Men's Hoops to Host Stony Brook Friday Night

March 21, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (22-12), a No. 3 seed in the 2013 National Invitation Tournament, will host seventh-seeded Stony Brook (25-7) on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The winning team will face the winner of No. 1 seed Virginia and fifth-seeded St. John’s in the NIT quarterfinals next week.

ON THE AIR
Radio: All Iowa games in the NIT will be 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: Friday night’s NIT game will be televised on ESPNU (WatchESPN). Mike Couzens and Paul Biancardi will call the action.

NIT SECOND ROUND STORYLINES
? Tickets are $15 for adults, and $5 for UI students and younger. Tickets can be purchased at the UI Ticket Office, over the phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or online at hawkeyesports.com. Iowa sold out its first round game vs. Indiana State, posting the highest attended NIT game since 2009.
? This marks the second straight season Iowa has advanced to the second round of the NIT.
? Iowa is finishing the 2012-13 campaign strong, having won eight of its last 11 games.
? Iowa has won 17 home games (17-2) this season and will be seeking a school single-season record 18th home victory Friday.
? Roy Devyn Marble led Iowa in scoring (24), assists (6) and steals (4) in Iowa’s first-round NIT victory over Indiana State on Wednesday. Marble now has three 20/5/5 games in his career with two of them coming in NIT action (also last year vs. Oregon).
? Seven of Iowa’s eight losses to Big Ten competition came by margins of four points or less, including four by three points or less. Two of those four came in overtime (one in double overtime).
? Roy Devyn Marble (coaches) and Aaron White (media) are third team All-Big Ten honorees.
? Aaron White is one of four Big Ten players to average 13.2 points and 5.9 or more rebounds. The other three are Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo of Indiana and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State.
? Aaron White is the first Hawkeye to ever post two double-doubles, in NIT games, in his career.

HAWKEYES BOUNCE INDIANA STATE IN NIT FIRST ROUND
? Iowa advanced to the second round of the NIT for the second consecutive season with a 68-52 triumph over Indiana State in front of a sellout Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd on Wednesday night. Iowa trailed by as many as eight in the first half, but rallied and dominated the second half en route to victory.
? Roy Devyn Marble led Iowa in scoring for the 14th time this year with a game-high 24 points. Marble also added six assists, five rebounds and tied his career high with four steals.
? Aaron White posted his fourth double-double of the season and eighth of his career. He had a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with 11 points. The 13 boards are the most by an Iowa player in its 12 NIT games. It marked White’s second double-double in an NIT game; White registered 25 points and 11 boards vs. Dayton a year ago in the first round.
? Iowa won its 18th straight home game against an unranked opponent, dating back to last season. That streak ranks third-best in the Big Ten. Iowa improves to 17-2 at home this season.
? Iowa grabbed 42 rebounds, which are the most by any Hawkeye team in an NIT game.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Friday will be the first ever meeting between Iowa and Stony Brook. The Hawkeyes are 4-0 all-time against current members of the America East Conference, having defeated Boston University three times and Maryland-Baltimore County once.

SCOUTING STONY BROOK
Stony Brook registered its first-ever postseason victory Wednesday with a 71-58 win at Massachusetts. The Seawolves earned a spot in the NIT by virtue of winning the America East regular season championship. This marks Stony Brook’s third NIT appearance in the last four years. The Seawolves hosted, but lost to Illinois (76-66) in the 2010 NIT first round. Stony Brook is one of only 11 teams to capture its conference’s regular season championship in at least three of the last four seasons. Wednesday night’s win gave the Seawolves their nation-leading 13th true road victory of the season. The Seawolves rank third in the country in field goal percentage defense (.372); 12th in scoring defense (57.0); and 31st in rebounding margin (+5.4). Senior Tommy Brenton ranks 45th in the country in assist/turnover ratio (2.23); 60th in rebounds (8.6); and 85th in assists (4.8). Jameel Warney leads the team in scoring (12.2). The Seawolves are 21-1 this season when holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field, and 20-0 when holding foes to under 60 points. Stony Brook held its NIT first-round opponent, Massachusetts, to 58 points and 36.7 percent shooting. Stony Brook is coached by Steve Pikiell, who is in his eighth year as head coach. Pikiell has led the Seawolves to three regular season conference championships, including the last two seasons. He is a three-time America East Coach of the Year (2010, 2012, 2013).

HAWKEYE FANS DOMINATE NIT ATTENDANCE
Iowa fans turned out in mass numbers on Wednesday, selling out Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400). It is the largest attended NIT game on campus since Creighton hosted Kentucky in the second round in 2009 (16,984).

HAWKEYE TIP-INS FROM THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
? Iowa’s 48 rebounds vs. Northwestern equaled the most rebounds a Hawkeye team has ever had in a Big Ten Tournament contest (48 vs. Penn State in 2001).
? Iowa averaged 7.5 blocks in its two games.
? The Northwestern win was Fran McCaffery’s 50th victory at the University of Iowa.
? Junior Melsahn Basabe amassed 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in Iowa’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).
? Senior Eric May’s thunder dunk against Northwestern was No. 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 averaged 11 points in Iowa’s two Big Ten Tournament games, starting both.

DISHING THE ROCK
The Hawkeyes have assisted on 63.2 percent of their field goal makes (511 assists on 809 field goals), a rate that is 21st-best in the country.

CLOSE CALLS
Iowa lost seven games against Big Ten competition by four points or less for the first time since 1984. Iowa is the first team since Penn State in 1998-99 to have played six Big Ten regular season games decided by four points or less. In total, Iowa played a Big Ten-leading nine games decided by four points or less (2-7).

HAWKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN RECOGNITION
Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White earned postseason all-conference recognition by the Big Ten. Marble was named to the coaches’ third team, while White was voted to the media’s third team. Marble was a media honorable mention selection, while White made the coaches’ honorable mention list. The duo were also named to College Sports Madness’ third All-Big Ten team. The All-Big Ten honor is the first for Marble, while White was tabbed on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team a year ago. White leads the Hawkeyes in rebounding (6.1), free throws made (173) and attempted (236) and steals (37), and ranks second in scoring (13.1). The native of Strongsville, Ohio, is one of only four Big Ten players to average 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds or more. White has led the team in scoring a team-best 15 times, rebounds 12 times, and steals nine times. Marble is Iowa’s leading scorer, averaging 14.4 points, and has made the most 3-pointers (44). The native of Southfield, Mich., has netted double figures a team-best 25 times this season, including 20+ points eight times. Additionally, he has led the squad in assists a team-best 14 times.

MILESTONES REACHED IN 2013
? Fran McCaffery won his 300th career game as a head coach on March 9, when Iowa registered a 74-60 triumph over Nebraska in the regular season finale. McCaffery has posted season win improvements in each of his first three seasons the last four schools he has coaches (Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro, Siena, and Iowa).
? Iowa’s win over Nebraska on March 9 was its 20th of the season, marking the program’s first 20-win season since the 2005-06 campaign (25-9).
? Roy Devyn Marble became the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 200+ assists by his junior season. Marble netted his 1,000th career point in Iowa’s last game versus Nebraska. His father, Roy (1986-89) is Iowa’s all-time leading scorer (2,116); the duo became the first father/son duo to record 1,000+ points at the same school in the Big Ten.
? Iowa blocked a school-record 13 shots in Iowa’s 63-55 win over Illinois on March 5; nine of the 13 blocks came in the first half.
? Tied the school record for home victories in a season with 17.
? Iowa’s 170 blocks this season are the second-most by any Hawkeye team in history.

CLEANING THE GLASS
Iowa has done an excellent job on the glass, owning the rebounding advantage by double digits in three of its last four games. The Hawkeyes had 17 more rebounds than Nebraska (March 9) and Northwestern (March 14), and 15 more than Indiana State (March 20). The Hawkeyes rank fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin for the year (+4.9).

MARBLE IN THE ZONE
Roy Devyn Marble has led or shared the team lead in scoring nine of Iowa’s last 11 games, averaging 17.5 points. He scored 20 points or more in five of those 11 contests. During the last 11 games, the junior is shooting 43.6 percent (58-of-133) from the field and 85 percent (58-of-68) from the free throw line. Marble poured in a game-high 24 points and had five rebounds, six assists and four steals in Iowa’s 68-52 win over Indiana State on Wednesday. Marble now has three 20/5/5 games in his career with two of them coming in NIT action (also last year vs. Oregon). Marble is averaging 21.3 points in three NIT games, including a 27.5 average the last two, the last two seasons. Marble, who is a third team All-Big Ten performer, became the 41st player in Iowa history to score 1,000+ points and 29th Hawkeye to accomplish the feat in three years or less. The native of Southfield, Mich., also became just the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000+ points, 300+ rebounds, and 200+ assists as a junior. Marble’s father, Roy (1986-89), is Iowa’s all-time leading scorer with 2,116 points. The Marbles are believed to become the first father-son duo to join the 1,000-point club in Big Ten history.

FANS FLOCKED BACK TO CHA
Iowa has had an attendance figure of 10,500 fans or greater in all 19 home contests, including sellouts of 15,400 against Indiana on Dec. 31, Wisconsin on Jan. 19, Minnesota on Feb. 17, Nebraska on March 9; and Indiana State on March 20. Iowa averaged 13,531 fans this season, which is its best average attendance figure since the 2001-02 season (15,207).

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? Iowa has won 22 games this season and will seek win No. 23 on Friday. The Hawkeyes’s 22 wins in 2013 are the most since the 2006 season (25-9).
? Fran McCaffery coached in his 100th game as head coach of the Hawkeyes vs. Indiana State.
? Iowa played 10 NCAA Tournaments teams this season, going 5-10 against those teams.
? Iowa has seven top-100 RPI wins, including four in the top-50.
? Iowa finished the regular season ranked 30th by KenPom.com; 35th by Sagarin; 49th in the BPI and 72nd in the RPI.
? The Hawkeyes have lost only one game by more than four points since Jan. 23 (March 2 at Indiana, 73-60).
? Iowa won six of its last eight regular season games for the first time since 1996.
? Iowa has won 22 of its last 25 home games, including 17-of-19 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 has won 18 straight home games, dating back to last season, against unranked opponents. That streak is third-best in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 67; Michigan State, 31).
? The Hawkeyes had their streak of winning 30 games when holding foes to 61 or fewer points snapped in their last loss to No. 7 Michigan State (59-56) in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
? Iowa is 16-2 when scoring 70 points or more; 20-2 when having a higher field goal percentage than its opponents; 20-4 when recording more rebounds than its opponents.
? Iowa ranks seventh in the country in free throws made (17.4) and 17th in attempts (24.1).
? Center Adam Woodbury has averaged 6.6 points in Iowa’s last five games.
? Hawkeye reserves are averaging 23.7 points per game. The Hawkeyes have played 10 players or more in all but two games this season (Iowa State and Illinois).
? Roy Devyn Marble averages 15.9 points in Hawkeye wins this year and 11.4 in losses.
? Iowa shoots 31 percent (119-of-379) from 3-point territory in its victories, but 28 percent (60-of-217) from long distance in losses this season.
? 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 10 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.
? 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 nearly made more free throws (593) than its foes have attempted (597).
? The Hawkeyes averaged 7.8 blocks in their last five games.

HAWKEYES ARE TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 101 of its 140 games (.721) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) over the last eight seasons, including win streaks of 21 straight overall and 12 straight Big Ten Conference wins. Iowa posted a 17-2 at home this season, equaling the most home victories ever in a season (17 in 2006). The Hawkeyes will be seeking a school-record 18th home win on Friday against Stony Brook. 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.

BASABE… SPICY!
Melsahn Basabe, who played in his 100th career game on Wednesday, has led the team in rebounding in three of the last four contests. He averaged 10.3 boards the last four contests, including 20 rebounds in two games at the Big Ten Tournament. Basabe has posted three double-doubles this season, including in two of Iowa’s last four contests. He posted his first double-double of the season in Iowa’s win over Penn State (10 points and 10 rebounds) on Jan. 31, his second in the regular season finale versus Nebraska (11 points and 13 rebounds) and his third against Northwestern at the Big Ten Tournament (10 points and 12 rebounds). Overall, Basabe ranks fourth in team scoring (7.2), first in blocks (1.2) and third in rebounding (5.1). Basabe has been credited with 120 career blocked shots, a total that ties Michael Payne (1982-85) for fifth-best in school history.

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

IOWA NIT HISTORY
This marks Iowa’s seventh appearance in the NIT. Iowa also appeared in the 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2012 tournaments. The Hawkeyes’ best finish in the NIT was in 1995 when Iowa advanced to the quarterfinals. The Hawkeyes have played 12 games all-time in the NIT and hold a record of 6-6. Iowa’s first 10 NIT games were decided by nine points or fewer, while its last two contests have been decided by double digits (at Oregon in 2012 and vs. Indiana State in 2013). Last year, Iowa beat Dayton in the first round in Iowa City, 84-75, but lost at Oregon in the second round, 108-97. Iowa’s win over Dayton was the school’s first postseason win since beating Iowa State (54-53) on March 21, 2003 in the NIT first round. Aaron White’s double-double vs. Dayton (25 points, 11 rebounds) marked the fifth double-double by a Hawkeye in an NIT game. Zach McCabe tallied 20 points, bolstered by a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from the foul line. Roy Devyn Marble had his best game as a Hawkeye, statistically, at Oregon last year scoring a career-high 31 points. Marble’s 31 points are the most ever by a Hawkeye in an NIT game and the most in a postseason contest since Ed Horton netted 32 against NC State in the second round of the 1989 NCAA Tournament. He also went 7-of-8 from 3-point range. The seven triples are the most ever by an Iowa player in any postseason game.

DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT
Last year, Iowa allowed opponents 72.5 points per contest. This season, Iowa is yielding 62.6 points. The 9.9 point differential from last year to this season ranks ninth-best in the nation. Iowa is holding its opponents to a much lower field goal percentage this season, compared to a year ago. Opponents are shooting at a 38.6 percent clip this season, compared to 45.7 percent last season. The 38.6 field goal percentage defense is the lowest clip the Hawkeyes have held their opponents since the 2005-06 season (38 percent, 732-of-1924). Additionally, the 7.1 percent improvement ranks second-best in the country. Iowa will record just its second sub-.400 defensive field goal percentage (.380 in 2005-06) in the last 50 years.

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 and eighth-best in the country. Additionally, the Hawkeyes are on pace to shatter a school record in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The current single-season record is 31.8 percent set in 2005-06; opponents are shooting 29 percent from long distance this season.

ON THE RISE…
Iowa’s win over Nebraska in the regular season finale gave the Hawkeyes their 20th win of the season. After beating Northwestern at the Big Ten Tournament and Indiana State in the first round of the NIT, its 22 victories surpasses last season’s total (18-17). The last time Iowa had 18 or more wins in back-to-back seasons was 2005-06. Also, it marks the program’s first 20-win season since the 2006 campaign (25-9). In four stops as head coach, Fran McCaffery, has engineered win improvement in each of the first three seasons. Iowa and Michigan rank second in the Big Ten with three consecutive season win improvements. Indiana ranks first with a four-season streak. Fran McCaffery has now posted seven 20-win seasons as a head coach, including five in the last seven years.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,693 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,617-1,076 (.600). That includes a 973-355 (.733) record in home games, a 554-731 (.431) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 720-737 (.494) mark in Big Ten games and a 379-118 (.763) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

WHITE HOT!
Aaron White is a third-team All-Big Ten performer. He scored a career-high 27 points against Penn State (Jan. 31), moving to the small forward position. The sophomore is one of just four Big Ten players to average better than 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds this season, with the other three being Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo of Indiana and Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas. White has scored 38.7 percent (173/447) of his points from the free throw line, which ranks fourth-best in the country. White leads the team in rebounding and will 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 (6.1 rpg). Iowa is 10-1 this season when White scores 16 points or more.

ALL-AROUND SKILLS
Mike Gesell is one of only three Hawkeye freshmen to total 265 points, 75 rebounds and 75 assists in a single season. Gesell suffered a right foot injury, missing Iowa’s last four regular season games. Gesell returned for the Big Ten Tournament, starting both games averaging 11 points in Iowa’s two contests.

FREEBIES
Iowa has attempted 25 or more free throws 18 times this season. The Hawkeyes rank seventh in the country in free throws made (17.4) and 17th in attempts (24.1). Aaron White, who ranks 24th in the country and second in the Big Ten in free throw attempts (6.94), has attempted double-digit foul shots in seven games this season. White is 173-of-236 (.733) from the foul line, which is the most makes and attempts by a Hawkeye sophomore in school history. The 236 attempts rank overall as the eighth-most by a Hawkeye in a single-season. He is six attempts from seventh (Acie Earl, 242 in 1991). Roy Devyn Marble has made 46 of his last 53 free throw attempts (.868), dating back to the Minnesota game (Feb. 17). He was 10-of-10 in Iowa’s win over Illinois on March 5.

BLOCK PARTY
Iowa established a school single-game record for blocks in a game when it rejected 13 against Illinois on March 5. The 13 blocks are the most in a Big Ten game in 2013 and match Minnesota’s 13 against North Florida, for all games, this season in the league. Gabriel Olaseni’s seven blocks equal Jared Berggren’s seven set against Iowa on Feb. 6 for the most by a Big Ten player this season. The seven swats are the most by a Hawkeye in a game since Melsahn Basabe had five vs. Indiana on Feb. 19, 2012. Iowa has been credited with 170 blocks this season, which ranks second-best in school history, and is four shy of the record of 174 set during the 2004-05 season. The Hawkeyes have rejected 7.8 shots the last five games. During that span, Gabriel Olaseni has rejected 2.6 shots per contest.

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.

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.

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. Iowa also overcame a 16-point first-half deficit on Feb. 17 to Minnesota and ultimately won by 21 points — a 37-point swing!