Men's Hoops Travels to Top-Ranked Indiana

March 1, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (18-10, 7-8) hits the road Saturday for its final regular season road game when it travels to Bloomington, Ind., to face top-ranked Indiana (24-4, 12-3). Tipoff is set for 6:36 p.m. (CT) inside Assembly Hall (17,472).

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 night’s game will be televised on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler, Jim Jackson and Stephanie White will call the action.

GAME #29 STORYLINES
? Six of Iowa’s eight 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).
? Iowa is the first team since Penn State in 1998-99 to play six Big Ten games decided by six points or less.
? Iowa is 2-19 all-time against top-ranked teams, beating UCLA (1965) and Connecticut (1999).
? Iowa is 13-2 when scoring 70 points or more; 15-1 when having a higher field goal percentage than its opponents; 15-3 when recording more rebounds than its opponents.
? Aaron White is one of only three Big Ten players to average 13.5 points and six or more rebounds. The other two are Cody Zeller of Indiana and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State.
? After scoring a combined two points at Minnesota and Wisconsin, Roy Devyn Marble has rebounded the last five contests, scoring 94 combined points (18.8 avg.). Marble is only 43 points from becoming the 41st Hawkeye to score 1,000 career points.
? The Hawkeyes are 9-1 this season when Aaron White scores 16 points or more.
? The last three seasons, Iowa is 16-2 when scoring 80 points or more and 25-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.

HAWKEYES BEAT PURDUE, 58-48
? Iowa scored its fewest points in a game this season, but the Hawkeyes recorded a 58-48 victory over Purdue Wednesday night in Iowa City. The victory was Iowa’s fourth in five games.
? Purdue’s 48 total points were the fewest it has scored against Iowa since 1983, a game the Hawkeyes won 55-46 in Iowa City.
? Iowa improved to 14-2 at home this season, and 25-0 the past three seasons in games it has allowed fewer than 60 points.
? Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble each netted 18 points. White also pulled down a game-high nine boards. Marble has led or shared the team lead in scoring the last five contests. Marble has scored at least 15 points in each of the last five games. Both White and Marble have scored in double figures 21 times this season. Marble’s next double-digit performance will be the 50th of his career.
? Freshman Mike Gesell missed the game due to an injury to his right foot. The point guard, who started the previous 27 games to start the season, is expected to miss the next two weeks. Iowa is hopeful he will return for the Big Ten Tournament, March 13-17.
? Iowa outscored the Boilermakers 21-7 at the free throw line and attempted 19 more free throws (29-10).
? Sophomore Josh Oglesby started his first game of the year (five points and four boards).
? Iowa forced 16 Boilermaker turnovers, marking the fifth Big Ten game that the Hawkeyes forced 15 or more turnovers by their opponents.
? Iowa held three Purdue starters scoreless. Boilermaker starters netted only 21 points.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Indiana holds a 96-74 advantage in the series that began with an 18-12 Hoosier win in 1909. Iowa has won five of the last seven meetings and 11 of the last 17. Indiana escaped Iowa City with a 69-65 win over Iowa earlier this season on Dec. 31, 2012. Indiana holds a 56-28 advantage in games played at Bloomington. The two teams have split the last eight meetings at Assembly Hall. Five of the last 11 games in Bloomington have been decided by three points or less, with the Hoosiers winning in overtime in 2003, and Iowa winning in double overtime in 2004.

SCOUTING INDIANA
? Indiana is 16-1 at home this year, averaging 17,405 fans per game at Assembly Hall. The lone setback at home was to Wisconsin (64-59) on Jan. 15. The Hoosiers average 86 points per game in home games, including 76.3 points in seven league contests.
? The Hoosiers rank first in the country in scoring margin (20.4); second in 3-point field goal percentage (.426) and scoring offense (82.2); fourth in field goal percentage (.497); fifth in rebounding margin (+8.3); and 15th in field goal percentage defense (.304). Individually, Victor Oladipo ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (.633) and 15th in steals (2.3). Cody Zeller ranks eighth in field goal percentage (.575).
? Indiana has four players average double figures in scoring: Cody Zeller (16.3), Victor Oladipo (14.1), Christian Watford (13.0), and Jordan Hulls (11.0). Sixth-man Will Sheehey averages 9.9 points.
? Indiana and Iowa are the league’s two best free throw shooting teams. The Hoosiers rank first (.748), followed by the Hawkeyes (.721).
? Cody Zeller and Iowa’s Aaron White are the Big Ten leaders in getting to the free throw line. White leads the Big Ten with 204 attempts, followed by Zeller (199).
? Indiana lost its last game, 77-73, Tuesday at Minnesota. Three Hoosier starters scored in double figures: Jordan Hulls (17), Victor Oladipo (16), and Yogi Ferrell (10). Hulls was 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Gophers outrebounded the Hoosiers by 14 (44-30).
? The Hoosiers have topped 90 points seven times and the 80-point mark 17 times.
? Both Iowa and Indiana have played two overtime contests. The Hoosiers beat Georgetown (82-72), but lost to Butler (88-86). Iowa lost at Purdue (65-62) and at Wisconsin (74-70) in double overtime.
? Indiana assistant Tim Buckley was an assistant coach at the University of Iowa during the 2006-07 season when the Hawkeyes posted a 17-14 overall record.

INDIANA BEAT IOWA IN LAST MEETING
? Indiana scored 40 of its 69 points in the paint in a 69-65 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten opener on Dec. 31 in Iowa City.
? Aaron White scored a team-high 15 points, while Roy Devyn Marble netted 12 of his 14 points from the charity stripe. Marble also led the team in rebounding, pulling down a career-high nine boards. Mike Gesell scored 13 points.
? Iowa outscored Indiana 20-13 at the free throw line.
? The Hawkeyes amassed 11 steals; four Hawkeyes had two steals each (Woodbury, Gesell, Clemmons, and McCabe).
? The two teams combined to shoot only 7-of-31 (.226) from 3-point range. Iowa was 3-of-17 (.176).
? Indiana’s Cody Zeller (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Victor Oladipo (14 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles. Jordan Hulls, who averages 11 points per game, was held scoreless on 0-for-10 shooting in the contest.

MARBLE IN THE ZONE
After scoring only one basket in two three-point losses at Minnesota and Wisconsin, including one in double overtime, Roy Devyn Marble has regained his form. Iowa has won four of its last five games and during that streak, Marble led or shared the team lead in scoring in each of the five games averaging 18.8 points. During the stretch, Marble is shooting 49 percent (30-of-61) from the field and 89.7 percent (26-of-29) from the free throw line.

IOWA VS. RANKED TEAMS
Saturday will be Iowa’s sixth game this year against a ranked opponent (0-5). The Hawkeyes fell 69-65 on Dec. 31 to fifth-ranked Indiana in Iowa City; No. 2 Michigan (95-67) on Jan. 6 in Ann Arbor; No. 18 Michigan State (62-59) on Jan. 10 in Iowa City; No. 14 Ohio State (72-63) on Jan. 22 in Columbus; and No. 23 Minnesota (62-59) on Feb. 3 in Minneapolis.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? Fran McCaffery is two victories from notching career victory No. 300.
? Iowa concludes the regular season playing 3-of-4 at home. Iowa and Ohio State are the only Big Ten teams finishing with 3-of-4 at home.
? Iowa has won 19 of its last 22 home games, including 14-of-16 this season, dating back to Feb. 1, 2012. The Hawkeyes’ two losses this season have come to nationally ranked teams (Indiana and Michigan State).
? The Hawkeyes have won each of their last 27 games when holding opponents to 61 or fewer points, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.
? Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 39th in the country.
? Iowa ranks sixth in the country in free throws made (17.8) and 10th in attempts (24.6).
? Hawkeye reserves are averaging 24.7 points per game. The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in 27 of their 28 games. The only contest in which they did not play 10 players was Iowa State (nine players).
? Roy Devyn Marble averages 15.6 points in Hawkeye wins this year and 10.8 in losses.
? 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 9.6 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.
? Co-captain Eric May has posted his best offensive rebound average, assist rate, turnover rate, and free throw percentage of his career this season.
? Mike Gesell has the same number of rebounds (79) and assists (79).
? Seven of the 12 Big Ten teams enter this weekend’s with eight or more losses in league play. The Big Ten is the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI.
? 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 (497) more free throws than its foes have attempted (479), 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.

CLOSE CALLS
Iowa has lost six Big Ten games by four points or less for the first time since 1984. Four of the six defeats (MSU, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) have come with the Hawkeyes having a late with under two minutes left. Iowa is the first team since Penn State in 1998-99 to play six Big Ten games decided by six points or less. In total, Iowa has played a Big Ten-leading eight games decided by four points or less (2-6).

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 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in his last 12 games. Basabe posted his first double-double of the season in Iowa’s win over Penn State (10 points and 10 rebounds) on Jan. 31. Overall, Basabe ranks fourth in team scoring (7.0), first in blocks (1.2) and third in rebounding (4.5). He grabbed career rebound No. 500 in Iowa’s win over Purdue Wednesday night.

ON THE RISE…
Iowa’s win over Purdue on Wednesday gives the Hawkeyes their 18th win of the season. The 18 victories matches last season’s total (18-17). The last time Iowa had 18 or more wins in back-to-back seasons was 2005-06.

DISHING THE ROCK
The Hawkeyes have assisted on 63.8 percent of their field goal makes (430 assists on 674 field goals), a rate that is 16th-best in the country.

WHITE HOT!
Aaron White has averaged 14 points and 6.1 rebounds the last nine 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 six rebounds this season, with the other two being Cody Zeller of Indiana and Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas. White has scored 39 percent (149/382) of his points from the free throw line, which ranks second best in the country. White leads the team in rebounding and is seeking to become the first Hawkeye to lead the team in rebounding both his freshman and sophomore seasons since Michael Payne in 1981-82 (7.4 rpg) and 1982-83 (7.5 rpg). White led Iowa last season (5.7 rpg) and ranks first this year (6.2 rpg). Additionally, Iowa is 9-1 this season when White scores 16 points or more.

DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. Through 27 games in 2012-13, Iowa is yielding 63.2 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 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.

DYNAMIC DUO
Iowa’s Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble are fourth-highest scoring duo in the Big Ten, averaging 27.1 points.

IN NATIONAL STATISTICS…
Iowa ranks 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.289); 23rd in assists (15.4); 35th in field goal percentage defense (.389); and 37th in assist/turnover ratio (1.2).

FREEBIES
Iowa has attempted 25 or more free throws eight times during Big Ten play and 16 times total this season. The Hawkeyes rank sixth in the country in free throws made (17.8) and 10th in attempts (24.6). Aaron White, who ranks 17th in the country and first in the Big Ten in free throw attempts (7.29), has attempted double-digit foul shots in seven games this season, including the last two games. White is 149-of-204 (.730) 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.

“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 (March 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.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa returns home for its final two regular season contests next week. The Hawkeyes will host Illinois on Tuesday (6:06 p.m., BTN) and Nebraska on Saturday (1:21 p.m, BTN). Both times are Central.