Men's Hoops Travels to Northwestern on Sunday

Jan. 11, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (11-5, 0-3) hits the road this weekend when it travels to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern (10-6, 1-2). Tip-off is set for 4:35 p.m. (CT) at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tickets are $28 and can be purchased at NUSports.com/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. Fans can also listen to the broadcast on satellite radio: Sirius (93) and XM Radio (190).
Television: Sunday afternoon’s game will be televised on ESPNU (WatchESPN). Dan Gutowsky and Tim McCormick will call the action.

GAME #17 STORYLINES
? Three of Iowa’s next four games are on the road, beginning Sunday in Evanston.
? Hawkeye freshman Adam Woodbury will be celebrating his 19th birthday on Sunday.
? Iowa’s leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble (15.5 ppg) missed the first game of his career Thursday night vs. Michigan State due to a sprained ankle sustained in practice earlier in the week.
? Aaron White leads the team in rebounding (6.1), free throws made (72) and attempted (98), and ranks second in scoring (13.1).
? Iowa ranks 10th in the country in free throw makes (17.4) and 17th in attempts (24.6).
? Iowa is 16-2 when scoring 80 points or more, the last three seasons. The Hawkeyes are 21-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, the last three years.
? Iowa’s underclassmen accounts for 58 percent of Iowa’s scoring. The three rookie starters account for 27 percent of the team’s scoring and 47 percent of its assists.
? The combined record of Iowa’s first three Big Ten opponents (Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State) is 43-4 (.915) entering this weekend’s action.
? Last year, Iowa had two starting seniors in its backcourt (Matt Gatens and Bryce Cartwright). This season, the Hawkeyes have two rookies ( Anthony Clemmons and Mike Gesell).

MICHIGAN STATE EDGES HAWKEYES, 62-59
? No. 18 Michigan State edged Iowa 62-59 on Thursday night in Iowa City. The loss was Iowa’s third straight to a nationally-ranked opponent to start Big Ten play.
? Iowa led 56-53 with 1:34 left, but the Spartans rallied to score five consecutive points to take a 58-56 advantage with 48 seconds remaining before hanging on for the road win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
? Iowa played without the services of its leading scorer, Roy Devyn Marble (15.5 ppg), who sustained a sprained ankle in practice earlier in the week.
? Junior Zach McCabe scored a game and season-high 15 points, bolstered by 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point territory. McCabe drained his final two 3-point attempts at crucial times with under eight minutes remaining in the contest. Thursday was his first time leading Iowa in scoring this season, and second game in double digits this year.
? Junior Melsahn Basabe scored 14 points and went 5-of-5 from the field. It marked his third game of the season with 10+ points.
? Iowa assisted on 18-of-23 field goals (78 percent). Freshman Anthony Clemmons led the team with six assists. He has had at least six assists in seven of the past eight outings.
? Aaron White netted 11 points. The sophomore has reached double-digit scoring in 11 games this season.
? Iowa held a 31-12 advantage in bench points, marking the 11th time this season bench players combined to score 20 points or more. Iowa’s reserves average 25.5 points per game after 15 games.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? Iowa has Sunday road games four of the first five weekends of conference play.
? Iowa has made 35-of-94 (.372) 3-pointers in five games away from home, while the Hawkeyes are 57-of-205 (.283) from long range in 11 home contests.
? Co-captain Eric May started for the first time this year on Thursday, replacing the injured Roy Devyn Marble. The senior grabbed a season-high seven boards against the Spartans. It marked May’s first start since Jan. 26, 2012, vs. Nebraska. May has posted his best offensive rebound average, assist rate, turnover rate and free throw percentage of his career this season.
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in 15 of their 16 games. The only contest in which it did not play 10 players was Iowa State (nine players). Iowa has nine players who average 17 minutes or more of action.
? Three of Iowa’s first four Big Ten games are on an ESPN network, including Sunday’s contest at Northwestern.
? Freshman Adam Woodbury averaged a team-best 6.6 rebounds the last five games.
? Iowa has made (279) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (265), which is a staple of Fran McCaffery-coached teams.
? The Hawkeyes have four players who have made 15 or more triples: Marble (23), Oglesby (19), Gesell (17), and McCabe (15).
? Iowa has had an attendance figure of 10,500 fans or greater in all 11 home contests, including a sellout of 15,400 against Indiana on Dec. 31.
? Iowa’s 12 triples vs. UNI are the second most by a Fran McCaffery-coached Iowa team. Roy Devyn Marble’s 30 points and 14 free throws made rank third and first, respectively, the last three seasons under Fran McCaffery.
? Iowa started three freshmen in its last nine outings: Anthony Clemmons, Mike Gesell and Adam Woodbury. The last time the Hawkeyes started three rookies (Aaron Fuller, Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker) was on Dec. 2, 2008, at Boston College.
? Gabriel Olaseni has blocked at least one shot in seven of eight contests played. He ranks seventh in the league in blocks (1.3).
? After playing 7-of-9 games at home, the Hawkeyes hit the road for three of their next four.
? Iowa has won 14 of its last 17 home games, including nine of 11 this season, dating back to Feb. 1, 2012.

HEATING UP
Roy Devyn Marble’s game has soared as of late before injury his ankle, rising to sixth in Big Ten scoring (15.5 ppg). He has scored in double digits in all but one game played this season. In his last five games played, the junior averaged 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. During that five-game stretch, Marble is shooting 82 percent from the free throw line (37-of-45) and 42 percent from long distance (13-of-31).

`TIS THE SEASON FOR GIVING
Iowa has done an outstanding job sharing the basketball this season. The Hawkeyes have assisted on 65.6 percent of its field goal makes (269 assists on 410 field goals), a rate that is 12th best in the country. Northwestern, Iowa’s opponent on Sunday, ranks first in the country (72.4 percent). Iowa has assisted on 71 percent of its field goal makes the last six contests (110 assists on 154 field goals).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa holds a 108-57 advantage over Northwestern in the series that began with a 24-23 Wildcat win in 1905. The Wildcats have won six of the last seven contests, including the last five. Iowa has won 25 of the last 38. Eleven of the last 15 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less, with eight of those decided by five points or less. Iowa holds a 44-39 edge in games played in Evanston, but the Wildcats have won seven of the last eight (three of those on last second shots) and nine of the last 11 home games. Iowa won eight straight games in Welsh-Ryan Arena, prior to losses in 2001 and 2002. Iowa won the only neutral site meeting, winning 72-55 at the United Center in the first round of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
? Northwestern is 3-3 in games decided by six points or less, which includes a three point overtime win against Illinois State (Nov. 24).
? The Wildcats are 6-5 in home games, averaging 5,960 fans per contest at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern is 4-1 in games away from Evanston this season.
? Northwestern has two freshmen in its starting lineup: Alex Olah (center) and Kale Abrahamson (forward). Abrahamson is from West Des Moines (Valley HS).
? Senior Drew Crawford, who averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds the first 10 games of the season, is out for the season due to a shoulder injury.
? Senior Reggie Hearn, the team’s leading scorer at 14.2 points per game, missed two games with a sprained ankle (Brown and Michigan).
? Northwestern won its first Big Ten game Thursday night at Penn State (70-54). A 25-6 first-half scoring run spanning 11 minutes propelled the Wildcats to the road victory.
? Four Wildcats scored in double figures in their win at Penn State: Dave Sobolewski (18), Jared Swopshire (17), Reggie Hearn (14), and Kale Abrahamson (10).
? Northwestern has three players who have made 20 or more 3-pointers: Dave Sobolewski (29), Reggie Hearn (22), and Kale Abrahamson (20).
? Northwestern ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made (8.4), 3-point accuracy (.380), assists (16.6), and assist/turnover ratio (1.5), and sixth in turnover margin (+2.2).
? Sophomore point guard Dave Sobolewski ranks fifth in the league in assists (4.4).

GESELL, WOODBURY, ABRAHAMSON REUNITE
Iowa freshmen Mike Gesell and Adam Woodbury, and Northwestern rookie Kale Abrahamson played AAU basketball on the same team (Martin Brothers All Iowa Attack). All three are starters for their respective teams this season.

CLEMMONS PROVIDING SPARK
Since Anthony Clemmons was first inserted into the Hawkeye starting lineup (Dec. 1), he has provided a spark. The native of Lansing, Mich., is averaging 5.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds while averaging 22 minutes per game as a starter. Clemmons has registered a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in his nine starts. For the season, his 2.5 ratio ranks seventh in the Big Ten.

NORTHWESTERN BEAT IOWA IN LAST MEETING
Northwestern escaped Iowa City with a 70-66 win over the Hawkeyes on March 3, 2012, on Iowa’s “Senior Day”. Iowa led by as many as 15 points (28-13) midway through first half, but the Wildcats closed the half on a 29-7 run the last 9:26 to lead 42-35 at intermission. Northwestern led by as many as 11 points in the second stanza, but the Hawkeyes fought back and closed to within two points in the final minute. A Josh Oglesby 3-pointer misfired with three seconds left that would have given Iowa a one-point lead. Northwestern forced 18 Iowa turnovers, 13 in the first half, and converted those Hawkeye miscues into 23 points. The Wildcats also snagged 11 of its 14 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes, scoring timely second chance points. Senior Matt Gatens led Iowa in scoring with 17 points. Aaron White had 14 points, while Roy Devyn Marble contributed 11. Senior Bryce Cartwright had a game-high eight assists, to go along with six rebounds and six points. Drew Crawford led the Wildcats with a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Iowa held the Big Ten’s leading scorer, John Shurna, to a season-low nine points.

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 78 rejections (4.9 per contest), which rank third in the conference. Gabriel Olaseni and Melsahn Basabe lead the team with 120 and 19 blocked shots, respectively, while freshman Adam Woodbury has 12. Olaseni, who ranks seventh in Big Ten blocks (1.3), swatted a career-high four shots in Iowa’s win over South Carolina State.

BASABE, McCABE, OGLESBY LEADING HAWKEYE RESERVES
Junior Melsahn Basabe, sophomore Josh Oglesby, and senior Eric May have been Iowa’s leaders off the bench. Basabe is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. He also has rejected 19 shots, blocking four shots in two games (Central Michigan and Western Kentucky). McCabe is averaging 6.2 points and four rebounds. The junior led the team in scoring in Iowa’s last game against Michigan State with a season-high 15 points. He also cleared seven boards against the Spartans. Nineteen of Oglesby’s 24 field goals have come from beyond the arc (77 percent of his scoring). The sophomore averages 4.9 points the first half of the season. Oglesby has made two or more triples in three of the last six outings played. He missed the Dec. 19 game against South Carolina State due to injury.

HAWKEYE DEFENSE IMPROVING
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. Through 16 games in 2012-13, Iowa is yielding 63.8 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. Also, Iowa is holding its opponents to a much lower field goal percentage this season, compared to the first 16 games a year ago. Hawkeye opponents are shooting at a 38 percent clip this season, compared to 44 percent last season.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

“HAWK TALK WITH Fran McCaffery”
University of Iowa basketball fans may join Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery and radio announcer Gary Dolphin for the “Hawk Talk with Fran McCaffery” radio call-in show. The next show will take place Monday (Jan. 14) 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.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will have five days before its next game, which will be Saturday, Jan. 19. The Hawkeyes will host Wisconsin at 7:06 p.m. (BTN). January 19, 2012, will mark the 20-year anniversary of the death of former Hawkeye Chris Street. Street was killed in an auto accident in Iowa City on Jan. 19, 1993, 15 games into his junior season.