Hawkeyes Return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Nov. 29, 2012

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Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (5-2) returns home to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-4) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 12:05 p.m. on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400). Tickets for Saturday’s contest cost $14 for adults, and $5 for UI students and youth. The ticket is also good for the women’s game against UNI, which will start at approximately 2:30 p.m. after the men’s game. Free trading cards will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans on Saturday. Also, Saturday is Camper Reunion Day. Campers earn free admission, while guests can purchase $5 tickets.

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: Saturday’s game will not be televised, but fans can access the game online on hawkeyesports.com via the BTN Digital Network. Hawkeye All-Access subscribers can watch live video streams of UI events on the BTN Digital Network at no extra charge. Fans can also access the game via video.BTN.com.

HAWKEYES DROP ACC/B1G CHALLENGE GAME AT VIRGINIA TECH
? Iowa lost 95-79 at Virginia Tech on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
? The Hawkeyes trailed by 17 early in the second half, but a 16-2 Hawkeye run got the visitors within one possession (57-54) with 12 minutes remaining. The Hokies outscored Iowa 38-25 the final 12 minutes to record the victory.
? Aaron White tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds to post his second double-double of the season and sixth of his career.
? Roy Devyn Marble had a solid outing, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half. He also finished with seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists. The seven helpers are one shy of a personal best.
? The Hokies outscored the Hawkeyes 27-13 at the foul line. Virginia Tech attempted 30 free throws compared to 18 for Iowa.
? Eight Hawkeyes scored four points or more, while four netted nine or more.
? Virginia Tech is the first team Iowa has faced this season that shot better than 42 percent from the field. The Hokies made 52.5 percent (32-of-61) of their attempts.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in each of the first seven games.
? Aaron White is attacking the rim averaging a team-best 8.1 free-throw attempts per game. He is averaging 6.1 free-throw makes per outing.
? The Hawkeyes have attempted 20 or more free throws in six of their seven games. Iowa has attempted 23 free throws twice (Central Michigan and Howard) and 25 twice (Gardner-Webb and UTPA).
? Iowa has made (129) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (130), 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.
? Aaron White netted 21 points at Virginia Tech, marking the third time in his career the sophomore reached the 20-point plateau.
? Iowa has exactly 96 assists and 96 turnovers through seven games.
? 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).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Saturday will be the first meeting between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Iowa. The Islanders are a member of the Southland Conference. The Hawkeyes are 4-1 all-time against current members of the Southland.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
? Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has two players average in double figures: Will Nelson (15.6) and Johnathan Jordan (13.2).
? The Islanders have two players who have made five 3-pointers or more: Will Nelson (8) and Joy Williamson (6).
? Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has been outrebounded by an average of 2.2 per game.
? The Islanders average 64.4 points per game and have allowed 70.2.
? Texas A&M-Corpus Christi lost its last game at Toledo on Wednesday (80-68). Toledo outscored the Islanders 35-24 at the free throw line. Toledo attempted 46 foul shots en route to victory. Johnathan Jordan poured in a team-high 22 points in defeat.

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-point 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 seven games in 2012, Iowa is yielding 61.9 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 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. He also has rejected a team-best 14 shots, blocking four shots in two games (Central Michigan and Western Kentucky). May is averaging 5.9 points and four 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 seven games. Last season, May was 15-of-24 (.610) from the foul line in 33 contests.

BLOCK PARTY
Last season, Iowa amassed 199 blocks in 35 games (3.4 per game). So far this season, the Hawkeyes have been credited with 42 rejections (6.0 per contest). Melsahn Basabe leads the team with 14 blocked shots, while freshman center Adam Woodbury has 10.

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.

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.

HAWKEYES 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. Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble were named to the all-tournament team. The Hawkeyes had three players score 21 points each in the two games (10.5 avg.): Eric May, Mike Gesell and Marble. 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 won preliminary round games against Howard and Gardner-Webb in Iowa City.

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.

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 2,666 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,600-1,066 (.600). That includes a 960-353 (.731) record in home games, a 550-723 (.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.

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
The Hawkeyes will remain in Iowa City next week for a pair of home games against South Dakota (Dec. 4, 7 p.m.) and Iowa State (Dec. 7, 7 p.m.).