Men's Hoops to Make First NIT Semifinals Appearance

March 28, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (24-12), a No. 3 seed in the 2013 National Invitation Tournament, will travel to New York City for the NIT Semifinals next week to face No. 2 seed Maryland (25-12) Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 8:30 p.m. (CT) at Madison Square Garden. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com for $10-$45, plus service fees.

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. NIT semifinals will also be available nationally on Dial Global affiliates.
Television: Tuesday night’s NIT semifinal game will be televised on ESPN2 (WatchESPN). Bob Wischusen, Bill Raftery, and Dan Dakich will call the action.

NIT SEMIFINALS STORYLINES
? The Hawkeyes advanced to the NIT semifinals for the first time in school history. Iowa will face Maryland on Tuesday, April 2, at 8:30 p.m. (CT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
? Iowa has won 10 of the last 13 games and have done so by an average of 13.2 ppg. Two of the three loses came against top-eight teams that have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
? Iowa snapped Virginia’s 19-game home win streak with a 75-64 win in Charlottesville in the NIT quarterfinals.
? Roy Devyn Marble has led Iowa in scoring, averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 assists, and three steals in three NIT games this year. Marble has scored 116 points in five NIT games the last two seasons, 10.5 percent of his career scoring.
? 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).
? Aaron White is one of four Big Ten players to average 12.9 points and six or more rebounds. The other three are Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo of Indiana and Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State.
? Since Feb 6, only Ohio State (11) has more victories than Iowa (10) in the Big Ten.
? Aaron White and Adam Woodbury have each started 36 games. The 36 starts are the most in school history in a single-season.

HAWKEYES ADVANCE TO NIT SEMIFINALS, WIN AT VIRGINIA
? Iowa advances to the NIT semifinals for the first time in school history with a 75-64 triumph at Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. The win snapped the Cavaliers’ 19-game home win streak, which was the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.
? Iowa is only the third team to score 70+ plus points against Virginia this season.
? Roy Devyn Marble netted a game-high 24 points. He has tallied 76 points in Iowa’s three NIT games (25.3 ppg). In his past four NIT games (dating back to Oregon game last year), Marble has scored an average of 26.8 points per contest.
? Adam Woodbury went 5-of-7 from the field to score in double-figures (10). Zach McCabe also scored 10 points, hitting 2-of-3 from long distance.
? Iowa was perfect from the free throw line, making all 15 attempts. The Hawkeyes made all 14 of their free throw attempts in the final 3:09 of the contest.
? The Hawkeyes drained eight 3-pointers (8-of-17, .471) for the second straight NIT contest. The 47.1 shooting percentage is a school NIT single-game record.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday will be only the third ever meeting between Iowa and Maryland. The Hawkeyes lost to the Terrapins 70-68 at Honolulu in 1984 and 83-65 at Baltimore in 1999. Iowa is 12-25 against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 1-1 mark this season. The Hawkeyes dropped a 95-79 decision at Virginia Tech on Nov. 27, but won at Virginia (75-64) in the NIT semifinals last week.

SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland, who won the NIT title in 1972, is playing in its eighth NIT and first under second-year head coach Mark Turgeon. The Terrapins beat Niagara (86-70) in first round action and Denver (62-52) in round two before winning at Alabama (58-57) on March 26 to advance to the semifinals. Maryland shot 50 percent from the floor (23-of-46) and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from 3-point range en route to the win in Tuscaloosa The Terrapins are 25-12 overall and finished 8-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, finishing seventh in the league standings. Maryland, who will join the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15, opened the season winning 13-of-14 games, including a 77-57 victory at Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terrapins beat Duke twice; winning 83-81 on Feb. 16 in College Park, and 83-74 in the ACC Tournament. Maryland also was 0-2 against Virginia, who Iowa beat to advance to New York City, falling at home, 80-69, on Feb. 10 and 61-58 in overtime in Charlottesville on March 10. Five of the team’s 12 losses are by three points or less. Maryland ranks fourth nationally in rebounding margin (+8.7), 10th in field goal percentage defense (38.4 percent) and 30th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.2). Guard Dez Wells leads a pair of Terrapin players in double figures, averaging 13.2 points on 53.1 percent shooting. Wells is second on the team with 110 assists, but has also committed 107 turnovers. Center Alex Len, an honorable mention All-ACC and an All-ACC Defensive team selection, averages 11.8 points, a team-high 7.9 rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game. Lenn has six double-doubles, including a 15-point, 13-rebound game in the quarterfinal win at Alabama. In six postseason games, Maryland has four players averaging in double figures with Wells leading the way with 18.3 points. He is shooting 57.4 percent (39-of-68) from the floor, 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from 3-point range and 85.7 percent (24-of-28) from the free throw line. Len (11.5), Nick Faust (11.2) and Seth Allen (10.8) are also in double digits.

HAWKEYES BOUNCED INDIANA STATE IN NIT FIRST ROUND
? Iowa advanced to the second round of the NIT for the second consecutive year with a 68-52 win over Indiana State in front of a sellout Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd. Iowa trailed by as many as eight in the first half, but rallied and dominated the second half.
? Roy Devyn Marble led Iowa in scoring 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 grabbed 42 rebounds, which are the most by any Hawkeye team in an NIT game.

HAWKEYES ADVANCE TO NIT QUARTERFINALS, UPEND STONY BROOK
? Iowa beat Stony Brook, 75-63, on March 22 in Iowa City advancing to the NIT quarterfinals for the first time since 1995.
? Iowa set the school single-season record for home victories in a season (18) with the victory. Also, the win was Iowa’s 19th straight at home, dating back to last season, against an unranked opponent. That streak ranks third best in the Big Ten.
? Roy Devyn Marble scored a game-high 28 points, the third-highest point output in his career. Marble has 11 career 20+ scoring games, and has led Iowa in scoring 15 times this year.
? Aaron White netted 13 points and grabbed a game-high seven boards to go along with two blocks and two helpers.
? Iowa held the America East Player of the Year, Tommy Brenton, to five points, five rebounds and four assists.
? The Hawkeyes assisted on 20-of-26 field goals.
? The Hawkeyes had five blocks.

IOWA IN THE GARDEN
The Hawkeyes will be making its third appearance in Madison Square Garden, their first since the 1999-2000 season. Iowa competed in the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Nov. 11-12, 1999, beating top-ranked Connecticut (70-68) before falling to Stanford (72-58). The program also competed in the Holiday Festival in 1960, defeating St. John’s (91-84) and New York University (80-75) before falling to Oscar Robertson and Cincinnati (96-83) in the finals. That tournament was played in at the old Madison Square Garden.

HAWKEYES IN NEW YORK
Iowa has played in the state of New York five times in program history. Along with competing in New York City on two occasions, the Hawkeyes played in the 1958 Queen City Tournament in Buffalo, N.Y., defeating Cornell (73-68) and Syracuse (58-52), and in the Rochester Classic in Rochester, N.Y., in 1983, downing James Madison (47-45) and Seton Hall (85-63). Iowa last competed in the state in 2000-01 in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region in Long Island, N.Y. The Hawkeyes won a first round game over Creighton (69-56) before falling to Kentucky (92-79) in the second round. Iowa is 8-3 all-time in New York.

HEADING HOME
Melsahn Basabe will be heading back to his stomping grounds for the NIT semifinals. The junior hails from Glen Cove, N.Y. Basabe will play his first-ever game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

DISHING THE ROCK
The Hawkeyes have assisted on 63.3 percent of their field goal makes (545 assists on 861 field goals), a rate that is 19th-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 was 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 (181) and attempted (244), ranks second in scoring (12.9), and third in steals (38). The native of Strongsville, Ohio, is one of only four Big Ten players to average 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds or more. White has led the team in scoring a team-best 15 times, and rebounds 13 times. Marble is Iowa’s leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points, and has made the most 3-pointers (47). The native of Southfield, Mich., has netted double figures a team-best 27 times this season, including 20+ points 10 times. Additionally, he has led the squad in assists a team-best 16 times and steals 10 times.

DYNAMIC DUO
Iowa’s Aaron White and Roy Devyn Marble are fourth-highest scoring duo in the Big Ten, averaging 27.6 points.

HAWKEYE FANS DOMINATE NIT ATTENDANCE
Iowa fans have turned out in mass numbers this postseason, selling out Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) in its games vs. Indiana State and Stony Brook. Both are the largest attended NIT games since Creighton hosted Kentucky in the second round in 2009 (16,984).

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 has won 14 more games than it did three years ago. The +14 win increase ranks second over a three-year span. Iowa had a 17-game win increase 1984-87.
? 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.
? Won a school-record 18 home games this season.
? Blocked a single-season record 178 shots this year.

MARBLE IN THE ZONE
Roy Devyn Marble has led or shared the team lead in scoring 11 of Iowa’s last 13 games, averaging 18.8 points. He scored 20 points or more in seven of those 13 contests. During the last 13 games, the junior is shooting 45 percent (75-of-167) from the field and 85 percent (73-of-86) from the free throw line. Marble, 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. He currently ranks 31st in Hawkeye history in scoring. 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. The tandem has combined to score 3,223 career points. Devyn has scored 527 in 35 games this season; his father netted 522 points in 34 games his junior campaign. Additionally, Devyn has 272 career assists, while Roy had 281 in his four-year career.

ELEVATING HIS GAME
Roy Devyn Marble has elevated his play in the NIT the last two seasons. The guard is averaging 23.2 points, shooting 52.8 percent from the field, and 4.8 assists in five career NIT games. In three NIT games this season, Marble is averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 boards, and 1.3 turnovers. Marble poured in a game-high 24 points and had five rebounds, six assists and four steals in Iowa’s win over Indiana State on March 20. He posted 28 points and five assists in the Hawkeyes’ victory over Stony Brook on March 22. Marble put up another 24 points, five assists and three steals in Iowa’s triumph at Virginia. Marble has three 20/5/5 games in his career with two of them coming in NIT action (also last year at Oregon). The native of Southfield, Mich., has scored 20+ points in 10 games this season, which is the most by a Hawkeye since Adam Haluska netted 20+ in 17 games during his senior season in 2007.

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 tournament 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.

FANS FLOCKED BACK TO CHA
Iowa has had an attendance figure of 10,500 fans or greater in all 20 home contests, including six sellouts of 15,400 against Indiana on Dec. 31, Wisconsin on Jan. 19, Minnesota on Feb. 17, Nebraska on March 9; Indiana State on March 20; and Stony Brook on March 22. Iowa averaged 13,625 fans this season, which is its best average attendance figure since the 2001-02 season (15,207).

CLEANING THE GLASS
Iowa has done an excellent job on the glass, owning a rebounding margin of +9.0 the last six games. The Hawkeyes had 17 more rebounds than Nebraska and Northwestern, 15 more than Indiana State and eight more than Virginia. The Hawkeyes rank fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin for the year (+5.0).

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 12.9 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 38.8 percent (181/466) 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. White is the only Hawkeye to have posted multiple double-doubles in NIT games (Dayton in 2012 and Indiana State in 2013).

STRONG OUTINGS FOR WOODBURY
Adam Woodbury tallied 10 points, playing a career-high 26 minutes, in Iowa’s 11-point win at Virginia. The freshman has collected two assists and pulled down five boards or more in each of Iowa’s last two contests.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
? Iowa has won 24 games this season and will seek win No. 25 on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes’ 24 victories tie the 1988 squad for the third-most in school history behind 30 in 1987 and 25 in 2006.
? Iowa ranks 20th by KenPom.com; 19th by Sagarin; and 59th in the RPI.
? Iowa has nine top-100 RPI wins, including four in the top-50.
? Iowa is 18-2 when scoring 70 points or more; 22-2 when having a higher field goal percentage than its opponents; 22-4 when recording more rebounds than its opponents.
? Fran McCaffery coached in his 100th game as head coach of the Hawkeyes vs. Indiana State on March 20.
? The Hawkeyes averaged 6.7 blocks in their last seven games.
? Iowa has nearly made more free throws (623) than its foes have attempted (636).
? Iowa played 10 NCAA Tournaments teams this season, going 5-10 against those teams.
? 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 23 of its last 26 home games, including 18-of-20 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 19 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 ranks eighth in the country in free throws made (17.3) and 18th in attempts (23.7).
? Hawkeye reserves are averaging 23.8 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 16.8 points in Hawkeye wins this year and 11.4 in losses.
? Iowa shoots 33 percent (135-of-415) 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.

HAWKEYES ARE TOUGH AT HOME
Iowa has won 102 of its 141 games (.723) 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 an 18-2 record at home this season, which is a school record for most home victories in a year, besting its 17 home triumphs in 2006. 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, 13-6 in 2012, and 17-2 in 2013.

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’ semifinals appearance this year is its best advancement in the NIT in school history. The Hawkeyes have played 14 games all-time in the NIT and hold a record of 8-6. Iowa’s first 10 NIT games were decided by nine points or fewer, while its last four contests have been decided by double digits (at Oregon in 2012; vs. Indiana State in 2013; vs. Stony Brook in 2013; at Virginia 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.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,695 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,619-1,076 (.601). That includes a 974-355 (.733) record in home games, a 555-731 (.431) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 720-737 (.494) mark in Big Ten games and a 380-118 (.763) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

ALL-AROUND SKILLS
Mike Gesell is one of only two Hawkeye freshmen to total 275 points, 85 rebounds and 85 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 and also played in Iowa’s three NIT contests.

ON THE RISE…
Iowa’s win over Nebraska in the regular season finale gave the Hawkeyes their 20th win of the season. Iowa now has 24 victories after beating Indiana State, Stony Brook and Virginia in the NIT. The 24 wins surpasses last year’s total of 18. 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. The four teams McCaffery has coached had a total record of 35-84 (.294) prior to his arrival. By year three, they had combined for an 88-44 (.667) record. Fran McCaffery has now posted seven 20-win seasons as a head coach, including five in the last seven years.

BASABE… SPICY!
Melsahn Basabe has led the team in rebounding in three of the last six contests. He averaged 8.2 boards the last six 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 six 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 (7.1), first in blocks (1.25) and third in rebounding (5.1). Basabe has been credited with 122 career blocked shots, a total that ranks fifth-best in school history.

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 38.8 percent clip this season, compared to 45.7 percent last season. The 38.8 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 6.9 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 five percent this season compared to last. That improvement is tops in the Big Ten and 10th-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 29.5 percent from long distance this season.

FREEBIES
Iowa has attempted 25 or more free throws 18 times this season. The Hawkeyes rank eighth in the country in free throws made (17.3) and 18th in attempts (23.7). Aaron White, who ranks 34th in the country and second in the Big Ten in free throw attempts (6.78), has attempted double-digit foul shots in seven games this season. White is 181-of-244 (.742) from the foul line, which is the most makes and attempts by a Hawkeye sophomore in school history. The 244 attempts rank overall as the sixth-most by a Hawkeye in a single-season.

BLOCK PARTY
Iowa established two blocked shots records this season: single-season and single-game. Iowa has been credited with a school record 178 blocks this season. The Hawkeyes’ five rejections in their win over Stony Brook on March 22, pushed the team past the previous record of 174, which was set during the 2004-05 season. The Hawkeyes have rejected 6.7 shots the last seven games. The team also set a school single-game record for blocks 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 Wisconsin’s Jared Berggren’s seven set against Iowa on Feb. 6 for the most by a Big Ten player this year. The seven swats are the most by a Hawkeye in a game since Melsahn Basabe had five vs. Indiana on Feb. 19, 2012.

MAKING THE GRADE
Congratulations to seniors Eric May and Christopher Rickert, who were tabbed Academic All-Big Ten honorees. The honor is the third for May and first for Rickert.

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!