March 15, 2013
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
| AP Photos
? Iowa enters tonight’s Big Ten quarterfinal matchup against seventh-ranked Michigan State winners of seven of its last nine games.
? Iowa improved to 5-0 all-time in Big Ten Tournament games as a sixth seed. The Hawkeyes won the 2001 tournament in Chicago, becoming the only team to win four games in four days at a Big Ten Tournament.
? Tonight will mark the second meeting of the year between Iowa and Michigan State; the Spartans won this season’s only regular season meeting in Iowa City, 62-59. Michigan State holds a 67-53 advantage over Iowa in the series. The Spartans have won 10 of the last 11 meetings. Iowa’s last win over Michigan State came on Feb. 2, 2011 in Iowa City.
? Tonight will mark the third consecutive year that Iowa will face the Spartans in a Big Ten Tournament game. Michigan State bounced the Hawkeyes in the first round (66-61) in 2011 and last season in the quarterfinals (92-75). Iowa and Michigan State have met five previous times in Big Ten tournaments. The Hawkeyes beat the Spartans in the United Center (71-69), in 2005, in the quarterfinals and in the 2006 semifinals in Indianapolis (53-48).
? Iowa has owned a +17 rebounding advantage on the glass in its last two games (39-22 vs. Nebraska on March 9 and 48-31 vs. Northwestern on March 13). Iowa’s 48 rebounds last night equals the most rebounds a Hawkeye team has ever had in a Big Ten Tournament contest (48 vs. Penn State in 2001).
? Junior Melsahn Basabe amassed 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in last night’s win over Northwestern. Basabe became just the second player in Big Ten history to amass 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a game (D.J. White of Indiana in 2005). Also, the double-double was his second in as many games, third of the season, and 12th of his career.
? Roy Devyn Marble scored a game-high 19 points in last night’s win. The junior has led or shared the team lead in scoring eight of the last nine games, averaging 17.8 points during that stretch, which is the fourth-best scoring average in the league since Feb. 9. Marble has drained 38 of his last 42 free throw attempts (.905), dating back to Feb. 17.
? The Hawkeyes have lost only one game by more than four points since Jan. 23 (March 2 at Indiana, 73-60).
? Iowa blocked eight shots vs. Northwestern last night, its second-highest total in a Big Ten Tournament contest. Iowa has averaged 9.3 blocks in its last three contests, including swatting a school-record 13 shots vs. Illinois on March 5 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have been credited with 159 team blocks, six shy of the third most in a single-season in school history.
? Iowa has won 30 straight games when holding opponents to 61 points or fewer, the longest active streak in the Big Ten. In the Hawkeyes’ last five victories, they have held their opponents to 60 points or fewer.
? Iowa has four top-50 RPI wins and six top100 RPI victories.
? Iowa improved to 15-2 this season when scoring 70 points or more; 18-1 when having a higher field goal percentage than its opponent; 18-4 when snagging more rebounds than its foe.
? Last night’s 73-59 Big Ten Tournament first-round triumph over Northwestern was Fran McCaffery’s 50th win at Iowa.
? Senior Eric May’s thunder dunk last night was #4 on ESPN’s SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day.
? Freshman guard Mike Gesell returned to action after missing the last four games with a stress reaction in his right foot. Gesell finished the game with 13 points, marking the 13th time this year the native of Sioux City, Iowa, netted double figures.
? Aaron White is five rebounds from snagging board No. 200 this season, which would rank seventh in Iowa single-season history for a sophomore.
? Iowa was 21-of-32 (.656) from the free throw line last night. The Hawkeyes have attempted 25 or more free throws nine times against Big Ten competition and 17 times overall this season.
? Iowa is 9-7 all-time in games played at the United Center.
? Iowa is 2-0 in Friday games this season.
? The Hawkeyes are 14-14 all-time in Big Ten Tournament games. Tonight marks the sixth consecutive tournament that Iowa will have played either Michigan or Michigan State in the tournament.