Men's Hoops Travels to Northwestern Saturday

Jan. 23, 2014

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Iowa Game Notes

THE SETTING
No. 10/10 Iowa (15-4, 4-2), who is in third place in the Big Ten standings, travels to Northwestern (10-10, 3-4) on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:06 a.m. (CT) at Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117). Saturday will be the first Big Ten rematch for both teams; Iowa won 93-67 on Jan. 9 in Iowa City. Both the Hawkeyes and Wildcats enter Saturday’s contest winners of three of their last four contests.

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: Saturday afternoon’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Josh Lewin and Mike Kelley will call the action.

GAME #20 STORYLINES
? Saturday is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer weekend. Coaches across the country will be wearing sneakers with their suits to raise cancer awareness.
? Iowa (10th) is ranked in the AP top 10 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2002 (ninth).
? Iowa and North Carolina are the only teams with a road win against an AP top-three team this season.
? The Hawkeyes have won four straight over Northwestern — their longest win streak over the Wildcats since winning four consecutive during the 2007-09 seasons.
? Iowa’s win over No. 3 Ohio State on Jan. 12, marked Iowa’s first over a top-five team since an 83-65 victory at second-ranked Missouri on Dec. 15, 2001, in Columbia, Mo.
? Melsahn Basabe has posted double-doubles in two of the last four outings (Northwestern and Ohio State). The senior is one rebound from his 700th of his career.
? Junior forward Aaron White ranks first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.645) and sixth in free throw percentage (.838).
? Roy Devyn Marble is only the second Hawkeye to amass 1,400+ points, 325+ assists and 400+ rebounds (Jeff Horner).
? Iowa has scored 82 points or more in all but four games this season.

HAWKEYES FALL AT NO. 21 MICHIGAN
? Iowa dropped a 75-67 decision at No. 21 Michigan Wednesday night at the Crisler Center. The 67 points matched Iowa’s lowest point total of the season (Nebraska).
? Senior Melsahn Basabe registered a season-high 17 points, scoring 15 in the first half.
? Aaron White scored 14-straight second-half points during the final eight minutes. He scored 16 of his 17 points in the second stanza and surpassed Bob Hansen and Kevin Kunnert for 26th place on Iowa’s career scoring chart. The junior forward also led the team in rebounding (7), assists (4) and steals (2).
? Roy Devyn Marble, Basabe and White combined to score 47 of Iowa’s 67 points.
? Center Adam Woodbury netted eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw stripe.
? Michigan was 8-of-27 (.296) from 3-point range, while Iowa was 2-of-10 (.200) from long distance.

RAISING THE BAR
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, 11.5 his sophomore campaign, 15.0 points as a junior, and 16.2 points this season as a senior. White averaged 11.1 points as a rookie, 12.8 points as a sophomore, and 14.2 points this year as a junior.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Iowa holds a 112-57 advantage over Northwestern in the series. After losing five straight to the Wildcats between 2010-12, the Hawkeyes have since won the last four, including all three meetings last season. Iowa is gunning for its first five-game win streak over Northwestern since a nine-game streak between 1995-2000. Iowa holds a 45-39 edge in games played in Evanston. The Hawkeyes snapped a four-game losing skid at Northwestern with a 70-50 win a year ago in Evanston.

IOWA BEAT NORTHWESTERN IN PREVIOUS MEETING
? Iowa led by as many as 31 points and ultimately won, 93-67, over Northwestern on Jan. 9, in Iowa City.
? Iowa had four starters in double figures, including two posting double-doubles. Melsahn Basabe (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Aaron White (18 points and 10 rebounds) had the double-doubles, while Roy Devyn Marble contributed 15 points, six assists and a game-high four steals, and Adam Woodbury netted a season-high 10.
? The Hawkeyes outrebounded Northwestern, 41-28, and had 22 assists to the Wildcats’ four. Iowa assisted on 22 of its 29 field goals.
? Iowa’s starting backcourt of Roy Devyn Marble and Mike Gesell combined for 24 points, 12 assists, six steals, four rebounds and only one turnover.
? Iowa shot 57 percent (29-of-51) from the field, including 57 percent from 3-point range (8-of-14) in the victory.
? The Hawkeyes shot 75 percent from the foul line (27-of-36), including Aaron White sinking all 10 of his free throw attempts, equaling a season high in makes.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
? Since losing at Iowa (Jan. 9), the Wildcats have won three of four contests. During that four-game span, Northwestern has held its opponents to 51 points per game.
? The Wildcats will be playing at home Saturday for the fourth time in five games. Eight of Northwestern’s 10 victories this season have come at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
? The Wildcats won a double overtime contest against Purdue (63-60) Tuesday night in Evanston. Drew Crawford and Tre Demps each scored 19 points. Crawford played all 50 minutes, while Sanjay Lumpkin logged 43 and Demps played 42.
? Northwestern ranks fourth in the league in 3-point field goal defense (.303).
? The Wildcats are led by senior Drew Crawford, who ranks 12th in Big Ten scoring (15.3) and seventh in rebounding (7.0). Crawford has posted five double-doubles this season — the third most by a Big Ten student-athlete this season.
? Sophomore center Alex Olah ranks 12th in the conference in field goal percentage (.512) and fifth in rejections (1.9).
? Northwestern has four players who have made at least 19 triples this season: Tre Demps (29), Drew Crawford (25), JerShon Cobb (20) and Kale Abrahamson (19).
? The Wildcats have been outrebounded by an average of 7.3 rebounds in their seven conference games.
? Chris Collins, a native of Northbrook, Ill., is in his first season as head coach (10-10, .500) after serving the past 13 seasons on Duke’s coaching staff.

BASABE JOINS TEAMMATES IN 1,000-POINT CLUB
Melsahn Basabe (1,043) joined teammates Roy Devyn Marble (1,441) and Aaron White (1,146) in Iowa’s 1,000-point club against Northwestern on Jan. 9. Marble netted his 1,000th point in the 2013 regular season finale against Nebraska, while White passed 1,000 points against Notre Dame (Dec. 3) earlier this year. Basabe, White, and Marble become Iowa’s fifth trio of players on the same team to reach the 1,000-point threshold, and first trio since 2005.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Iowa is getting 11.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game from their center position of Adam Woodbury and Gabriel Olaseni.

UTHOFF, OLASENI LEADING HAWKEYES OFF BENCH
Junior Gabriel Olaseni and sophomore Jarrod Uthoff are averaging a combined 15.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes. Uthoff ranks third on the team in scoring (9.5) and rebounding (5.5), while Olaseni ranks first on the squad in rejections (1.4) and fourth in rebounding (4.9). Olaseni averages an offensive rebound every 5.84 minutes played. The junior, who pulled down another six offensive boards in Iowa’s win over Minnesota, leads the team with 49 offensive boards and ranks fourth in the Big Ten.

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 (3,557) are third among father-son combos, playing at the same school, behind the Burtt’s of Iona (4,568). Overall, the Marble’s are ninth.

HAWKEYES RANK HIGH IN STATISTICS
Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring (85.7), scoring margin (+18.7), and field goal percentage defense (.377). The Hawkeyes also rank second in the conference in rebounding margin (+9.2), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.283), and assists (16.9). Iowa ranks third in the country in scoring (85.7); fourth in scoring margin (+18.7); sixth in field goal percentage defense (.377); eighth in rebounding margin (+9.2); ninth in assists (16.9); 10th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.283); and 20th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). Individually, Mike Gesell ranks 20th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2); Aaron White ranks 12th in field goal percentage (.645); and Roy Devyn Marble ranks 43rd in steals (2.1).

IOWA FASTBREAKS
? The last time Iowa was ranked 10th or higher this late into season was Feb. 1, 1993 (ninth).
? Iowa started 15-3 for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign and 4-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
? Iowa is the only Big Ten team to be undefeated at home (11-0).
? Iowa has made (415) more free throws than its opponents have attempted (389).
? Iowa has attempted 184 free throws in six B1G games, the most in the league. Minnesota ranks second with 155 in seven games.
? All four of Iowa’s losses have come by eight points or fewer to teams ranked in the top 25 this week.
? Iowa has assists on 58 percent of its field goals this season (321/551), a percentage that ranks 41st in the country.
? Iowa and Michigan State are the only Big Ten team this season to have four different players post a double-double.
? Iowa has had four or more players score in double figures in 12-of-19 games this season, including five players reach double figures in its last two contests (Ohio State and Minnesota).
? The Hawkeyes have out-rebounded 16 of their 19 opponents.
? Iowa is 30-4 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.
? Iowa has scored 82-plus points in all but four games this season (77 against Xavier; 71 at Wisconsin; 67 versus Nebraska; 67 at Michigan).
? Iowa has been credited with 20 or more assists six times this season. The Hawkeyes rank ninth nationally in assists (16.9).
? Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks off the bench. The sophomore has reached double digits in 10 games. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks seventh in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.545) and is 19th in rebounding (5.5).

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 30.1 foul shots per game, ranking sixth nationally. Iowa ranks third in the country in free throw makes (21.8).

BENCH MOB
Iowa’s reserves played a large role in Iowa’s 15 victories. Overall, Iowa’s bench is averaging 34.8 points, 20.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. In victories, Hawkeye reserves average 39.1 points and 22.7 rebounds, while in losses Iowa’s bench averages 18.8 points and 14.3 rebounds. Individually, Roy Devyn Marble averages 14.9 points in Iowa’s 15 victories, and 20.8 points in its three defeats.

SHARPSHOOTER
Junior Josh Oglesby, who missed the first 12 games of the season due to an injured foot, made his first four 3-point attempts of the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 22) and Minnesota (Jan. 19). The junior finished with 13 and 17 points, respectively.

BLOCK PARTY
Junior Gabriel Olaseni has blocked at least three shots five times this season. His 26 blocks rank ninth in the Big Ten (1.4 average). The center rejected five shots in the season opener against UNC Wilmington. Sophomore Jarrod Uthoff has blocked 23 shots (1.3 average), a total that ranks 12th in the league. As a team, Iowa ranks fourth in the Big Ten in rejections (5.2).

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, who has posted double-doubles in two of the last four games (Northwestern and Ohio State), is averaging 8.2 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds. Basabe pulls down 8.2 rebounds per game in Big Ten play, an average that ranks third in the Big Ten. Basabe’s 699 career rebounds are the most among active Big Ten players. Since the start of the year, Basabe moved past Ryan Bowen for fourth place on Iowa’s career blocks list and currently has 138 rejections. 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.

HOME COOKIN’
Iowa and its fans have once again made Carver-Hawkeye Arena a hostile and challenging place for opponents to visit. Iowa has won 20 consecutive home games, dating back to last season. The Hawkeyes’ last home setback came against nationally-ranked Michigan State on Jan. 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. Iowa’s next home game is vs. Michigan State (Jan. 28). The Hawkeyes have won their first 11 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 one win 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 29-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.

WHITE HOT
Junior Aaron White ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.5) and ranks second in scoring (14.2). White is one of only two Big Ten players to average 14 points and 6.5 rebounds or better (Northwestern’s Drew Crawford). 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 26th in Iowa scoring after surpassing Bob Hansen and Kevin Kunnert in Iowa’s last game at Michigan. White became the first Hawkeye since Luke Recker (Nov. 14, 2001) to post 18+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game when he had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against the Wildcats on Jan. 9 in Iowa City. 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 12th nationally in field goal percentage (.645).

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 earned his first Player of the Week honors by the Big Ten and was also recognized as Athlon Sports’ National Player of the Week on Jan. 13, after leading the Hawkeyes to a pair of victories at No. 3 Ohio State (84-74) and vs. Northwestern (93-67). Marble averaged 18.5 points, shooting 60 percent from the field (12-of-20) and 3-point range (3-of-5). He averaged 4.5 assists, 3.5 steals and three rebounds in the two victories. Marble, who has led the Hawkeyes in scoring three of the last six games, enters Saturday’s game at Northwestern 14th in Iowa career scoring with 1,441 points. The native of Southfield, Mich., averages 18 points, 2.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and two steals in conference play. Marble ranks 43rd in the country in steals (2.1).

IOWA TIP-INS
? Iowa finished its nonconference schedule 11-2 for the second straight season.
? One-third of the way into conference play, nine of the 12 Big Ten teams have three losses in league play, while six have four.
? 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.
? Zach McCabe and Roy Devyn Marble were named to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team.
? 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 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 beat Minnesota, 94-73, on Jan. 19 in Iowa City. The 21-point loss is the Gophers’ most lop-sided loss of the season. The 94 points are its most against Minnesota in a non-OT game since scoring 99 points versus the Gophers on Feb. 18, 1989.
? Iowa’s 249 points and 19.0 assists average, in three games, are a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament records.
? Iowa’s win at Ohio State on Jan. 12, marked only the third time in the last four seasons that Ohio State allowed 80-plus points and the first time since 2008 that a team registered 84-plus points against the Buckeyes.
? In Iowa’s win at Ohio State on Jan. 12, it marked the first time since 1989 that Iowa had five double figure scorers in Columbus.
? 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.
? 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.

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).

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).

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 14,744 fans this season. Iowa’s remaining six home games have reached sellout status. Iowa has sold out five previous contests this season (Penn, Notre Dame, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Nebraska and Minnesota). The additional six sell outs will give the Hawkeyes 11 sellouts, their most since the 2001-02 season (16).

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.

MCCAFFERY IN COACHES CHARITY CHALLENGE
Infiniti, ESPN, NABC and the NCAA have teamed up again to produce a one-of-a-kind charity competition — the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge. For 10 weeks, 48 coaches compete in a round robin bracket tournament for the chance to win $100,000 for charity. Iowa’s Fran McCaffery is one of 48 collegiate coaches taking part in this challenge. Fan participation will determine the ultimate winner over an eight-week period by registering and voting on a custom microsite on ESPN.com/Infiniti. The tournament is divided into four rounds. The coaches with the most votes will advance to the next round and earn more money for their charity. Go to ESPN.com/Infiniti each day and vote for Fran McCaffery and his charity, Coaches vs. Cancer.

“HAWK TALK WITH Fran McCaffery”
University of Iowa basketball fans may join Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery and radio announcer Gary Dolphin for the “Hawk Talk with Fran McCaffery” radio call-in show. The next show will take place Wednesday (Jan. 29) at Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe in Iowa City from 7-8:30 p.m. Fans can call in and ask the coach a question by calling 1-877-464-2957.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa returns home Tuesday to host nationally-ranked Michigan State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.