Men's Hoops Travels to Penn State on Thursday

Feb. 13, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (15-9, 4-7) hits the road for the fifth time in seven games when it travels to University Park, Pa., to compete against Penn State (8-15, 0-11) on Valentine’s Day (Thursday). Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. (CT) at the Bryce Jordan Center.

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 (199).
Television: Thursday night’s game will be televised on ESPNU. Dan Gutowsky and Malcolm Huckaby will call the action.

GAME #25 STORYLINES
? Five of Iowa’s seven Big Ten losses have come by margins of four points or less, including three by three points or less. Two of those three defeats came in overtime (one in double overtime). The last Big Ten team to lose five league games by four points or fewer was Penn State (2010).
? Iowa is 14-3 when shooting 40 percent or better from the field. The Hawkeyes shot 40 percent in its Jan. 31 win over Penn State in Iowa City.
? Aaron White is one of only three Big Ten players to average 13.5 points and 5.9 or more rebounds. The other two are Cody Zeller of Indiana and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State.
? The Hawkeyes are 8-1 when Aaron White scores 16 points or more.
? Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 26th in the country.
? The last three seasons, Iowa is 16-2 when scoring 80 points or more and 23-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.
? Melsahn Basabe has led the team in rebounding four of the last six games, averaging seven during that span. He earned his first start of the season versus Penn State (Jan. 31).
? Roy Devyn Marble has made 98 field goals, while Aaron White has made 99 to lead the team.
? Iowa has lost five straight at Penn State; its last win at the Bryce Jordan Center was in 2006.

HAWKEYES BEAT NORTHWESTERN, 71-57
? Iowa led by as many as 19 points in the second half en route to a 71-57 triumph over Northwestern last Saturday in Iowa City. The win completed the season sweep over the Wildcats, the first over Northwestern since 2008.
? Iowa shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field, its best shooting performance in conference play this year. The Hawkeyes improved to 14-3 when shooting 40 percent or better.
? Josh Oglesby scored 10 points. The sophomore has reached double figures in two Big Ten games this season, both coming against Northwestern.
? Roy Devyn Marble netted 21 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season and sixth time in his career, and the first time in Big Ten play this year. He also dished out a game-high five assists.
? Iowa committed a season-low one first-half turnover.
? Iowa’s bench outscored Northwestern, 27-18. For the season, Hawkeye reserves average 25.8 points per game.
? The Hawkeyes missed only two free throws, sinking 11-of-13 (.846). Northwestern missed only three from the foul line (19-of-22, .864).

IN NATIONAL STATISTICS…
Iowa ranks 11th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.285); 15th in assists (16.1); 31st in assist/turnover ratio (1.27); and 29th in field goal percentage defense (.388). Individually, Anthony Clemmons is 32nd in the country in assist/turnover ratio (2.44).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa holds a 24-13 advantage in the series vs. Penn State. The two teams have split the last 10 games. Iowa has won 16 of the last 23 and 20 of the last 28 meetings. The Hawkeyes beat the Nittany Lions in this season’s first meeting, 76-67, on Jan. 31 in Iowa City. Penn State holds a 9-7 advantage in games played at University Park, including winning the last five in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Hawkeyes’ last victory (80-76) at Penn State came on Jan. 14, 2006. Iowa, on Jan. 4, 1997, was the first visiting team to win (67-59) in Penn State’s new arena. Iowa’s win snapped the longest home winning streak in the nation at the time. 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 11 Big Ten games after starting the season 8-4. The Nittany Lions are 0-6 in home contests.
? After Thursday’s game, Penn State will play 4-of-5 on the road.
? The Nittany Lions have scored 54 points or fewer in eight of their 11 Big Ten games.
? 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.
? Penn State lost its last game, 67-53, last Saturday at Nebraska. D.J. Newbill (17) and Jermaine Marshall (16) combined to score 33 of Penn State’s 53 points. Travis Ross equaled a personal-best with 13 boards. The Nittany Lions shot just 20 percent from 3-point territory (2-of-10), but did sink 23-of-32 (72 percent) from the foul line.
? D.J. Newbill ranks first on the team in scoring (15.8), free throws made and attempted (113-of-163) and assists (4.0), and second in rebounding (5.7). Jermaine Marshall ranks second in team scoring (14.7) and first in steals (1.5). Penn State is the only team with two players (Marshall and Newbill) ranked in the top 10 in Big Ten overall scoring.
? Both Iowa and Penn State have played two overtime games. The Nittany Lions beat Providence (55-52) on Nov. 16 and Delaware State (80-76) on Dec. 15, while the Hawkeyes fell at Purdue (65-62) on Jan. 27 and at Wisconsin (74-70) in double overtime.
? Penn State is shooting 26.7 percent from 3-point range (108-of-405). 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 38 triples, followed by Brandon Taylor (28) and Nick Colella (23).
? Penn State is 5-4 in games decided by 10 points or less, winning the first five in nonconference action. The four setbacks have come in Big Ten play.
? Patrick Chambers, like Fran McCaffery is from Philadelphia. Chambers graduated from Philadelphia University in 1994. McCaffery graduated from Penn in 1982.

IOWA BEAT PENN STATE IN LAST MEETING
Iowa led by as many as 15 points en route to a 76-67 win over Penn State on Jan. 31, in Iowa City. The win was Iowa’s 10th straight over the Nittany Lions in Iowa City. Sophomore Aaron White netted a career-high 27 points. Melsahn Basabe started for the first time this season. In his 53rd career start, the junior recorded his first double-double of the year and the 10th of his career. He scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Eight of his 10 points came at the free throw line, matching a career best. Junior Zach McCabe collected a game-high four steals, which equaled a personal best. Iowa tied season highs in free throws made (31) and attempted (39), while Penn State was 14-of-16 (.875) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes forced 18 Penn State turnovers, which is the most Iowa has forced against a Big Ten team this season. Iowa was credited with assists on 90 percent of its field goals (18-of-20). Penn State’s D.J. Newbill (20) and Jermaine Marshall (15) combined to score 35 of the Nittany Lions’ 67 points.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? Thursday concludes a stretch of playing of 5-of-7 games on the road. After Thursday night, Iowa will finish the regular season playing 4-of-6 at home.
? Two of the next three Iowa games will be televised on an ESPN network.
? Iowa ranks eighth in the country in free throws made (17.4) and 10th in attempts (24.5).
? Iowa has won 17 of its last 20 home games, including 12-of-14 this season, dating back to Feb. 1, 2012. The Hawkeyes’ two losses this season have come to nationally ranked teams (Indiana and Michigan State).
? Mike Gesell has led Iowa in scoring three of the last five contests.
? Melsahn Basabe ranks first in the league in field goal percentage (.611), while Anthony Clemmons is first in free throw shooting (.880, 22-of-25) in Big Ten play.
? Since coming off the bench the last three games, Anthony Clemmons has 11 assists to only three turnovers (3.67 assist-to-turnover ratio).
? For the second time in the last two decades, the men’s basketball team has nine players logging 16 minutes or more per game, and 10 players averaging 9.5 minutes or more. Iowa’s 1998-99 team, that advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, had 10 players average 17 minutes or more.
? The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in 23 of their 24 games. The only contest in which they did not play 10 players was Iowa State (nine players).
? Co-captain Eric May has posted his best offensive rebound average, assist rate, turnover rate, and free throw percentage of his career this season.
? Seven of the 12 Big Ten teams enter this week with six or more losses in league play. The Big Ten is the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI.
? Adam Woodbury has almost the same number points (124) and rebounds (125).
? 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.
? Iowa has made 62-of-191 (.325) 3-pointers in 10 games away from home, while the Hawkeyes are 68-of-248 (.274) from long range in 14 home contests.
? Iowa has made (418) more free throws than its foes have attempted (417), which is a staple of Fran McCaffery-coached teams.
? 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.

DISHING THE ROCK
The Hawkeyes have assisted on 65.4 percent of their field goal makes (387 assists on 592 field goals), a rate that is seventh-best in the country. The last two road games (Minnesota and Wisconsin), the Hawkeyes combined to assist on a combined 20-of-21 first-half field goals.

FANS FLOCKING TO CHA
Iowa has had an attendance figure of 10,500 fans or greater in all 14 home contests, including sellouts of 15,400 against Indiana on Dec. 31 and Wisconsin on Jan. 19. The Hawkeyes are averaging 13,182 fans this season, which is its best average attendance figure since the 2002-03 season (13,235). Iowa has four remaining home contests to boast its average.

CLOSE CALLS
Iowa has lost five Big Ten games by four points or less for the first time since 2009. Four of the five defeats (MSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) have come with the Hawkeyes having a late with under two minutes left, including the last three road games.

BASABE… SPICY!
Melsahn Basabe’s play has been so good the last month that he was moved to the starting lineup in Iowa’s vs. Penn State (Jan. 31). The junior has averaged 8.5 points and six rebounds in his last eight games. He led the team in rebounding four of the last six outings, averaging seven boards during that stretch. Basabe posted his first double-double of the season in Iowa’s win over Penn State (10 points and 10 rebounds). Overall, Basabe ranks fourth in team scoring (7.3), first in blocks (1.1) and third in rebounding (4.5).

WHITE HOT!
Aaron White has averaged 13.8 points and 4.8 rebounds the last five games. He scored a career-high 27 points against Penn State (Jan. 31), moving to the small forward position. The sophomore is one of just three Big Ten players to average 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds this season, with the other two being Cody Zeller of Indiana and Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas. Iowa is 8-1 this season when White scores 16 points or more.

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.

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 24 games in 2012-13, Iowa is yielding 63.9 points. 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 38.8 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 six percent this season compared to last. That improvement is tops in the Big Ten.

LIMITED TICKETS LEFT FOR SUNDAY HOME GAME
Approximately 750 standing room tickets in the student sections are available for purchase for Sunday’s home game against Minnesota. Visit the UI Ticket Office, hawkeyesports.com or call 1-800-IA-HAWKS to order.

ALL-AROUND SKILLS
Mike Gesell is one of only three Hawkeye freshmen to total 210 points, 70 rebounds and 65 assists in a single season.

FREEBIES
Iowa made 31-of-39 free throws Jan. 31 vs. Penn State. The last time the Hawkeyes made at least 31 foul shots in a Big Ten game was Jan. 16, 2007, against Indiana (32). The last time Iowa attempted at least 39 free throws in a league game was Feb. 5, 2005 ,vs. Michigan State (45). Aaron White, who ranks 31st in the country and third in the Big Ten in free throw attempts (6.83), has attempted double-digit foul shots in five games this season, including two of the last four games. Penn State’s D.J. Newbill ranks 24th in the country in getting to the free throw line (7.09). White is 119-of-164 (.726) from the foul line, which is the most makes and attempts by a Hawkeye sophomore in school history.

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.

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
Iowa returns home to host Minnesota on Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 1:06 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.