MBB to Entertain Savannah State on Sunday

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THE SETTING
Iowa (1-0) returns to the hardwood on Sunday, hosting Savannah State (0-1). Tipoff is set for 2:35 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
      There will be a women’s-men’s basketball doubleheader Sunday with the women hosting Hampton beginning at noon (CT). Fans with a men’s ticket are welcome to attend the women’s game with their men’s ticket and sit in sections DD – JJ & E – I (above row 24).
 
ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin will handle 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.
Stream: Sunday’s game will be streamed on mobile devices and computers via BTN Plus on BTN2GO. Zach Mackey, Mac McCausland, and Taylor Brooks will call the action. There is a monthly or annual subscription fee to watch the game.

GAME #2 STORYLINES
•    Tickets can be purchased at the UI Ticket Office. Tickets are $18 for adults and $5 for youths and UI students.
•    Iowa Brandanas will be distributed to the first 500 UI students in attendance.
•    Sunday will be the first ever meeting between Iowa and Savannah State. The Hawkeyes are 16-0 all-time against current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
•    Senior Peter Jok scored 27 points in Iowa’s season opening win over Kennesaw State. The 27 points are the most by a Hawkeye in a season opener since Adam Haluska poured in 29 against The Citadel in 2006. Jok’s 27 points was also the high mark for an individual in the 13 Big Ten games played on Friday.
•    Freshman Tyler Cook (10) joined Aaron White as the only two players to grab 10 or more rebounds in their first game as a Hawkeye in the past 20 years.
•    Cordell Pemsl had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks in Friday’s victory. Pemsl joined Jarrod Uthoff as the only two players to post 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks in their Hawkeye debut the past 20 years.
•    Iowa has won 38 of its last 39 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Peter Jok was one of 10 players named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team as selected by a media voting panel. He is also one of 20 players nationally named to the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Watch List.
•    Iowa has competed in postseason play the last five years (NCAA 2014-16; NIT 2012-13).
•    The Hawkeyes won 22 games, tied for third place in the Big Ten, and won an NCAA Tournament game each of the last two seasons.
•    Iowa sold out 23 home games the last three seasons. The Hawkeyes ranked 19th in national attendance in 2015-16.
•    Iowa has won 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons — its longest streak in 15 years.
•    Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to upper division finishes in the Big Ten in each of the last four seasons. McCaffery, who is one of just 12 Division I head coaches to take four different programs to the NCAA Tournament, has accumulated 16 first division finishes in 20 years as a head coach. McCaffery has posted 10 seasons of 20 or more wins as a head coach.
•    Iowa is 51-7 when scoring 80 points or more, the last six seasons. The Hawkeyes are 61-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last six years.
 
TICKETS FOR HEROES
The University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office is offering the opportunity for fans to purchase and donate basketball tickets to active duty and veteran military members, law enforcement officials and firefighters, through the “Tickets for Heroes” program.
      This opportunity will honor heroes by providing tickets at no cost when Iowa hosts a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader on Military Appreciation Day, set for Sunday. Basketball tickets purchased to donate are priced at $12.
    Fans who are interested in purchasing and donating tickets for Military Appreciation Day, may use the promotion code TICKETS4HEROES at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
 
HAWKEYES BEAT KENNESAW STATE IN OPENER
Iowa scored the game’s first nine points and never looked back in an impressive 91-74 season opening win over Kennesaw State on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
•   Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures, left by Peter Jok’s 27 points. Ahmad Wagner netted a career-best 12 points, while Nicholas Baer and Cordell Pemsl each had 10.
•    Nicholas Baer was on the court for 26 minutes and boasted a +23 (Iowa 68, KSU 45).
•   In addition to his 12 points, Wagner posted personal bests in blocked shots (4) and assists (4). Wagner made all four field goal attempts and was 4-of-5 from the foul line.
•   Christian Williams dished out a personal-best five assists in his first start at point guard.
•   Iowa’s defensive pressure forced 21 turnovers. The Hawkeyes outscored the Owls, 27-11, in points off turnovers.
•   Iowa attempted 34 free throws, making 24 (.706). Conversely, Kennesaw State was only 6-of-15 (.400) from the charity stripe.
 
SCOUTING SAVANNAH STATE
•   Savannah State is located in Georgia and competes as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
•   The Tigers posted a 16-16 overall record, while going 9-7 and finishing fifth in the MEAC last season. Savannah State was 12-3 at home, but lost 12 of 14 road contests in a year ago.
•   Savannah State scored 100 or more points in two exhibition game victories: 100-86 over LaGrange College and 123-108 over Armstrong State. The Tigers lost their opener, 113-71, at nationally-ranked Iowa State Friday evening.
•   Savannah State was outrebounded by 26 (62-36) Friday at Iowa State. The Cyclones scored 74 points in the paint and outscored the Tigers 29-2 in second-chance points.
•   The Tigers lost four starters from last year, but return seven letterwinners. Savannah State’s only returning starter, Troyce Manassa, averaged 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds last year.
•   Head coach Horace Broadnax is in his 12th season on the Savannah State sidelines (143-196) and his 17th season overall (185-284) as a head coach. Broadnax helped lead Georgetown to the 1984 NCAA national championship title and as national championship runner-ups in 1985
•   Nine of Savannah State’s first 12 games to start the season will be away from home.
 
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA ENHANCEMENTS
The Iowa Athletic Department upgraded Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s video boards, sound system, lighting, digital scorestable displays, and playing surface this past summer.
      A new four-sided centerhung video system is the centerpiece of the installation. The two main centerhung displays measure approximately 14.5 feet high by 26 feet wide and the other two centerhung displays measure 9.5 feet high by 16.5 feet wide. The project also upgraded the auxiliary displays located near the ceiling at each side of the arena.
 
PETER JOK ENTERS FINAL SEASON AS A HAWKEYE
After averaging seven points per game as a sophomore, Peter Jok surged 9.1 points last year as a junior averaging 16.1 points per contest. The +9.1 improvement was tops among Big Ten players. Jok’s 16.1 scoring average ranks second among Big Ten players returning this season behind Illinois’ Malcolm Hill (18.1 ppg).
      Jok was named to the preseason All-Big Ten first team and third-team All-America by the website College Sports Madness, while also being recognized on the 10-player All-Big Ten squad voted on by the media. Jok is also named to the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and 2017 Naismith Trophy watch lists.
      Jok ranked second on the team in scoring (16.1 ppg) and first in free throw accuracy (.852, 92-of-108). Jok made 28 straight free throws before missing in the win over Temple (3-of-5). He scored 20 or more points 10 times in 2015-16, including a career-best 29 points at Rutgers (Jan. 21) and versus Illinois (March 10). The 29-point outbursts tie for seventh-most by a Hawkeye during the Fran McCaffery era.
      Jok became the first Hawkeye non-senior to average 16 points or more since Chris Kingsbury averaged 16.8 points as a sophomore in 1995.
 
NICHOLAS BAER PLAYED OVERSEAS IN AUGUST
Nicholas Baer averaged 8.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and two steals in four games (3-1) overseas on the USA East Coast All-Star Team.
      This marked the sixth consecutive year that a Hawkeye traveled overseas with the USA East Coast basketball team. In 2011, Matt Gatens and Bryce Cartwright traveled overseas; Zach McCabe went in 2012; Jarrod Uthoff was on the roster in 2013; Mike Gesell and Adam Woodbury competed in 2014; while Dom Uhl traveled with the team in 2015.
 
RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Melsahn Basabe (Greece), Anthony Clemmons (Austria), Mike Gesell (Denmark), Jarryd Cole (France), Matt Gatens (NBA D-League: Iowa Energy), Devyn Marble (Greece), Gabriel Olaseni (Italy), Darius Stokes (Australia), Jarrod Uthoff (NBA D-League: Raptors 905), Aaron White (Russia), and Adam Woodbury (NBA D-League: Fort Wayne Mad Ants).
 
BAER NOMINATED FOR GOOD WORKS TEAM
Sophomore Nicholas Baer is a nominee for the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team.
      This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who have demonstrated a commitment to enriching the lives of others and contributing to the greater good in their communities.
      College sports information directors and basketball coaches across the country nominated players who exhibit exceptional leadership skills and an unwavering commitment to volunteerism.
 
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,707 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,594-1,113 (.589). That includes a 1,016-355 (.741) record in home games, a 574-755 (.432) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 752-757 (.498) mark in Big Ten games and a 421-129 (.765) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
THE HY-VEE CLASSIC TICKETS ON SALE
The state’s four NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams will be in action in the same venue for the fifth consecutive year at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Dec. 17.
      The first game of the doubleheader will feature Northern Iowa and Iowa beginning at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Iowa State and Drake will play the second game at 6 p.m., with the game being broadcast on Mediacom.
      Tickets, which range in price from $30-75, are on sale exclusively through Hy-VeeTix.com, 844-55-HYVEE, 22 Hy-Vee Stores in Des Moines and Ames, or the Wells Fargo Arena Box Office. Tickets are good for admission to both games of the doubleheader.
      One of the marquee basketball events in the Midwest, The Hy-Vee Classic has sold out each of the last two years.
 
ALL-SESSION BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
All-session tickets for the 2017 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament are on sale. The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., March 8-12.
      Lower level tickets may be purchased through the UI Ticket Office. General public tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.
      All-session tickets for the lower level at the Verizon Center are available for $400 through the Big Ten university ticket offices only. All-session tickets general public tickets are available for $200 or $250 (depending on seat location) through Ticketmaster or the Verizon Center box office only. Orders will be limited to eight all-session tickets.
      The tournament will continue to feature a discounted student ticket program. Students of Big Ten universities will be able to purchase tickets for $20, good for only the session or sessions featuring their school. All students must have a valid student ID for entry. Student section seating will be available in balcony sections and orders will be limited to one ticket per student.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will host Seton Hall, for its third straight home game to open the regular season. The contest against the Pirates is part of the second annual Gavitt Games. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.