stages of the season. May is 17-of-21 (.810) from the charity stripe through six games. Last season, May was 15-of-24 (.610) from the foul line in 33 contests.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK — 3
Three of Iowa’s starters are from the Sioux City area. Junior Zach McCabe and freshman Adam Woodbury hail from Sioux City, Iowa, while freshman Mike Gesell is a native of South Sioux City, Neb. Gesell celebrated his 19th birthday on Nov. 9, the season opener.

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans and media who tweet during about the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this week are encouraged to use the hashtag #ACCB1G in their tweets.

MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN YEAR TWO
Fran McCaffery guided Iowa to 18 wins (18-17) in his second season as head coach of the Hawkeyes, with four of the 18 victories coming against top 20 opponents. McCaffery was one of only four Big Ten coaches to record four or more wins over ranked opponents, and the only coach to do so with an unranked team. McCaffery’s seven-win improvement in his second season, ties Pops Harrison (1943-44) for the fourth best improvement following his second year as Iowa head coach. Steve Alford (2000-01) and Lute Olsen (1975-76) rank first (+9), while George Raveling (1984-85) is third (+8). Furthermore, the seven-win improvement ranked third-best in the Big Ten in 2012 behind Indiana (+12) and Michigan State (+10). Iowa improved by four wins in conference play from 2011 (four) to 2012 (eight), its best improvement since 1994-95. Tom Davis’ 1994 team won five, while his 1995 squad collected nine victories.

WHITE, WOODBURY RECEIVE PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Sophomore Aaron White has been named preseason third team All-Big Ten by the website College Sports Madness, while Adam Woodbury was named by CBSSports.com as a top 30 freshman to make an impact. White, who was named to the 2012 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America team, averaged 11.1 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds a year ago. Woodbury, is a three-time All-State honoree, and was tabbed MVP of the NBA Top 100 Camp in 2011. The 7-foot-1 center topped 1,000 career points and rebounds in his prep career for Sioux City East High School.

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 48 years of head coaching experience. Director of Basketball Operations Jerry Strom is in his 32nd season as a member of the Iowa basketball staff. Additionally, Iowa’s video coordinator, Al Seibert, has 18 years of collegiate coaching experience.

WELCOME FRESHMEN
Iowa welcomes five newcomers to the fold for 2012-13. The newest Hawkeyes include guards Anthony Clemmons, Pat Ingram and Mike Gesell; forward Kyle Meyer and center Adam Woodbury. The class ranks 25th in the nation by ESPN.com.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,665 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,600-1,065 (.600). That includes a 960-353 (.731) record in home games, a 550-722 (.432) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 711-728 (.494) mark in Big Ten games and a 366-117 (.758) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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 and game highlights, along with news stories and other content.

HY-VEE BIG 4 CLASSIC TICKETS ON SALE
The state of Iowa’s four NCAA Division I institutions will host the inaugural Hy-Vee Big Four Classic, a men’s college basketball doubleheader at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Dec. 15. Tickets, priced at $25, $50 and $70, can be purchased at dahlstickets.com, the Wells Fargo Arena Ticket Office, all Dahl’s Foods Locations and by calling 866-55-DAHLS.

ON THE HORIZON
After nearly two weeks away from home, the Hawkeyes return to Iowa City to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 12:05 p.m. on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In fact, Iowa’s next three games will be played at home: South Dakota (Dec. 4) and Iowa State (Dec. 7).