Men's Hoops Plays at Iowa State on Friday

Dec. 10, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (10-1) will play its first true road game of the season Friday when it travels to Ames, Iowa, to face in-state rival No. 16/17 Iowa State (7-0) in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game. Tipoff is set for 8:40 p.m. (CT) at Hilton Coliseum (14,384). The game is sold out. Friday will be Iowa’s first game of the season against a ranked opponent.

ON THE AIR
Radio: 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: Friday night’s game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Mike Couzens and Reid Gettys will call the action.

IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES
? Iowa is ranked No. 22nd in the USA Today/Coaches poll and 23th by the Associated Press this week. Iowa State is ranked 16th in the coaches poll and 17th by the Associated Press.
? Friday will mark the first time since 1987 that both Iowa and Iowa State are ranked when playing each other. In 1987, the Hawkeyes were ranked seventh, while the Cyclones were 20th.
? Iowa had three players (Basabe, Uthoff and Olaseni) post double-doubles in its victory Monday night over Fairleigh Dickinson. It marked the first time in 20 years three Hawkeyes recorded double-doubles, in the same game, in points and rebounds.
? Junior Aaron White netted 20 points in Iowa’s win over Notre Dame (Dec. 3); his 19th point came with one second left in the game at the free throw line and was his 1,000th of his career.
? Gabriel Olaseni and Jarrod Uthoff combine to average 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.6 blocks off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
? Roy Devyn Marble is only the third Hawkeye to amass 1,200+ points, 300+ assists and 350+ rebounds (Dean Oliver and Jeff Horner).
? Iowa has had four players score in double figures in 8-of-11 games this season.
? Senior Melsahn Basabe is 27 points from reaching 1,000 for his career.
? Iowa ranks fourth in the country in FG% defense (.364) and fifth in scoring (89.3).

IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES
Iowa currently leads the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, 7-6. Six points are up for grabs this week: women’s hoops (Thursday), and men’s hoops and women’s swimming (Friday). The Cyclones have recorded wins in volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross country. The Hawkeyes posted victories in soccer, wrestling and football. Each victory is worth two points, except football (three points).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 43-23 advantage in the series that began with a 30-27 Hawkeye win in 1910. Iowa snapped a three-game losing streak to Iowa State a year ago, 80-71, in Iowa City. The two teams have split the last 16 meetings. The home team has won eight of the last nine games (Iowa State won in Iowa City in 2010). Just eight of the last 24 games have had a final margin of eight points or less. The Cyclones own a slim, 17-16, advantage in games played at Ames. Iowa State has won the last five meetings in Hilton Coliseum. The Hawkeyes’ last victory in Ames came on March 21, 2003 (54-53) in the postseason NIT. Iowa’s last regular season victory in Hilton was Dec. 8, 2001 (78-53).

LAST MEETING
Iowa trailed Iowa State 36-35 at halftime, but outscored the Cyclones by 10 in the second half en route to an 80-71 win on Dec. 7, in Iowa City. Aaron White led all scorers with 18 points, while Anthony Clemmons had 14 points and a game-high eight assists in a starting role. Mike Gesell chipped in 11 points and grabbed five rebounds. Georges Niang came off the bench and netted 13 points and had five rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Melvin Ejim had five points and four rebounds.

HAWKEYES CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
? After falling behind 6-0, Iowa scored 19 straight points to pull away and ultimately beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 92-59, Monday night in Iowa City.
? Three Hawkeyes posted double-doubles: Melsahn Basabe (12 points and 11 rebounds); Gabriel Olaseni (14 points and 10 rebounds); Jarrod Uthoff (10 points and 10 rebounds). The last time an Iowa team had three players post double-doubles in the same game was against Penn State on March 7, 2009 in a double overtime contest: Cyrus Tate (15 points and 10 rebounds); Jake Kelly (22 points and 11 assists); Jarryd Cole (14 points and 11 rebounds). The last time Iowa had three players post double-doubles in points and rebounds was against UC-Irvine on Dec. 29, 1993: Jess Settles (21 points and 11 rebounds); Jim Bartels (10 points and 12 rebounds); Russ Millard (12 points and 11 rebounds).
? Iowa’s 54 rebounds ties for the fifth-highest rebound total the last four seasons under Fran McCaffery.
? The Hawkeyes featured balance scoring, with 10 players scoring no fewer than four points and no player scoring more than 14 points.
? Iowa’s bench scored 51, while Fairleigh Dickinson totaled 59 total points.

HAWKEYES BEAT DRAKE, 83-66, AT BIG FOUR CLASSIC
? Iowa closed the first half on a 10-0 surge to pull away from Drake and ultimately win 83-66 Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
? Iowa improved to 2-0 in Big Four Classic games, beating Northern Iowa a year ago.
? Four Hawkeyes netted double figures: Melsahn Basabe (15), Jarrod Uthoff (14), Peter Jok (14) and Roy Devyn Marble (14). It marked the first game this season that Basabe has led the team in scoring.
? Iowa dominated the glass, outrebounding the Bulldogs by 19 (47-28). Jarrod Uthoff led all rebounders with nine off the bench.
? The Hawkeyes outscored Drake, 29-5, in second chance opportunities after grabbing 17 offensive boards. Iowa limited the Bulldogs to only six offensive rebounds.
? Iowa attacked the basket and was rewarded with 30 free throw attempts (made 22).
? All 10 players who played 14 minutes or more scored at least two points.

UTHOFF, OLASENI LEADING HAWKEYES OFF BENCH
Junior Gabriel Olaseni and sophomore Jarrod Uthoff are averaging a combined 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes. Uthoff ranks third on the team in scoring (10.3) and first in rebounding (7.0), while Olaseni ranks first on the squad in rejections (2.1) and third in rebounding (5.7).

HOT START FOR McCABE
Senior Zach McCabe ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9.5) due in large part to his accurate shooting. The native of Sioux City, Iowa, is shooting at a 48 percent clip from 3-point range (16-of-33). His 3-point shooting percentage ranks second behind Michigan’s Nik Stauskas in the Big Ten.

HAWKEYES RANK HIGH IN STATISTICS
Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring (89.5), scoring margin (+25.4), and field goal percentage defense (.360). The Hawkeyes also rank second in the conference in total rebounds (46.0), blocks (6.1), turnover margin (+4.3), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.263), and assists (18.0). Iowa ranks fourth in the country in scoring margin (+25.4) and field goal percentage defense (.360); ninth in scoring (89.5); ninth in assists (18.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7); 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.263); and 20th in blocks (6.1). Individually, Mike Gesell ranks sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.6), while Roy Devyn Marble ranks 34th in steals (2.3).

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
? Iowa State enters Friday night’s game unbeaten, recording wins at home in five of its seven games.
? The Cyclones average 91.7 points per game and a margin of victory of +24.1. Five Cyclones average double figures in scoring: Melvin Ejim (18.0); DeAndre Kane (15.4); Georges Niang (13.1); Dustin Hogue (12.7); and Matt Thomas (10.3).
? Naz Long (19) and Matt Thomas (15) lead the Cyclones in 3-pointers made.
? Iowa State boasts a +9.0 rebounding margin. Dustin Hogue leads the Cyclones pulling down an average of 10.4 boards per contest. ? Iowa State ranks third in the country in assists (19.9); fourth in 3-pointers made (10.4); fifth in scoring margin (24.1); seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76); 17th in rebounding margin (9.0); and 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.370). Individually, Monte Morris ranks seventh in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.5), Naz Long ranks 12th in 3-point accuracy (.543), while Dustin Hogue is 14th in rebounds (10.4).
? Iowa State won its last game against Northern Iowa Saturday in Des Moines in overtime. Two Cyclones posted double-doubles: Dustin Hogue (17 points and 14 rebounds) and DeAndre Kane (18 points and 11 rebounds).

HAWKEYES FINISH RUNNERS-UP AT BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
Iowa won its first two games over Xavier (77-74 in overtime) and UTEP (89-53) before being edged by Villanova in the championship game (88-83 in overtime) at the Battle 4 Atlantis holiday tournament held at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Hawkeyes rallied from a 15-point deficit in their first contest against Xavier to win, but surrendered a 15-point first-half advantage to Villanova in the championship. Both contests went to overtime. Iowa cruised to a 36-point victory over UTEP in the semifinals. Seniors Roy Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe were honored on the all-tournament team. Marble led all scorers averaging 20.3 points, while also averaging 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the three games. His 61 points in the three contests tie the tournament record with Minnesota’s Andre Hollins (2012), while his 24 points against Villanova are the most by a player in the championship game in the three-year history of the tournament. McCabe averaged 13 points, shooting 50 percent from the field (14-of-28) and 3-point territory (8-of-16).

MARBLES RISING AMONG FATHER-SON SCORING COMBOS
Iowa’s Roy Marble (1986-89) and Roy Devyn Marble (2011-present) are rising among the leading father-son scoring duo in collegiate history. Currently, the Marble’s (3,422) rank third among father-son combos, playing at the same school, behind the Burtt’s of Iona (4,568) and the Perry’s of Holy Cross (3,506). Overall, the Marble’s are eighth.

BENCH MOB
Iowa’s reserves played a large role in Iowa’s 10 victories. Iowa’s bench is averaging 42.3 points, 24.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks through 11 contests.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Iowa is getting 12.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game from their center position of Adam Woodbury and Gabriel Olaseni.

BLOCK PARTY
Junior Gabriel Olaseni has blocked at least three shots five times this season. His 23 blocks rank sixth in the Big Ten (2.1 average). The center rejected five shots in the season opener against UNC Wilmington. As a team, Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten and 20th nationally in rejections per game (6.1).

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 65 years of combined collegiate head coaching experience and more than 130 years of collegiate coaching under their belts.

HOME COOKIN’
The Hawkeyes posted a school-record 18 home wins last season (18-2), the most since posting 17 home victories in 2006. Iowa’s two losses came by less than four points to nationally-ranked teams (Michigan State and Indiana). Iowa was 11-0 against nonconference opponents a year ago at home. Iowa has won 25-straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to the Dayton game on March 13, 2012 — the third-longest active streak in the Big Ten. Iowa has also won 22 straight at home against nonconference opponents, dating back to 2011.

ATTENDANCE ON THE RISE
Iowa’s attendance has increased each season since Fran McCaffery’s arrival in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes averaged 11,635 in 16 games in 2011; 11,908 fans in 19 contests in 2012; and 13,625 in 20 games last season. Iowa’s attendance boost from 2012 to 2013 ranked as the eighth-largest in the country. Iowa averages 14,567 fans this season.

BASABE MOVIN’ ON UP
Senior Melsahn Basabe has had a solid start to the 2013-14 season. The native of Glen Cove, N.Y., is averaging 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in only 18 minutes per game of action. Since the start of the year, Basabe has moved past Ryan Bowen for fourth place on Iowa’s career blocks list with 129. Basabe led the team in blocked shots in each of his first three seasons with the Hawkeyes. The senior will be looking to become the third Hawkeye since 1980 to lead the squad in rejections four straight seasons. Greg Stokes led the team in blocks 1982-86, while Acie Earl led the team from 1990-93. Basabe, who’s 628 career rebounds are the most among active Big Ten players, has 1,000 career points in his sights. Basabe enters Monday’s contest against FDU with 961 points.

WHITE HOT
Junior Aaron White ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6) and scoring (12.6). White, who led the Hawkeyes in rebounding in each of his first two seasons, is looking to become the fifth player since 1960 to lead the Hawkeyes in rebounding three consecutive seasons. White would join Don Nelson (1960-62); Kevin Kunnert (1971-73); Bruce King (1975-77); and Greg Brunner (2004-06). White became the 41st Hawkeye to surpass 1,000 career points with his 19th point scored with one second remaining at the free throw line versus Notre Dame (Dec. 3). Aaron White scored 42 combined points against Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 10) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Nov. 14), netting 20 versus Omaha and 22 against Maryland Eastern Shore. It marked the second time in his career that the junior posted 20-plus points in back-to-back outings (also final two games of his rookie year). White ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (.653).

OGLESBY OUT 6 WEEKS
Junior Josh Oglesby broke a bone in his right foot during practice on Nov. 6. The shooting guard had surgery on Nov. 8 and is expected to miss approximately six weeks. Oglesby (6-foot-5, 208 pounds) played in 37 contests, including two starts, a year ago. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, scored 126 of his 165 points from 3-point territory his sophomore campaign.

MARBLE EARNS WEEKLY PRAISE
Senior Roy Devyn Marble poured in 61 points to tie the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament record, earning Big Ten Player of the Week accolades by College Sports Madness. Marble averaged 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the three games. Marble passed Kenyon Murray (1993-96) and Jeff Moe (1985-88) on Iowa’s career scoring chart. Marble enters Friday’s game against the Cyclones 17th with 1,306 points, 37 points shy of James Moses (1,343).

IOWA FASTBREAKS
? The Hawkeyes have out-rebounded nine of their 11 opponents.
? Iowa is 26-3 when scoring 80 points or more, the last four seasons. The Hawkeyes are 36-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last four seasons.
? Iowa’s average starting lineup height is 6-foot-6. The Hawkeye lineup consists of two sophomores, one junior, and two seniors.
? Zach McCabe and Roy Devyn Marble were named to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team.
? Iowa has scored 82-plus points in all but one game this season (77 against Xavier).
? Iowa has been credited with 20 or more assists four times this season.
? Since moving to point guard in game No. 3 (Nov. 14), Mike Gesell has posted 33 assists and only six turnovers (5.5 ratio).
? Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 10.3 points, seven rebounds, and 1.5 blocks off the bench. The sophomore has reached double digits in six games. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks sixth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.857) and is eighth in rebounding (7.0).
? Iowa scored 80-plus points in each of its first five games for the fourth time in school history (also 1986-87, 1994-95 & 1997-98).
? Iowa has made (254) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (194).
? Iowa played overtime games two days apart (Xavier and Villanova) for the third time in program history. The Hawkeyes plated five extra minutes against Maryland (Dec. 25, 1984) and Cornell (Dec. 27, 1984), and Michigan (Jan. 9, 1992) and Illinois (Jan. 11, 1992).
? Iowa’s overtime win over Xavier marked its first overtime victory since March 7, 2009 (versus Penn State — double overtime). The Hawkeyes had lost five straight overtime games before last week’s win over Xavier.
? Iowa’s win over UTEP was the team’s seventh consecutive to start the season. The last time an Iowa team won seven straight to start a year was 2000-01; that team won its first nine.
? Iowa’s 249 points and 19.0 assists average, in three games, are a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament records.
? The Hawkeyes erupted for 100-plus points for consecutive contests (Maryland-Eastern Shore and Abilene Christian) for the first time since the beginning of the 1997-98 campaign where Iowa topped the century mark three straight games (105 vs. Chicago State; 112 vs. North Texas; 101 vs. Long Island).
? Aaron White is the first Hawkeye since Jared Reiner (2002-03) to score at least 20 points and grab 15 or more rebounds in a game. White had 20 points and 15 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Nebraska-Omaha.
? Iowa’s five turnovers against Abilene Christian are its fewest in a game since five against Boise State on Dec. 22, 2011.
? In Iowa’s season opener, Jarrod Uthoff (14 points, seven rebounds, four blocks) became only the second Big Ten player since the 1996-97 season to register 14-plus points, seven-plus rebounds and four-plus blocks in his first career game (Ohio State’s Greg Oden, 2006-07).
? The Hawkeyes blocked 12 shots versus UNC Wilmington, one shy of the school record of 13 set last year vs. Illinois. Junior Gabriel Olaseni rejected five shots, all in the first half.
? Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to win improvements in each of his first three seasons, going from 11 wins, to 18, to 25 last year. McCaffery’s highest win total as a head coach is when he coached Siena to back-to-back 27-win seasons in 2009 and 2010.
? Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White have each increased their scoring output each season in an Iowa uniform. Marble averaged 5.7 points as a freshman, to 11.5 his sophomore campaign and 15.0 points last season as a junior. White averaged 11.1 points as a rookie and 12.8 points last year as a sophomore.
? Darius Stokes earned a scholarship after being a walk-on the last three years. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native is a redshirt junior.
? Okey Ukah has been added to the roster as a walk-on. The Iowa City native is a junior.

WORLD TRAVELERS
Iowa traveled to France and the United Kingdom in August to compete in six exhibition games. The Hawkeyes posted a 5-1 record against professional teams, boasting a +22.0 scoring margin. Aaron White led the team, averaging 13.6 points, followed by Peter Jok (13.3), Melsahn Basabe (12.6) and Roy Devyn Marble (11.2). Prior to traveling with his teammates to Europe in August, White also competed for Team USA at the World University Games in Russia in July. The Hawkeye junior played in five countries in five months: Russia (July), England (August), France (August), United States (November), and Bahamas (November).

HAWKEYEBASKETBALL.COM
Check out the Iowa basketball team’s 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.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa student-athletes will prepare for final exams next week and then return to action on Sunday, Dec. 22, when the Hawkeyes challenge Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.