Men's Hoops Hosts Nebraska in Big Ten Opener

Dec. 29, 2013

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
Iowa (11-2, 0-0), who has won 17 straight home games dating back to January 2013, opens Big Ten competition Tuesday, Dec. 31, when it hosts Nebraska (8-4, 0-0). Tipoff is slated for 6:06 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400). A limited number of tickets are available for $25 for adults, and $15 for UI students and youth. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a free Zach McCabe bobblehead. Iowa has won 26-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.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Brent Balbinot 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.
TV: Tuesday night’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo will call the action.

BIG TEN OPENER STORYLINES
? This marks the second straight year that Iowa will have hosted a game on New Year’s Eve. Iowa played Indiana a year ago in Iowa City on the final day of 2012.
? Junior forward Aaron White ranks first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.678) and fourth in free throw percentage (.857).
? Josh Oglesby made his season debut in Iowa’s last game, Dec. 22, against Ark.-Pine Bluff. The junior guard sank his first four 3-point attempts and finished the contest with 13 points.
? Gabriel Olaseni and Jarrod Uthoff combine to average 17.4 points, 12 rebounds and 3.2 blocks off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
? Roy Devyn Marble is only the third Hawkeye to amass 1,300+ points, 325+ assists and 375+ rebounds (Dean Oliver and Jeff Horner).
? Iowa’s two losses have come to teams with a combined 22-1 record (Villanova and Iowa State).
? Senior Melsahn Basabe is 14 points from reaching 1,000 for his career.
? Iowa finished its nonconference schedule 11-2 for the second straight season.
? Iowa’s backcourt of Mike Gesell (4.0), Roy Devyn Marble (2.7) and Anthony Clemmons (2.7) rank first, third and fourth, respectively in assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten Conference.

HAWKEYES OVERWHELM PINE BLUFF IN NONCONFERENCE FINALE
? Iowa sprinted out to a 39-5 advantage and never looked back en route to an 86-61 triumph over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in its nonconference finale on Dec. 22 in Iowa City.
? Josh Oglesby made his season debut after missing the first 12 games due to injury draining his first four 3-point attempts and ultimately finishing with 13 points.
? Adam Woodbury tallied double digits for the first time this season, netting 10 points, while also equaling career highs in assists (4) and steals (2).
? Iowa made 61.7 percent (29-of-47) of its field goals, including a season-best 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from 3-point range. The Hawkeyes’ 3-point percentage (.588) and overall field goal percentage (.617) rank second and third, respectively, in the Fran McCaffery era.
? Anthony Clemmons (2) and Jarrod Uthoff (3) posted season bests in 3-pointers made.
? Iowa collected assists on 22 of its 29 field goals.
? Thirteen different Hawkeyes scored at least one point.
? The 52 first-half points matched the second-most this year by the Hawkeyes. Iowa also scored 52 against Notre Dame. The Hawkeyes netted 56 against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 14.
? Nine different Hawkeyes collected at least one steal. Iowa had 10 thefts in the contest.
? The Hawkeyes outrebounded the Golden Lions by 15 (42-27).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 14-9 advantage in the series that began with a 27-17 Husker win in 1907. The two teams have split their previous four meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. The Hawkeyes will not visit Lincoln this season, as Tuesday will be the only regular season meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes have won 10 of the last 15 and seven of the last 11 in the series. Iowa is 9-3 in games played between the two schools in Iowa City. Tuesday will be Nebraska’s third-ever game played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won six of the last seven contests in the series played in Iowa City, dating back to 1943.

LAST SEASON AGAINST NEBRASKA
Aaron White averaged nearly a double-double in two games against the Cornhuskers — 17 points and 9.5 rebounds. Roy Devyn Marble averaged 12 points versus Nebraska. Melsahn Basabe had a double-double in the final regular season game against the Cornhuskers in Iowa City — 11 points and 13 rebounds. Nebraska’s Shavon Shields averaged 11.5 points and five boards against Iowa last season, while Ray Gallegos averaged 16.5 points against the Hawkeyes a year ago.

UTHOFF, OLASENI LEADING HAWKEYES OFF BENCH
Junior Gabriel Olaseni and sophomore Jarrod Uthoff are averaging a combined 17.4 points, 12 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes. Uthoff ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.8) and first in rebounding (6.7), while Olaseni ranks first on the squad in rejections (1.8) and fourth in rebounding (5.3). Uthoff is one of only eight Division I players to average better than 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds off the bench.

BENCH MOB
Iowa’s reserves played a large role in Iowa’s 11 victories. Iowa’s bench is averaging 40.8 points, 23.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks during nonconference play. As a team, the Hawkeye reserves rank first in the country in rebounding (23.8), and third in scoring (40.8) and blocks (3.8).

OGLESBY MAKES SPLASH IN DEBUT
Josh Oglesby broke a bone in his right foot during practice on Nov. 6. The shooting guard had surgery on Nov. 8 and missed six weeks of game action. The junior made his season debut on Dec. 22 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, scoring 13 points. Oglesby played 20 minutes, sinking his first four 3-point attempts and finishing 4-of-5 from long distance. Oglesby (6-foot-5, 208 pounds) played in 37 contests, including two starts, a year ago. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has scored 68 percent of his points from 3-point territory (273/401).

HAWKEYES RANK HIGH IN STATISTICS
Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring (88.7) and scoring margin (+23.2). The Hawkeyes also rank second in the conference in rebounding margin (+10.8), blocks (5.5), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271), and assists (18.4). Iowa ranks third in the country in scoring margin (+23.2); fourth in assists (18.4) and field goal percentage defense (.367); fifth in scoring (88.7); ninth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271); and 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.57). Individually, Mike Gesell ranks fourth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.0), while Aaron White ranks 12th in field goal percentage (.678).

BLOCK PARTY
Junior Gabriel Olaseni has blocked at least three shots five times this season. His 24 blocks rank sixth in the Big Ten (1.8 average). The center rejected five shots in the season opener against UNC Wilmington. As a team, Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten and 40th nationally in rejections per game (5.5).

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
? Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten in steals (8.0) and third in turnover margin (+3.5). The Cornhuskers rank 19th nationally in turnover margin and 31st in fewest turnovers (10.4).
? The Cornhuskers are a perfect 7-0 at home this season and 1-4 in games away from Lincoln, including an 0-2 mark in true road contests.
? Nebraska went 1-2 at the 2014 Charleston Classic in November, beating Georgia (73-65), but falling to UMass (96-90) and UAB (87-74).
? Nebraska has two players average double figures in scoring: sophomores Terran Petteway (17.3) and Shavon Shields (12.7). Petteway is an 87 percent (59-of-68) free throw shooter.
? The Cornhuskers have three players who have made 16 or more 3-pointers: Ray Gallegos (23), Terran Petteway (18), and Walter Pitchford (16).
? Nebraska has been outrebounded by its opponents by an average of 2.1 per game, an average that ranks 12th in the league.

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 (3,449) 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.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Iowa is getting 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game from their center position of Adam Woodbury and Gabriel Olaseni. Olaseni, celebrated his 22nd birthday on Sunday, Dec. 29.

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). For the second consecutive season, Iowa won all its nonconference home games after beating Pine Bluff on Dec. 22 to finish its nonleague home slate 8-0. Iowa has won 26-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 23 straight at home against nonconference foes, dating back to 2011. Overall, Iowa has won 17 consecutive home games dating back to January 2013.

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 7.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in only 18 minutes of action per game. Since the start of the year, Basabe has moved past Ryan Bowen for fourth place on Iowa’s career blocks list with 132. 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 650 career rebounds are the most among active Big Ten players, has 1,000 career points in his sights. Basabe enters Tuesday’s night’s contest against Nebraska with 986 points.

WHITE HOT
Junior Aaron White ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.2) and scoring (13.2). 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). The native of Strongsville, Ohio, became the first Hawkeye in 10 years to amass 25 points and 17 rebounds in a game at Iowa State on Dec. 13. The last Hawkeye to accomplish the feat was Jared Reiner on March 1, 2003 at Indiana. The 17 rebounds are the most in a single-game since Greg Brunner cleared 23 against Minnesota on Jan. 18, 2006. White ranks first in the league in field goal percentage (.678).

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 Tuesday’s game against the Cornhuskers 17th with 1,333 points, 10 points shy of James Moses (1,343).

IOWA FASTBREAKS
? Iowa and Michigan State are the only Big Ten team this season to have four different players post a double-double.
? Iowa had three players (Basabe, Uthoff and Olaseni) post double-doubles in its victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. It marked the first time in 20 years three Hawkeyes recorded double-doubles, in the same game, in points and rebounds.
? Iowa has had four players score in double figures in 9-of-13 games this season.
? The Hawkeyes have out-rebounded 11 of their 13 opponents.
? Iowa is 27-4 when scoring 80 points or more, the last four seasons. The Hawkeyes are 37-1 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 five times this season. The Hawkeyes rank fourth nationally in assists (18.4).
? Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks off the bench. The sophomore has reached double digits in eight games. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.848) and is 10th in rebounding (6.7).
? 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 (286) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (247).
? 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.
? 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.
? Iowa’s five turnovers against Abilene Christian are its fewest in a game since five against Boise State on Dec. 22, 2011.
? 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.

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 14,672 fans this season.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,621 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,541-1,080 (.588). That includes a 982-345 (.740) record in home games, a 553-732 (.430) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 720-737 (.494) mark in Big Ten games and a 388-119 (.765) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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 a Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. McCabe averaged 13 points, shooting 50 percent from the field (14-of-28) and 3-point territory (8-of-16).

ADDITIONAL SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE
A limited number of tickets are available for Iowa’s nine Big Ten games. There are no limits to the number of tickets that can be purchased per game with the following exceptions: a limit of four (4) tickets for Iowa’s games weekday games against Michigan State, and all of Iowa’s games against Big Ten opponents played on either Saturday or Sunday.

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 will travel to Madison, Wis., for its first conference road game against nationally-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:31 p.m. (CT) at the Kohl Center and will be televised live on BTN (BTN2GO).