Men's Hoops Hosts Northwestern on Thursday

Jan. 8, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes — Northwestern

THE SETTING
No. 20/23 Iowa (12-3, 1-1), who has won 18 straight home games dating back to January 2013, hosts Northwestern (7-8, 0-2) on Thursday. Tipoff is slated for 8:05 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400). Iowa has won 27-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. 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.
TV: Thursday night’s game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Adam Amin and Brooke Weisbrod will call the action.

GAME #16 STORYLINES
? Iowa has won 18 consecutive home games, including 27 straight against unranked opponents.
? Iowa snapped a five-game losing skid to Northwestern by winning all three meetings a year ago in Evanston, Iowa City and Chicago (Big Ten Tournament).
? Senior Melsahn Basabe is only seven points from reaching 1,000 for his career.
? Iowa’s three losses have come to teams with a combined 41-1 record (Villanova, Iowa State and Wisconsin) — with each loss coming by five points or less.
? Junior forward Aaron White ranks second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.657) and 10th in free throw percentage (.824).
? Gabriel Olaseni and Jarrod Uthoff combine to average 16.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
? Roy Devyn Marble is only the second Hawkeye to amass 1,300+ points, 325+ assists and 400+ rebounds (Jeff Horner).
? Iowa plays every Big Ten team that started 2-0 in league play twice this season (Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan State).
? Iowa has led at the half in all but two games this season.

NO. 4 WISCONSIN RALLIES TO BEAT IOWA IN MADISON
? Iowa led by 11 points at halftime (35-24), but No. 4 Wisconsin rallied in the second half to upend Iowa, 75-71, in front of a sold out Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
? The Hawkeyes were led by Roy Devyn Marble, who netted a game-high 27 points. The 27 points moved the senior past Bruce King and Ed Horton into 14th place on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart. Marble’s 10 field goals made and 24 attempted Sunday night ranks third and first, respectively, by a Hawkeye during the Fran McCaffery era.
? Junior Aaron White contributed 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a season-high two shots. Senior Melsahn Basabe snagged a game-high nine boards, while sophomore Mike Gesell had a game-high seven assists and three steals to go along with nine points. Gesell’s seven assists and three steals were both season bests.
? Iowa held Wisconsin to 27 percent (8-of-30) shooting and outrebounded the Badgers by 11 (27-16) in the first half. Wisconsin shot 52 percent (12-of-23) from the field, including 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range, in the second stanza.
? The Hawkeyes outscored Wisconsin 36-12 in the paint.
? Iowa outscored the Badgers, 23-7 in second chance points, including 18-1 in the first 20 minutes.

McCAFFERY SUSPENDED FOR NORTHWESTERN GAME
The Big Ten suspended Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery one game for violating its Sportsmanship Policy during the second half of its game at Wisconsin. In addition, the conference announced that the institution has been fined $10,000 as a result of the violation. The Big Ten determined that McCaffery’s actions toward the officials were in violation of Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01, which states in part that “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.” In McCaffery’s absence, assistant coach Kirk Speraw will make the head coaching decisions during Thursday night’s contest. Speraw has over 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 20 as a head coach (17 at University of Central Florida).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 111-57 advantage over Northwestern in the series. The Hawkeyes snapped a five-game losing skid to the Wildcats with three-straight victories over Northwestern a year ago in Evanston, Iowa City, and Chicago (Big Ten Tournament). Iowa holds a 64-18 advantage in games played in Iowa City, including a 24-4 record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes snapped a two-game home losing streak to Northwestern with last season’s, 71-57, triumph on Feb. 9, 2013. Iowa’s 70-66 loss to Northwestern on March 3, 2012, is Iowa’s last loss to an unranked opponent in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

LAST SEASON AGAINST NORTHWESTERN
For the first time in school history, Iowa won three games over Northwestern in a single season. Iowa won in Evanston (70-50) last January, in Iowa City (71-57) in February and at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago (73-59) in March. In the three wins, Iowa boasted a +16 scoring margin and +10 rebounding margin. Individually, Roy Devyn Marble averaged 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the three games against the Wildcats a year ago. Aaron White averaged 11 points and five rebounds, while Melsahn Basabe averaged 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.

UTHOFF, OLASENI LEADING HAWKEYES OFF BENCH
Junior Gabriel Olaseni and sophomore Jarrod Uthoff are averaging a combined 16.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and three blocks per game coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes. Uthoff ranks third on the team in scoring (10.5) and first in rebounding (6.3), while Olaseni ranks first on the squad in rejections (1.7) and fourth in rebounding (5.3). Uthoff is one of only eight Division I players to average better than 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds off the bench.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Iowa is getting 12.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game from their center position of Adam Woodbury and Gabriel Olaseni.

ATTACKING THE RIM
Last season, Iowa ranked 20th in the country in free throw attempts per game (23.6). The Hawkeyes have improved on that number so far this season, averaging 30.2 foul shots per game, ranking ninth nationally.

HAWKEYES RANK HIGH IN STATISTICS
Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring (86.1) and field goal percentage defense (.362). The Hawkeyes also rank second in the conference in scoring margin (+20.5), rebounding margin (+9.7), blocks (5.7), and assists (17.3). Iowa ranks third in the country in field goal percentage defense (.362); fourth in scoring margin (+20.5); eighth in scoring (86.1); ninth in assists (17.3); 17th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.283); and 21st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). Individually, Aaron White ranks 11th in the country in field goal percentage (.657).

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
? Northwestern has lost its last three contests, including one at the buzzer at home to DePaul (57-56). The Wildcats are 1-5 in games away from Evanston, including a 1-3 mark in true road contests. Northwestern’s lone road victory came at Illinois-Chicago (93-58) on Nov. 20.
? The Wildcats will be playing second straight road game after falling at Michigan, 74-51, on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wildcats were outrebounded by 12 (33-21) and made 11 fewer free throws than Michigan. Drew Crawford paced the Wildcats with 17 points, while Alex Olah chipped in 12.
? Northwestern ranks fourth in the league in 3-point field goal defense (.305).
? The Wildcats are led by senior Drew Crawford, who ranks 10th in Big Ten scoring (16.0) and sixth in rebounding (7.3). Crawford and Michigan State’s Adreian Payne (16.1 points and 7.9 rebounds) are the only two Big Ten players to average 16-plus points and seven-plus rebounds. Crawford has posted four double-doubles this season — the third most by a Big Ten student-athlete this season.
? Sophomore center Alex Olah ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.574) and seventh in rejections (1.7).
? Chris Collins, a native of Northbrook, Ill., is in his first season as head coach (7-8, .467) after serving the past 13 seasons on Duke’s coaching staff.

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 (3,464) 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 12 victories. Overall, Iowa’s bench is averaging 37.8 points, 22.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. In victories, Hawkeye reserves average 41.7 points and 24.5 rebounds, while in losses Iowa’s bench averages 22.3 points and 15.7 rebounds. Individually, Roy Devyn Marble averages 14.3 points in Iowa’s 12 victories, and 23.3 points in its three defeats.

BLOCK PARTY
Junior Gabriel Olaseni has blocked at least three shots five times this season. His 26 blocks rank seventh in the Big Ten (1.7 average). The center rejected five shots in the season opener against UNC Wilmington. Sophomore Jarrod Uthoff has blocked 19 shots (1.3 average), a total that ranks ninth in the league. As a team, Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten and 33rd nationally in rejections per game (5.7).

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.

BASABE MOVIN’ ON UP
Senior Melsahn Basabe is averaging 7.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 18 minutes of action per game. The 6.4 rebounds per game shares the team lead with junior Aaron White. The native of Glen Cove, N.Y., enters Thursday’s game vs. Northwestern with 993 points. Once Basabe reaches 1,000 points, Iowa will have three 1,000-point scorers, joining White and Marble. Since the start of the year, Basabe moved past Ryan Bowen for fourth place on Iowa’s career blocks list with 137. 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 666 career rebounds are the most among active Big Ten players, has 1,000 career points in his sights.

WHITE HOT
Junior Aaron White shares the team lead in rebounding (6.4) and ranks second in scoring (13.1). 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). He currently ranks 33rd in Iowa scoring. 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 and 11th nationally in field goal percentage (.657).

HOME COOKIN’
Iowa and its fans have once again made Carver-Hawkeye Arena a hostile and challenging place for opponents to visit. Iowa enters Thursday night’s game against Northwestern having won 18 consecutive home games, dating back to last season. The Hawkeyes’ last home setback came against nationally-ranked Michigan State on January 10, 2013. For the second consecutive season, Iowa won all its nonconference home games after beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 22, to finish its nonleague home slate a perfect 8-0. The Hawkeyes have won their first nine home games this season after winning their final nine home contests a year ago. Overall, Iowa won a school-record 18 home victories (18-2) in 2012-13, 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). The Hawkeyes are three wins from equaling the Carver-Hawkeye Arena record for consecutive wins of 21, which spanned three seasons. The current record was established with the last win during the 2004-05 campaign, winning all 17 games in 2005-06, and earning victories in their first three games of the 2006-07 season. Iowa has won 27-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. Check out the following stats the Hawkeyes have generated during the home win streak:

? Boast a +20.6 margin of victory — averaging 79.6 points per game, while yielding only 59.0 points per contest
? Average 8.2 more rebounds than the opposition
? Iowa is shooting 75 percent (399-of-532) from the foul line, while its opponents have only attempted 270 free throws
? Average 15.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.9 blocks
? Roy Devyn Marble averages 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists
? Aaron White averages 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds
? Melsahn Basabe averages 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds

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, who has led the Hawkeyes in scoring the last two games, enters Thursday’s game against the Wildcats 14th in Iowa career scoring with 1,375 points. His 27-point outburst at Wisconsin on Sunday vaulted him past Bruce King and Ed Horton.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,623 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,542-1,081 (.588). That includes a 983-345 (.740) record in home games, a 553-733 (.430) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 721-738 (.494) mark in Big Ten games and a 389-119 (.766) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA FASTBREAKS
? Iowa and Michigan State are the only Big Ten team this season to have four different players post a double-double.
? Iowa finished its nonconference schedule 11-2 for the second straight season.
? 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-15 games this season.
? The Hawkeyes have out-rebounded 12 of their 15 opponents.
? Iowa is 27-4 when scoring 80 points or more, the last four seasons. The Hawkeyes are 38-1 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 three games this season (77 against Xavier; 71 at Wisconsin; 67 versus Nebraska).
? Iowa has been credited with 20 or more assists five times this season. The Hawkeyes rank ninth nationally in assists (17.3).
? Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks off the bench. The sophomore has reached double digits in nine games. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks fourth in the Big Ten in overall field goal percentage (.578) and is 14th in rebounding (6.3).
? 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 (325) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (300).
? 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).
? 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 14,752 fans this season.

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 eight remaining 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 travels to Columbus, Ohio, to face third-ranked Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 12. The game will tipoff at 12:37 p.m. (CT) at Value City Arena and will be televised nationally on CBS.