Men's Hoops Hosts Penn State on Thursday

Jan. 29, 2013

• Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPad/iPhone app!
• Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
• Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (13-7, 2-5) returns home after back-to-back road games to host Penn State (8-12, 0-8). Tip-off is set for 7:02 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

THURSDAY PROMOTIONS
? “Basketball Herky Bobblehead Night” — Bobbleheads will be distributed to the first 1,500 fans
? “UI Student Night” — UI students with a valid ID receive FREE admission
? “Family Four Pack Night” — Purchase 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 Cokes for $70 (advance purchase is required)

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 (92) and XM (191).
Television: Thursday night’s game will be televised on ESPNU. Dan Gutowsky and Adrian Branch will call the action.

GAME #21 QUICK HITTERS
? Iowa is in the middle of a stretch of playing 4-of-6 and 5-of-7 on the road.
? The Hawkeyes are 10-2 at home this season, averaging 12,992 fans in the 12 home outings.
? Four of UI’s five Big Ten losses have come by margins of nine points or less, two by three points.
? Iowa’s five Big Ten losses have come to teams with a combined league record of 27-9.
? 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.
? Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 29th in the country.
? Aaron White leads the team in rebounding (6.1), free throws made (93) and attempted (129), and ranks second in scoring (13.4).
? 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.
? With three freshmen in the starting lineup, Iowa’s freshman class has totaled 53 starts, a total that ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.
? Redshirt freshman Darius Stokes will turn 21 on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

PURDUE CLIPS HAWKEYES IN OVERTIME
? Iowa rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to send the game into overtime, but Purdue ultimately escaped with a 65-62 win over the Hawkeyes in Mackey Arena on Sunday afternoon.
? Iowa had four players score 12 points or more; Mike Gesell (18), Aaron White (12), Roy Devyn Marble (12) and Melsahn Basabe (12).
? Mike Gesell scored a game-high 18 points, his most in a Big Ten game. The rookie has scored in double figures eight times this season. Gesell played a season-high 39 minutes.
? Sophomore Roy Devyn Marble netted eight of his 12 points at the free throw stripe.
? Iowa recorded eight blocks, matching its second-highest total the last three seasons.
? In addition scoring 12 points, Melsahn Basabe grabbed a team-high eight boards and rejected three shots. The three blocks are the most by the sophomore since Nov. 20.
? The Hawkeyes outscored the Boilermakers 19-12 at the foul line.
? Iowa played in overtime for the first time since Feb. 19, 2011 (vs. Michigan). It was Iowa’s first overtime game against Purdue since 2003.
? Iowa pulled down 42 rebounds, marking the second straight game the Hawkeyes grabbed 40 or more boards.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa holds a 23-13 advantage in the series vs. Penn State. The two teams have split the last eight games. Iowa has won 15 of the last 22 and 19 of the last 27 meetings. The two teams split last year’s meetings with each squad defending its home court. Iowa holds a 14-3 advantage in games played at Iowa City, with all 17 meetings taking place in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including the last nine, in Iowa City. Penn State’s last win (78-73) in Iowa City was in 2001. The Hawkeyes’ margin of victory in the nine consecutive wins over the Nittany Lions in Iowa City is 14.5, with seven of the nine victories coming by double digits. Iowa’s last overtime win came vs. Penn State (75-67) on March 7, 2009, in Iowa City. Three of the 36 meetings in the series have been in postseason action, including the first meeting in the 1955 NCAA Tournament in Evanston, Ill., with Iowa winning 82-53 on its way to the Final Four.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
? Penn State has lost all eight Big Ten games after starting the season 8-4. The Nittany Lions are 0-4 in true road contests.
? Penn State is without the services of its best player, Tim Frazier, who is out for the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in the fourth game of the season.
? Lost its last game, 65-51, at home last Saturday to nationally-ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes outrebounded the Nittany Lions by 14 (39-25).
? The Nittany Lions have scored 54 points or fewer in six of their eight Big Ten games.
? D.J. Newbill ranks first on the team in scoring (15.5), free throws made and attempted (94-of-140) and assists (4.0), and second in rebounding (5.9). Jermaine Marshall ranks second in team scoring (15.1) and first in steals (1.5).
? Both Iowa and Penn State have 279 turnovers after 20 games played (12.9).
? Both Iowa and Penn State have played an overtime game this season. The Nittany Lions beat Delaware State (80-76) on Dec. 15, 2012, at home, while the Hawkeyes fell at Purdue (65-62) on Jan. 27, 2012.
? Penn State is shooting 27.6 percent from 3-point range (97-of-352). The Hawkeyes rank first in the Big Ten in allowing their opponents to shoot below 29 percent from beyond the arc. Jermaine Marshall leads the team with 34 triples, followed by Brandon Taylor (25) and Nick Colella (21).
? Penn State is 5-3 in games decided by 10 points or less, winning the first five in nonconference action. The three setbacks have come in Big Ten play.

PENN STATE BEAT IOWA IN LAST MEETING
A furious second half rally fell short in a 69-64 Hawkeye loss at Penn State on Feb. 16, 2012, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions led by as many as 16 points in the final stanza, but the visitors had a late surge. Iowa cut the deficit to two on two occasions with a couple minutes remaining, but ultimately fell short. Matt Gatens scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including a stretch of scoring 11-straight points during Iowa’s comeback. The senior made five consecutive 3-pointers in the second half. Aaron White scored 16 points and grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds. Roy Devyn Marble played all 40 minutes at point guard due to senior Bryce Cartwright missing the game due to an injured ankle. Marble had 13 points, a game-best six assists and cleared eight boards. Penn State had four players score in double figures: Tim Frazier (18), Cammeron Woodyard (13), Jermaine Marshall (10) and Jon Graham (10).

BASABE… SPICY!
Melsahn Basabe played spectacular off the bench in Iowa’s last five games. The junior averaged 10.2 points (10-of-20, .667 from the field) and 5.4 rebounds in the five-game span. He led the team in rebounding the last two outings, averaging nine boards. Basabe registered 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks on Sunday at Purdue. Overall, Basabe ranks fourth in team scoring (7.3), first in blocks (1.1) and third in rebounding (4.3). Basabe ranks first in Big Ten field goal accuracy (.647).

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? 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). Iowa’s last two home games have been decided by a combined seven points (3 – Michigan State; 4 – Wisconsin).
? 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 were 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).
? The Hawkeye reserves have averaged 25.3 points per game this season.
? Iowa has Sunday road games four of the first five weekends of conference play.
? Aaron White ranks 50th in the nation in free throw attempts per game (6.45).
? Iowa has made 44-of-127 (.346) 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 13th in the country in free throw makes (17.1) and 14th in attempts (24.4).
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in 19 of their 20 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 (343) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (341), 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.
? Iowa started three freshmen in its last 13 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 23 more triples: Roy Devyn Marble (25), Josh Oglesby (23) and Mike Gesell (23).
? Six of the 12 Big Ten teams enter this week with four losses or more in league play. The Big Ten is the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI.

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 (320 assists on 502 field goals), a rate that is 15th best in the country.

IN NATIONAL STATISTICS…
Iowa ranks 20th in the country in assists (16.0) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.289); 39th in field goal percentage defense (.390).

HEATING UP
Roy Devyn Marble’s game has soared as of late before injuring his ankle, rising to eighth in Big Ten scoring (14.4 ppg). He has scored in double digits in all but two games played this season (Iowa State and Northwestern). In his last nine games played, the junior averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. During that nine-game stretch, Marble is shooting 79 percent from the free throw line (52-of-66). The native of Southfield, Mich., did not play vs. Michigan State due to an injured ankle.

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.

DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. Through 20 games in 2012-13, Iowa is yielding 63.7 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 5.6 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 four freshmen in the country this season who have 20+ triples, 55+ rebounds and 55+ assists.

HAWKEYES ARE TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 96 of its 134 games (.716) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) over the last nine seasons, including win streaks of 21 straight overall and 12 straight Big Ten Conference wins. Iowa has won 10 of its last 20 home games against ranked opponents. Iowa was a perfect 17-0 at home in 2006, 14-2 in 2007, 10-8 in 2008, 13-4 in 2009, 9-9 in 2010, 8-8 in 2011 and 13-6 in 2012.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Iowa has played one of the toughest league schedules to date. In fact, based on Big Ten records entering this week’s competition, the combined record of Iowa’s first seven league opponents is 35-16 (.686). The combined record of the Hawkeyes’ final 11 conferences foes is 30-52 (.366).

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.

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.

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 (Feb. 4) 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.

ALL-SESSION BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION
All-session tickets for the Big Ten Basketball Tournament is on sale now. The tournament returns to the United Center in Chicago from March 14-17. It will be the eighth time the tournament will be held in Chicago and the first time since 2007. Lower level tickets for both tournaments can be purchased at all 12 Big Ten university ticket offices. Upper level tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or through the United Center ticket offices at 312-455-4668 or unitedcenter.com. All-session tickets for the 100 and 200 levels at the United Center are available for $325 through the Big Ten university ticket offices only. All-session tickets for the 300 level are available for $240 or $175 (depending on seat location) through Ticketmaster or the United Center box office only. Orders will be limited to eight all-session tickets.

ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes hit the road again for another two-game road trip when they travel to No. 23 Minnesota on Sunday (12:06 p.m., BTN) and Wisconsin on Wednesday, Feb. 6 (8 p.m., BTN).