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THE SETTING
Iowa (5-5) will face Northern Iowa (5-4) on Saturday at The Hy-Vee Classic. Tipoff is set for 3:31 p.m. (CT) at Wells Fargo Arena (15,424). Drake will face Iowa State in the doubleheader nightcap. Tipoff for that contest will start at 6:07 p.m. (CT).
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. Approximately 500 tickets remain.
One of the marquee basketball events in the Midwest, The Hy-Vee Classic has sold out each of the last two years.
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: Saturday’s game will be streamed on mobile devices and computers via ESPN3 (WATCHESPN). Jordan Bernfield and Mac McCausland will call the action.
THE HY-VEE CLASSIC STORYLINES
• Iowa holds a 34-10 advantage in the series with UNI that began with a 51-9 Iowa win in 1906. The two teams have split the last 14 meetings. Saturday will be the third meeting between the two teams on neutral floors at The Hy-Vee Classic with each team winning a game (Iowa in 2012 and UNI in 2014).
• Iowa is 3-1 all-time in the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic, beating UNI in 2012, and Drake in 2013 and 2015. The Panthers topped the Hawkeyes in 2014.
• Freshmen Cordell Pemsl amassed an 8-1 record at Wells Fargo Arena during his prep career at Dubuque Wahlert. Pemsl and his teammates captured the Class 3A team championship in 2014 and 2015, and were runners-up in 2016.
• Players from Iowa and Northern Iowa play with and against each other over the summer in the Prime Time Summer League. Games are contested in North Liberty and Waterloo.
• Last year versus Drake at The Hy-Vee Classic, redshirt freshman Nicholas Baer had 13 points, seven rebounds, and a Wells Fargo Arena Record and career-best six blocked shots.
• Three of Iowa’s top four scorers this season are true freshmen. Tyler Cook is second (13.7), followed by Cordell Pemsl (10.6), and Jordan Bohannon (8.4).
• Peter Jok scored 238 points through the first ten games, which are the most points through ten games in 46 years. Iowa’s Fred Brown netted 270 points the first ten games in 1970.
• Iowa has scored 90 points or more five times this season.
• Peter Jok, who scored his 1,000th career point against Memphis, has scored double digits in all nine games, including netting 27 or more points in five of the contests. Jok ranks fifth in country — first among players from Power 5 conferences — in scoring per game (23.9).
• Peter Jok tied a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record against Omaha, making all 12 free throw attempts. The perfect 12-of-12 mark tied Luke Recker (2001 vs. Kansas State), Val Barnes (1992 vs. Ohio State), and Roy Marble (1988 vs. Northern Iowa).
• Cordell Pemsl ranks first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, making 75 percent of his shot attempts (42-of-56). Pesml is one of seven Division I players in the last 20 years to shoot 75 percent or better through 10 career games (minimum 50 attempts).
• Peter Jok was named to the preseason 10-player All-Big Ten first team, while also being named to the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and 2017 Naismith Trophy and John Wooden Award watch lists.
HAWKEYES SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS
Senior Peter Jok and redshirt freshman Isaiah Moss were named Big Ten Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office. It marks the first time Iowa has swept the weekly men’s basketball accolades (weekly freshman honors began in 2010).
Jok (6-6, 205 pounds) collects the third Big Ten weekly honor of his career and second this season. Jok helped lead the Hawkeyes to a pair of victories last week over Stetson (95-68) and No. 25 Iowa State (78-64). He averaged a team-best 19 points, 8.5 rebounds, and five assists in the two contests.
In Iowa’s upset over 25th-ranked Iowa State on Dec. 8, Jok lead all scorers and rebounders with 23 points and nine rebounds. Against Stetson, the team captain flirted with a triple-double recording 15 points, eight rebounds, and dishing out a career-high seven assists without committing a turnover.
Moss (6-5, 205 pounds) earned his first conference weekly recognition after averaging 17.5 points and five rebounds in Iowa’s two victories. The native of Chicago scored nine of his 14 points in the second half to help Iowa upend the 25th-ranked Cyclones.
Moss tallied personal bests in scoring (21), steals (2), and rebounds (6) in the Hawkeyes’ triumph over Stetson on Dec. 5. The shooting guard shot at a 50 percent clip from 3-point range in the two games (6-of-12), including going 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from long distance against the Hatters.
2 HAWKEYES SIDELINED DUE TO INJURIES
Forwards Dale Jones and Tyler Cook are sidelined due to hand injuries suffered during the month of November.
Jones suffered a fracture in his right wrist in Iowa’s game against Seton Hall (Nov. 17) and is expected to miss approximately 8-9 weeks. The Hawkeye senior sustained the injury minutes after making his season debut against the Pirates. Jones, who transferred to Iowa in 2015 after three years at Tyler Junior College in Texas, has played limited minutes in only seven games during his Hawkeye career.
Cook fractured his right index finger during a practice on Thanksgiving at the Emerald Coast Classic and is expected to miss approximately three weeks. The Hawkeye freshman had surgery on Nov. 29 in Iowa City. Cook, who started the first six games of his collegiate career, ranks second on the team in scoring (13.7 points per game) and rebounding (5.3 rebounds per game).
PEMSLVANIA
Freshman Cordell Pemsl has had a great start to his collegiate career. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, came off the bench his first six games, before starting the last four. In 10 total games, Pemsl has scored in double digits six times and is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, while shooting a Big Ten-best 75 percent (42-of-56) from the field. Pesml is one of seven Division I players in the last 20 years to shoot 75 percent or better through 10 career games (minimum 40 attempts).
In his last four starts, he is averaging 17 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. Pemsl has made a staggering 79 percent of his shot attempts, missing only seven (27-of-34). And after starting the season (8-of-20, .400) from the foul line, Pemsl is 14-of-20 (.700) as a starter.
IOWA BEATS #25 IOWA STATE, 78-64
Iowa posted a 78-64 win over No. 25 Iowa State on Dec. 8 in Iowa City. Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures to help the Hawkeyes notch their first victory over the Cyclones since 2012.
• Peter Jok led all scorers and rebounders with 23 points and nine rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Hawkeyes were Isaiah Moss (14), Cordell Pemsl (11), and Nicholas Baer (10).
• Iowa limited Iowa State, a team who entered the game averaging 84.8 points per game, to 64 points. The 64 points are the fewest points allowed by the Hawkeyes this season.
• Iowa outscored the Cyclones 17-6 at the free throw line. Nicholas Baer was 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, a career best.
• The Hawkeyes led by as many as 17 points in the second half.
• Iowa athletic teams swept Iowa State in four competitions last week (women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s swimming, and wrestling. The Hawkeyes lead the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, 14-7. With only three athletic events remaining, Iowa has clinched the series for 2016-17.
SCOUTING NORTHERN IOWA
• Northern Iowa (UNI) snapped a four-game losing streak with a pair of home wins last week over South Dakota State (85-68) and North Dakota (78-70).
• The Panthers are 2-1 on neutral floors this season, notching wins over Arizona State (82-63) and Oklahoma (73-67 in overtime), but falling to Xavier (67-59). All games were played in Orlando, Florida.
• Two starters average double figures in scoring for the Panthers: Jeremy Morgan (18.1) and Spencer Haldeman (10.0).
• Jeremy Morgan sparked UNI in its last contest, a 78-70 win over North Dakota. Morgan scored all 38 of his points in the second half. The senior guard finished the contest 16-of-22 from the foul line and grabbed 11 rebounds — all defensive boards — in the win.
• UNI has five players who have made ten 3-pointers or more: Jeremy Morgan (27), Spencer Haldeman (23), Jordan Ashton (15), Klint Carlson (10), and Hunter Rhodes (10).
• UNI ranks seventh in the country in 3-pointers made per game (10.6) and is 10th in turnover margin (5.7). Individually, Jeremy Morgan ranks sixth nationally in steals per game (3.0) and 42nd in defensive rebounds per outing (6.56).
• Ben Jacobson is in his 11th season as head coach, all at Northern Iowa. Jacobson is the UNI men’s basketball program’s all-time wins leader with 225 victories in 11 seasons. He has guided the Panthers to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA victories.
LAST MEETING VERSUS NORTHERN IOWA
• UNI upended Iowa, 56-44, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Dec. 20, 2014. Iowa led 29-23 at halftime, but the Panthers outscored the Hawkeyes 33-15 over the final 20 minutes.
• Mike Gesell led Iowa in scoring with 10 points. Jarrod Uthoff snagged a game-high nine rebounds to go along with eight points. Aaron White had nine points and seven boards.
• UNI’s Jeremy Morgan started and had seven points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of action, while Iowa’s Peter Jok played 20 minutes off the bench and had four points and four rebounds.
• The game was played in front of a sold out crowd of 15,124.
PETER JOK SCORCHING THE NETS
After averaging 7.0 points per game as a sophomore, Peter Jok averaged 16.1 points last year as a junior (+9.1), and is averaging a Big Ten-best 23.8 points so far this season as a senior (+7.7). The +9.1 improvement last year was tops among Big Ten players.
Jok was named to the preseason All-Big Ten first team, while also being named to the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and 2017 Naismith Trophy and John Wooden Award watch lists. Jok has scored 27 points or more five times this season, including scorching the nets for 42 points against Memphis and 33 against Omaha on Dec. 3. Jok nearly had a triple-double against Stetson (15 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and a double-double against No. 25/25 Iowa State (23 points and nine rebounds).
Jok has been recognized as the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 and Dec. 12). He averaged 28.5 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two assists against Seton Hall and UTRGV for the Nov. 21 award. Jok averaged a team-best 19 points, 8.5 rebounds, and five assists in contests versus Stetson and No. 25 Iowa State for the Dec. 12 distinction.
Jok, who scored career point No. 1,000 against Memphis, made his first 24 free throw attempts this season before misfiring on his first attempt at Notre Dame. Jok has had free throw streaks of 27 and 26 the last two seasons. The school record for consecutive free throws made is 34 set by Chris Street (Jan. 2-Jan. 16, 1993).
Jok ranks fifth nationally in points per game (23.8) and 13th in 3-pointers per contest (3.6). His 23.8 scoring average is tops best among players from Power 5 conferences.
Jok has made 168 career 3-pointers, which are the seventh most in program history. He is 25 triples from tying Brody Boyd (2001-04) for sixth place with 193.
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa is 54-10 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.
• Peter Jok poured in 42 points against Memphis on Nov. 26. The 42 points are the most by a Hawkeye in 40 years and tie for the fourth most in a single-game in program history, tying Bruce King’s 42 points against Pittsburgh in 1976.
• Jordan Bohannon was 7-of-15 from long distance at Notre Dame on Nov. 29; the 15 attempts tied Justin Jackson for the second most 3-point attempts in a single-game in Iowa history.
• As a team, Iowa ranks 12th nationally in assists per game (18.5) and 14th in 3-pointers made (10.2).
• Eight different Hawkeyes have reached double figures in scoring through eight games this season.
• After scoring in double figures once in 27 games last year, sophomore Brady Ellingson has netted double digits twice this season.
• Iowa surpassed the century mark for the 97th time in program history with a 116-84 win over Savannah State on Nov. 13. The 116 points equal the seventh most points scored in a game in program history.
• Iowa posted school records in 3-pointers made (18) and attempted (43) in its victory over Savannah State on Nov. 13.
• Isaiah Moss was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Dec. 12. It marked the first time a rookie Hawkeye was honored by the conference office since Nicholas Baer on Dec. 21, 2015 following his performance at The Hy-Vee Classic versus Drake.
• Iowa has won 42 of its last 45 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Peter Jok joined Reggie Evans (twice) and Aaron Fuller as the only Hawkeyes to post 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in a single game the last 20 years. Jok totaled 30 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall (Nov. 17). His efforts earned the team captain Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Nov. 21.
• Peter Jok scored 27 points in Iowa’s opener vs. 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.
• 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.
• 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 has competed in postseason play the last five years (NCAA 2014-16; NIT 2012-13).
• 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.
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 — injured), 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).
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.
BAER NOMINATED FOR GOOD WORKS TEAM
Nicholas Baer is a nominee for the 2017 Allstate NABC Good Works Team. The Hawkeye sophomore visited a local third grade class last Wednesday.
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.
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.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,716 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,598-1,118 (.588). That includes a 1,020-357 (.741) record in home games, a 574-758 (.431) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 752-757 (.498) mark in Big Ten games and a 425-131 (.764) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will close out its nonconference schedule with a pair of home games before Christmas. The Hawkeyes will host North Dakota on Tuesday, Dec. 20 (8 p.m. CT) and Delaware State on Thursday, Dec. 22 (8 p.m. CT). Both games will be televised live on BTN (BTN2GO).
