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THE SETTING
Iowa (9-6, 1-1) travels to Lincoln, Nebraska (8-6, 2-0), for a midweek contest against Big Ten co-leader Nebraska (8-6, 2-0). Tipoff is set for 8:06 p.m. (CT) on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
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.
TV: Thursday’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo will call the action.
GAME #16 STORYLINES
• Iowa has won five straight over Nebraska, dating back to March 9, 2013. Thursday will be the Hawkeyes second visit to Pinnacle Bank Arena and first since Feb. 22, 2015.
• Iowa enters Thursday’s game winners of five of its last six games, while Nebraska has won three straight.
• Thursday marks the third straight year that Iowa and Nebraska will have played on Jan. 5.
• Iowa’s starting lineup of four freshmen and one senior is believed to be its youngest lineup in program history. Iowa’s 1943-44 squad started three freshmen, one sophomore, and one senior.
• Peter Jok had a total of 38 points in two games last week, boosting his career scoring total to 1,204 points. Jok surpassed seven players on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart last week and currently sits in 22nd place, 26 points from tying Kenyon Murray for 21st.
• Freshmen Cordell Pemsl has scored in double figures in six of eight starts.
• Iowa made a season-best 57.9 percent (11-of-19) of its 3-point attempts versus Michigan.
• In his last three games, point guard Jordan Bohannon is averaging 9.3 points, two rebounds, five assists, and 0.6 turnovers.
• Freshman Tyler Cook is averaging 11.5 points and five rebounds — shooting at a 50 percent clip from the field (11-of-22) — in the two games played since returning from injury.
• Three of Iowa’s top four scorers this season are true freshmen. Tyler Cook is second (13.1), followed by Cordell Pemsl (9.8), and Jordan Bohannon (9.1).
• Peter Jok, who scored his 1,000th career point against Memphis, has scored double digits in all 15 games, including netting 25 or more points six times. Jok ranks 16th in country — fourth among players from Power 5 conferences — in scoring per game (22.1). He also ranks 14th nationally in free throw accuracy (.920) and 31st in 3-pointers made (3.07).
• Iowa’s RPI jumped 33 spots (178 to 145) after Sunday’s overtime victory over Michigan. Nebraska enters Thursday’s game with an RPI of 46.
• Cordell Pemsl ranks first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, making 67.4 percent of his shot attempts (58-of-86). Pemsl is one of seven Division I players in the last 20 years to shoot 75 percent or better through the first 10 games of his career (minimum 50 attempts).
• Peter Jok was named to the preseason All-Big Ten first team, while also being named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, Naismith Trophy and John Wooden Award watch lists.
BAER DOING BAER THINGS
Redshirt sophomore Nicholas Baer ranks first on the squad in steals (1.4), is second in rebounding (5.9), and fourth in assists (1.8). His 1.4 steals per game average ties for seventh best among Big Ten players.
Iowa is 8-2 this season when Baer scores at least seven points in a game.
The native of Bettendorf, Iowa, has led the team in steals four times this year, being credited with three steals or more in a game a team-best four times.
Baer posted his first career double-double in Iowa’s win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 17, with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
HAWKEYES RALLY TO OUTLAST MICHIGAN IN OVERTIME
Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures in an 89-83 Iowa overtime victory over Michigan in Iowa City on New Year’s Day. Sunday was the only regular season meeting between the two teams.
• The win was Iowa’s fifth straight over the Wolverines.
• Sunday marked the fourth time in seven games played in Iowa City that Iowa and Michigan played an overtime contest. The Hawkeyes have won three of those games.
• Senior Peter Jok led the Hawkeyes with 25 points. Freshman point guard had 17 points, sophomore Nicholas Baer netted 12, while rookie Tyler Cook contributed 11.
• In addition to the 17 points, Bohannon dished out six assists and had no turnovers.
• Freshman Cordell Pemsl posted personal bests in steals (3) and blocked shots (2), to go along with a team-best eight rebounds.
• Iowa took care of the basketball, committing only nine turnovers. The nine miscues are the third fewest in a game this season for the Hawkeyes.
• Forward D.J. Wilson led all scorers with a career-high 28 points for the Wolverines.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• Thursday will be Nebraska’s Big Ten home opener after opening the season with a pair of road games at Indiana (87-83) and Maryland (67-65). The Huskers won both games by a combined six points.
• Nebraska is 5-2 in home games this season. Thursday will be the Huskers’ first home game since an 81-76 win over Southern on Dec. 20.
• Three Huskers average double figures: Tai Webster (17.4), Glynn Watson, Jr. (13.9), and Ed Morrow (10.4).
• Tai Webster was named Big Ten co-Player of the Week on Monday, averaging 19.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 rebounds per game in road wins at nationally-ranked Indiana and Maryland. He shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the floor in the two games.
• Nebraska ranks 37th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (13.3) and 66th in blocked shots per contest (4.6). Individually, Ed Morrow ranks 74th nationally in rebounds per game (8.4), while Glynn Watson, Jr. is 95th in free throw accuracy (.841).
• Sophomore Ed Morrow was a classmate of Iowa rookie Isaiah Moss on Simeon High School in Chicago.
• Junior guard Anton Gill will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee last month.
• Tim Miles is in his 22nd season as a head coach and his fifth season at Nebraska. Miles guided the Huskers to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
• University of Iowa deputy athletics director Gene Taylor hired Tim Miles as head coach at North Dakota State in 2001 when Taylor was the AD in Fargo.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a, 18-9 advantage in the series that began with a 27-17 Husker win in 1907. The Hawkeyes have won six of the eight meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, including the last five.
Iowa and Nebraska have split 12 previous meetings in Lincoln. Thursday will be Iowa’s second visit to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Iowa handed Nebraska its largest margin of defeat (74-46) in Pinnacle Bank on Feb. 22, 2015.
LAST MEETING
• Iowa beat Nebraska, 77-66, on Jan. 5, 2016, in Iowa City.
• Iowa’s 12-3 record matches its best start to a season under Fran McCaffery (2103-14).
• Mike Gesell (22 points, 10 assists) recorded his first career double-double. Jarrod Uthoff had 25 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four shots.
• Dom Uhl had 10 points and eight rebounds, while Peter Jok netted eight points.
• Tai Webster scored a team-best 22 points for the Huskers.
• The Hawkeyes only turned the ball over seven times.
ROOKIE FLOOR GENERAL
After having two veteran point guards graduate last spring (Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons), Jordan Bohannon has done a fantastic job directing the Hawkeye offense as a freshman. Bohannon ranks first on the team in assists (4.7), second in minutes played (26.3), free throw accuracy (.864) and 3-pointers made (31), and fourth in scoring (9.1). He has scored 17 or more points in four games and led the squad in assists 11 times.
Bohannon netted 12 of his 17 points in the second half and overtime in Iowa’s triumph over Michigan on New Year’s Day. He also had six assists and no turnovers.
PEMSLVANIA
Freshman Cordell Pemsl has had a great start to his collegiate career. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, has come off the bench in seven games, while starting eight. In 15 total games, Pemsl has scored in double digits eight times and is averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting a Big Ten-best 67.4 percent (58-of-86) from the field.
In his eight starts, he is averaging 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. He has scored in double figures in six of eight starts. Pemsl has made a staggering 68 percent of his shot attempts (39-of-57) in his eight starts.
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 22.1 points this season as a senior (+6.0). 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 25 points or more six 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 14th nationally in points per game (22.1), 14th in free throw accuracy (.920), and 31st in 3-pointers per contest (3.1). His 22.1 scoring average is fourth best among players from Power 5 conferences.
Jok has made 179 career 3-pointers, which are the seventh most in program history. He is 14 triples from tying Brody Boyd (2001-04) for sixth place with 193.
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.
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa is 57-10 when scoring 80 points or more, the last seven seasons. The Hawkeyes are 63-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last seven years.
• As a team, Iowa ranks 25th nationally in assists per game (17.6), 26th in scoring offense (83.5) and 61st in 3-pointers made (9.1).
• 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.
• Eight different Hawkeyes have reached double figures in scoring this season.
• After scoring in double figures once in 27 games last year, Brady Ellingson has netted double digits four times this season.
• 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).
• Iowa has scored 90 points or more five times 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 and are the most points scored in a game by a Big Ten team this season.
• Iowa posted school records in 3-pointers made (18) and attempted (43) in its victory over Savannah State on Nov. 13.
• Iowa has won 44 of its last 47 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Iowa made all 13 of its free throw attempts at No. 15 Purdue on Dec. 28. The last time a Hawkeye team made all of its free throws (min. 10 attempts) was at Virginia (15-of-15) in the NIT quarterfinals on March 27, 2013.
• 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.
• 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.
• Iowa athletic teams swept Iowa State in four competitions Dec. 7-10 (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.
• 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.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,721 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,602-1,119 (.589). Iowa’s 1,602 wins are 39th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,023-357 (.741) record in home games, a 575-759 (.431) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 753-758 (.498) mark in Big Ten games and a 428-131 (.765) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
HAWKEYES SWEPT 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, on Dec. 12. It marked the first time Iowa swept the weekly men’s basketball accolades (weekly freshman honors began in 2010).
Jok (6-6, 205 pounds) collected the third Big Ten weekly honor of his career and second this season. Jok helped lead the Hawkeyes to a pair of victories 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
Dale Jones and Tyler Cook have missed time due to hand injuries suffered in November.
Cook fractured his right index finger during a practice on Thanksgiving at the Emerald Coast Classic. He missed seven games before returning to action on Dec. 28 against No. 15 Purdue (12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist). Cook, who started the first six games of his collegiate career, ranks second on the team in scoring (13.1 points per game) and third in rebounding (5.3 rebounds per game).
Jones suffered a fracture in his right wrist in Iowa’s game against Seton Hall (Nov. 17) and is expected to miss another month. The senior sustained the injury minutes after making his season debut. Jones, who transferred to Iowa in 2015 after three years at Tyler Junior College, has played limited minutes in only seven games during his Hawkeye career.
BAER NOMINATED FOR GOOD WORKS TEAM
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.
ALL-SESSION BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
All-session tickets for the 2017 Big Ten Basketball Tournament are on sale. The Big Ten 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 features a discounted student ticket program. Students of Big Ten universities are 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 are available in balcony sections.
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will return to Iowa City for a pair of home contests next week. First, the Hawkeyes welcome the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday, Jan. 8 (3:30 p.m.), followed by the Boilermakers of Purdue on Thursday, Jan. 12 (8 p.m. CT). Tickets are available for both home games at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
