Men's Hoops Travels to Purdue on Sunday

Jan. 25, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (13-6, 2-4) remains on the road Sunday when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to face Purdue (10-9, 3-3). Tip-off is set for 2:36 p.m. (CT) at Mackey Arena. Sunday is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer weekend. Coaches across the country will be wearing sneakers with their suits to raise cancer awareness.

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 (91) and XM (91).
Television: Sunday afternoon’s game will be televised on BTN (BTN2GO). Justin Kutcher and Tim Doyle will call the action.

GAME #20 STORYLINES
? For only the second time in the last two decades, the men’s basketball team has nine players logging 15.5 minutes or more per game, and 10 players averaging nine minutes or more. Iowa’s 1998-99 team, that advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, had 10 players average 17 minutes or more.
? Aaron White leads the team in rebounding (6.2), free throws made (91) and attempted (124), and ranks second in scoring (13.5).
? Iowa is 16-2 when scoring 80 points or more, the last three seasons. The Hawkeyes are 22-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, the last three years.
? Iowa’s four Big Ten losses have come to the top four teams in the Big Ten (Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State). Those four teams have a combined league record of 20-5.
? With three freshmen in the starting lineup, Iowa’s freshman class has totaled 50 starts, a total that ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.
? Iowa and Longwood are the only Division I teams that feature two different freshmen with 55+ assists ( Anthony Clemmons 74, Mike Gesell 55).
? Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 26th in the country. According to Ken Pomeroy, Iowa’s strength of schedule since the start of Big Ten play is No. 1 in all of college basketball.

BUCKEYES EDGE HAWKEYES IN COLUMBUS
? Iowa trailed by as many as 24 points midway through the second half, but battled back and got within four with 90 seconds left, but would get no closer in a 72-63 loss at No. 14 Ohio State Tuesday night in Columbus. The game was the only regular season meeting.
? After shooting 25 percent (8-32) in the first half, Iowa shot 46.7 percent (14-30) in the second half and outscored Ohio State, 41-38, in the second stanza.
? Iowa grabbed a season-high 22 offensive rebounds. The Hawkeyes’ previous high came against South Dakota (20). Iowa held a 40-34 advantage over the Buckeyes on the glass. It marked Iowa’s first loss of the year when winning the battle on the boards (11-1).
? Strongsville, Ohio, native Aaron White led Iowa in scoring with 13 points. He has led the team in scoring 11 times this season and has scored in double-figures 14 times.
? Junior Melsahn Basabe grabbed 10 rebounds, which is his first game with at least 10 boards since the first contest of the season.
? Iowa forced 17 Ohio State turnovers, scoring 22 points off the Buckeye miscues. Fourteen of the 17 turnovers occurred in the second half.
? Iowa had nine different players score. The Hawkeye bench contributed 25 points. Iowa’s reserves have averaged 25.8 points per game this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Purdue holds an 85-71 advantage in the series. 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 swept the Hawkeyes in both meetings last year. The Boilermakers hold a 56-21 advantage in games played in West Lafayette. Purdue has won the last five meetings in Mackey Arena. The Hawkeyes’ last victory at Mackey Arena came on Feb. 1, 2006 (77-68).

SCOUTING PURDUE
? After starting the season 4-6, Purdue has won six of its last nine games. The Boilermakers are 8-3 in Mackey Arena this season, winning five of their last six at home. Purdue averages 12,138 fans in its previous 11 home contests.
? Purdue lost its last game, 68-53, at nationally-ranked Michigan on Thursday night. Three Boilermakers netted double figures in the loss: Terone Johnson (14), D.J. Byrd (11) and Rapheal Davis (10).
? Purdue ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding (40.6); third in blocked shots (4.8); fourth in field goal percentage defense (.389); and fifth in rebounding margin (+6.4). Freshman A.J. Hammons ranks first in the league in blocks (1.9).
? Junior Terone Johnson leads the team in scoring (13.3). Senior D.J. Byrd ranks second in team scoring (10.5) and leads the squad in 3-point shooting (45-of-124, .363). Freshman A.J. Hammons leads Purdue in rebounding (6.1) and blocks (1.9).
? Purdue’s roster is comprised of two seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen (one redshirt). Ten of the 14 players hail from the state of Indiana.
? 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 BEAT IOWA IN LAST MEETING
Purdue rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and beat Iowa, 75-68, on Jan. 17, 2012, in West Lafayette. The Hawkeyes led 34-23, but the Boilermakers closed the half on an 8-2 run to close within 36-31 at the break. Purdue scored the first five points of the second stanza to tie the contest, and later built a 10-point advantage. Iowa battled back with an 8-0 run to close within two points midway through the second half, but was unable to regain the lead. Zach McCabe led all scorers with a career-high 20 points. McCabe was 7-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 from long distance. Roy Devyn Marble contributed 18 points. Purdue had five players score in double figures, led by Robbie Hummel’s 17 points. He also grabbed a game-high 11 boards. Purdue outrebounded Iowa by nine (41-32). The Hawkeyes were only able to grab eight offensive rebounds. Iowa’s perimeter defense was solid, limiting Purdue to 4-of-15 (.267) shooting from long distance.

McCAFFERY INVOLVED IN COACHES VS. CANCER CHALLENGE
Iowa’s Fran McCaffery is one of 48 NABC coaches taking part in the “Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge.” Fan participation will determine the ultimate winner over an eight-week period by registering and voting on a custom microsite on www.ESPN.com/Infiniti. For the first six weeks, four brackets of 12 coaches will be paired against each other, with the winners from each group moving onto the next round in week seven and the final round in week eight. Fans can vote once per day for their favorite coach and his charity. Go to www.ESPN.com/Infiniti each day and vote for Fran McCaffery and his charity, Coaches vs. Cancer. The total Infiniti contribution will be more than $300,000. All 48 coaches’ charities are guaranteed at least $5,000 from Infiniti.

BASABE… SPICY!
Melsahn Basabe played spectacular off the bench in Iowa’s last four games (Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Ohio State), which resulted in two victories. The junior averaged 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in the four-game span. Basabe shot 15-of-22 (.682) from the field and 9-of-12 (.750) from the foul line. Overall, Basabe ranks fourth in team scoring (7.0), second in blocks (1.0) and third in rebounding (4.1).

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? The Hawkeyes are in the middle of a stretch of playing 4-of-5 games away from home.
? Last season, Iowa had eight different players post double digits in one game or more. This year, 11 different players have scored double figures for the Hawkeyes.
? Three of Iowa’s first six Big Ten games have been one-plays. The Hawkeyes only play Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State once. Iowa’s other one-play this season is Illinois (March 5 in Iowa City).
? Iowa has Sunday road games four of the first five weekends of conference play.
? Iowa has won 15 of its last 18 home games, including 10 of 12 this season, dating back to Feb. 1, 2012. The Hawkeyes’ two losses this season have come to nationally ranked teams (Indiana and Michigan State).
? Aaron White ranks 42nd in the nation in free throw attempts per game (6.5).
? Iowa has made 39-of-110 (.354) 3-pointers in six games away from home, while the Hawkeyes are 59-of-215 (.274) from long range in 12 home contests.
? Iowa ranks 16th in the country in free throw makes (17.1) and 18th in attempts (24.3).
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in 18 of their 19 games. The only contest in which they did not play 10 players was Iowa State (nine players). Iowa has nine players who average nearly 16 minutes or more of action.
? Iowa has made (324) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (321), which is a staple of Fran McCaffery-coached teams.
? Iowa has had an attendance figure of 10,500 fans or greater in all 12 home contests, including sellouts of 15,400 against Indiana on Dec. 31 and Wisconsin on Jan. 19.
? 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.
? Redshirt freshman Darius Stokes will turn 21 on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
? Iowa started three freshmen in its last 12 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.
? Co-captain Eric May started for the first time this year vs. Michigan State (Jan. 10), 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.
? Iowa has three players who have sank 20 more triples: Roy Devyn Marble (25), Josh Oglesby (23) and Mike Gesell (20).
? Nine of the 12 Big Ten teams have two losses or more in league play. The Big Ten is the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI.

HEATING UP
Roy Devyn Marble’s game has soared as of late before injuring his ankle, rising to eighth in Big Ten scoring (14.9 ppg). He has scored in double digits in all but two games played this season (Iowa State and Northwestern). In his last seven games played, the junior averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. During that seven-game stretch, Marble is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line (41-of-51). The native of Southfield, Mich., did not play vs. Michigan State.

DISHING THE ROCK
Iowa has done an outstanding job sharing the basketball this season. The Hawkeyes have assisted on 63 percent of their field goal makes (305 assists on 483 field goals), a rate that is 22nd best in the country.

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 5.8 points, 5.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds while averaging 22 minutes per game as a starter. Clemmons has registered a 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio in his 12 starts. For the season, his 2.4 ratio ranks sixth in the Big Ten. Clemmons’ 4.05 assist average currently ranks third-best by a Hawkeye freshman all-time behind Jeff Horner (4.5 average in 2002-03) and Dean Oliver (4.2 in 1997-98).

DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. Through 19 games in 2012-13, Iowa is yielding 63.6 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, the Black and Gold limited Northwestern (Jan. 13) to 50 points, its fewest output against Iowa since scoring 48 in Iowa’s 65-48 victory on Feb. 23, 1999 in Iowa City. Also, Iowa is holding its opponents to a much lower field goal percentage this season, compared to a year ago. Hawkeye opponents are shooting at a 39 percent clip this season, compared to 46 percent last season.

DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT, PART 2
Iowa has improved its 3-point field goal percentage defense by 5.5 percent this season compared to last. That improvement is tops in the Big Ten.

GESELL HELPING HAWKEYES IN MULTIPLE AREAS
Mike Gesell is one of only two freshmen in the country this season who have 20+ triples, 55+ rebounds and 55+ assists.

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.

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. 28) 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 returns home Wednesday when it entertains Penn State (7 p.m., ESPNU). The Hawkeyes will hit the road again over the weekend when they travel to Minnesota on Sunday (12:06 p.m., BTN).