Game Notes: Hawkeyes Host Grambling State Thursday

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THE SETTING
Iowa (2-0) returns to action on Thursday hosting Grambling State (0-1). Tipoff is set for 7:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available for $15 for adults, and $5 for youth and UI students.

THURSDAY PROMOTIONS
Thursday is UI Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night. Also fans can take advantage of 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs & 4 drinks for $55 (must be purchased in advance).

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: Thursday’s game will be streamed on mobile devices and computers via BTN Plus on BTN2GO. Zach Mackey and Mac McCausland will call the action. There is a monthly or annual subscription fee to watch both games.

GAME #3 STORYLINES
•    Iowa won its first two games by an average of 33.5 points over Chicago State (95-62) and Alabama State (92-68). Six players netted double figures in Iowa’s win over the Cougars on Friday, while four players had double digits versus the Hornets on Sunday.
•    Iowa is 1-0 all-time against Grambling State, beating the Tigers 93-72 in Iowa City on Dec. 6, 1996. Thursday will be Iowa’s second straight contest against a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school. The Hawkeyes are 12-0 all-time against current members of the SWAC.
•    Luka Garza was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after averaging team bests in scoring (13.5), rebounding (9.0), and blocked shots (2.5). 
•    Tyler Cook had his consecutive field goals made streak of 22 straight snap on his first attempt in Iowa’s last outing against Alabama State. The power forward’s streak spanned four games, dating back to the second half versus Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament on March 9, 2017.
•    Fran McCaffery has 390 wins in 22 seasons as a head coach; he is ten victories from reaching the 400-win milestone.
•    Point guard Jordan Bohannon dished out 12 assists to only one turnover, while averaging 8.5 points, in Iowa’s two wins last weekend against Chicago State and Alabama State.
•    Iowa ranked first in Big Ten steals (7.4) and scoring offense (80.5), and second in assists (17.7) a year ago.
•    Iowa is averaging 11.5 3-pointers through two games, making 12 versus Chicago State and 11 against Alabama State.
•    Nicholas Baer was the only Division I men’s basketball player in 2016-17 and the only Big Ten player the last 25 years to amass 250+ points, 40+ blocked shots, 45+ steals, and 45+ 3-pointers in a single-season.
•    Jordan Bohannon and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell (2015) are the only freshmen nationally over the last 25 years to register 175+ assists and 85+ 3-pointers.
•    Freshmen Cordell Pemsl, Jordan Bohannon, Tyler Cook, and Isaiah Moss accounted for 44.7 percent of Iowa’s offense. Three of Iowa’s top four scorers were true freshmen; Tyler Cook was second (12.3), followed by Jordan Bohannon (10.9), and Cordell Pemsl (8.9).
•    Iowa returns 76.7 percent of its scoring and 86.2 percent of its rebounding this season.

SCOUTING GRAMBLING STATE
•    Grambling State (GSU) will play seven straight road games to start the 2017-18 season.
•    The Tigers dropped their season opener, 94-65, at VCU on Nov. 10. Diontae Jones led GSU off the bench, scoring a game-high 16 points and grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. Shirmane Thomas contributed 14 points, while Anthony Gaston scored nine of his 11 points at the free throw line. VCU outscored the Tigers 45-6 via the 3-point shot, with the Rams sinking 15 triples compared to just two for the Tigers.
•    GSU return only one starter from last year’s squad, including its top three scorers and rebounders. The Tigers’ top returning scorer is junior Nigel Ribeiro, who averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2016-17.
•    Last year, GSU posted a 16-17 overall record and tied for fourth place in the SWAC with a 10-8 league mark.
•    Donte’ Jackson is in his first season as head coach for GSU. Prior to GSU, Jackson spent three seasons as the head basketball coach at Stillman College.
•    Nine of GSU’s 18 players are upperclassmen (2 seniors, 7 juniors, 2 sophomore, 4 freshmen). The 18 players on GSU’s roster hail from 15 different states.

HAWKEYES OVERWHELM ALABAMA STATE IN LAST OUTING
•    Iowa used scoring runs of 18-0 in the first half and 14-0 in the second half to cruise past Alabama State, 92-58, Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.
•    Iowa’s bench outscored the Hornets reserves, 49-4.
•    Iowa dominated the glass, grabbing 15 more rebounds and scoring 27 points on second chance opportunities.
•    The Hawkeyes assisted on 25 of their 32 field goals and only turned the ball over nine times.
•    Five Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Cordell Pemsl (15), Isaiah Moss (12), Maishe Dailey (11), Luka Garza (11), and Tyler Cook (10).

GARZA SHINES IN DEBUT
Freshman center Luka Garza leads the team in both scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) after two games. Garza became just the second Hawkeye in the last 20 years to register 16 points and five rebounds in their debut (Aaron White in 2011).
    Garza followed up that performance with a double-double in only 19 minutes of action against Alabama State. The native of Washington, D.C. had 11 points and a game-best 13 rebounds. Garza is the fifth Hawkeye to post a double-double in either his first or second game over the last 20 years, joining Dean Oliver, Reggie Evans, Devon Archie, and Aaron White.

BOHANNON NAMED CANDIDATE FOR BOB COUSY AWARD
Iowa sophomore Jordan Bohannon has been named to the 20-player watch list for the 2018 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
    Bohannon joins Minnesota’s Nate Mason and Bryant McIntosh of Northwestern as the only Big Ten student-athletes on the national list. 
    The native of Marion, Iowa, had a great start to the 2017-18 campaign, dishing out 12 assists to only one turnover, and averaging 8.5 points in two games last weekend.
    Bohannon, one of five players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, led the Hawkeyes in assists (175) and 3-pointers made (89), and was third in scoring (10.9 ppg). He was one of only two freshmen in the country over the last 25 seasons to register 175+ assists and 85+ 3-pointers. His 89 triples shattered Iowa’s single-season freshman record, besting Matt Gatens’ previous mark of 52 set in 2009. Bohannon’s 175 assists are the most by an Iowa freshman and rank eighth-best by any Hawkeye player in a single season. He finished the season by posting a school-record three straight double-doubles in points and assists (Indiana, South Dakota, and TCU). Bohannon helped lead Iowa to a win at nationally-ranked Maryland, draining eight 3-pointers (8-of-10) — the most by a Hawkeye rookie and one shy of Chris Kingsbury’s school record.

BAER TO MISS 3-4 WEEKS DUE TO INJURY
Head coach Fran McCaffery announced on Nov. 6, that junior forward Nicholas Baer is expected to miss 3-4 weeks after suffering a broken bone in his left pinky finger in a weekend practice. The injury will not require surgery.
    Baer, a team co-captain, is the reigning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year after averaging team bests in rebounding (5.8), steals (1.4), and blocked shots (1.3). The native of Bettendorf, Iowa, also averaged 7.5 points per game in 2016-17. Baer became one of only four Hawkeyes in school history to lead the team in both blocks (48) and steals (43) in the same season as a sophomore.

CONNOR McCAFFERY TO PLAY FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman guard Connor McCaffery announced on Tuesday his decision to play his freshman season on the basketball court. McCaffery will join the baseball team upon conclusion of the basketball season. A decision as to whether or not McCaffery will redshirt baseball this spring will be determined at that time.
    McCaffery missed Iowa’s first two games with a sprained ankle. It is hopeful that he will return Thursday against Grambling State.

BACKCOURT RESERVES STEP UP
Sophomore Maishe Dailey and Brady Ellingson had solid efforts in Iowa’s first two games last weekend.
    Dailey posted career scoring outputs in each of the two games, 10 versus Chicago State and 11 against Alabama State.
    Ellingson had nine points, four assists, and one rebound in each of the two contests. In addition to the eight total assists, Ellingson only had one turnover.

BACK IN ACTION
Sophomore forward Cordell Pemsl had successful sports hernia surgery in May. Pemsl did not participate in the Prime Time League nor Iowa’s exhibition games overseas.
    Pemsl averaged 10 points and five rebounds last weekend. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, netted a game-high 15 points in Iowa’s win over Alabama State on Sunday.
    Pemsl started 14 of 34 games a year ago, averaging 8.9 points and five rebounds per contest. The forward shot a single-season school record 61.7 percent (116-of-188) from the field his during freshman campaign.

SIX STRAIGHT POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS
Iowa competed in the NIT last season, marking the sixth straight season the Hawkeyes played in a postseason tournament (3 NCAA, 3 NIT).
    The Hawkeyes bounced South Dakota (87-75) in the first round before falling to eventual NIT champion, TCU, in overtime in the second round.
    Point guard Jordan Bohannon posted a double-double in both games: 19 points and 11 assists versus South Dakota and 25 points and 13 assists against TCU. The 13 helpers are the most by a Hawkeye in a postseason game. Bohannon finished the season with double-doubles in three straight games; posted 24 points and 10 assists versus Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament.
    Tyler Cook scored the game-tying basket with five seconds left to send the game versus TCU into overtime. Cook made all seven field goals, extending his consecutive field goal streak to 18, dating back to the second half of the Indiana game (March 9). Cook finished with 16 points.

LOTS RETURNING
Iowa is one of 16 teams in the country returning 70%+ of points, rebounds, and assists.

HAWKEYES GO UNDEFEATED IN EUROPE
Iowa finished its European Tour with a perfect record in August notching wins in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. 
    Four Hawkeyes averaged in double figures in the four games. Freshman Luka Garza averaged a double-double (22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds), sophomore Isaiah Moss averaged 12.5 points, Cook averaged 12.3 points, while Ryan Kriener averaged 11.3 points. As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 48.6 percent from the field, out-rebounded their opponents by 18, and had a +5.8 turnover margin.
    Iowa played its first game in Germany, the home of Hawkeye senior Dom Uhl. The native of Frankfurt, Germany, had seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in his homecoming. 
    Garza led the team in scoring in all four games.

4 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN RECOGNITION
Peter Jok was named first-team All-Big Ten by both conference head coaches and media. Nicholas Baer was voted the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year by the head coaches, while Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook were both voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by the coaches. Baer was also named Iowa’s men’s basketball Sportsmanship Award recipient. Iowa was the only Big Ten team with two players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and it was the first time in program history that the Hawkeyes had two players on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team (honor began in 2003).
    Jok was the fourth Hawkeye to earn All-Big Ten first team accolades the last four seasons, joining Devyn Marble (2014), Aaron White (2015), and Jarrod Uthoff (2016). It marked the second time in program history that Iowa has had at least one player on the first-team all-league team four consecutive seasons: Herb Wilkinson (1945-47), Clayton Wilkinson (1946), and Murray Wier (1948).

FINISHING STRONG
Iowa won four straight games to end the 2016-17 regular season. The Hawkeyes ranked among the best in the league over the last half (nine games) of conference play: Purdue (8-1), Minnesota (8-1), Iowa (6-3), Michigan (6-3).
    Furthermore, Iowa posted a 3-2 record against the top three teams in the Big Ten standings (Purdue, Wisconsin, and Maryland). The Hawkeyes beat each of those three teams once, including recording road victories at No. 24 Maryland (83-69) and No. 21 Wisconsin (59-57). 

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Prior to the 2016-17 season, two Iowa freshmen scored 20+ points in the same game only twice in program history: Dick Ives (43) and David Danner (32) versus Chicago on Feb. 5, 1944, and Ronnie Lester (20) and Larry Olsthoorn (20) versus Michigan on Jan. 17, 1977.
    Iowa accomplished the feat twice last season. First by rookie duos Cordell Pemsl (21) and Isaiah Moss (21) versus Stetson. Jordan Bohannon (24) and Tyler Cook (21) became the fourth Hawkeye duo to accomplish the feat — first to do so in a road game — in school history at Maryland (Feb. 25).

BENCH SQUAD
Iowa’s bench played a pivotal part of its success in 2016-17. In 34 games, Hawkeye reserves average 24.5 points per game. During Iowa’s four-game win streak to end the regular season, the bench averaged 31.3 points per contest.
    In two games last weekend, Iowa’s bench total 39 points versus Chicago State and 49 against Alabama State.

TRIPLE PLAY
Jordan Bohannon finished his rookie season with a flurry, posting a school-record three straight double-doubles in points and assists.
    Bohannon tallied 24 points and 10 assists against Indiana at the Big Ten Tournament on March 9. The native of Marion, Iowa, then registered 19 points and 11 assists against South Dakota on March 15 in the first round of the NIT. Bohannon bested that performance again on March 19, posting personal bests in scoring (25) and assists (13). The 13 helpers are the most by a Hawkeye in a postseason game.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•    Iowa scored 90 points or more nine times in 2016-17. The Hawkeyes netted 90-plus points in both games last weekend.
•    Iowa is one of only three teams to have posted a Big Ten record of .500 or better each of the last five seasons (Michigan State and Wisconsin).
•    Iowa has won 47 of its last 51 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Iowa is 67-13 when scoring 80 points or more, the last eight seasons. The Hawkeyes are 66-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last eight years.
•    Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff are the first in program history to win 18 games or more in six straight seasons. McCaffery’s 137 victories rank second behind Tom Davis (152) for most in the first seven seasons as Iowa’s head coach. 
•    Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to upper division finishes in the Big Ten in each of the last five seasons. McCaffery has accumulated 17 first division finishes in 21 years as a head coach.

RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Melsahn Basabe (Poland), Anthony Clemmons (Kazakhstan), Gabriel Olaseni (Spain), Jarrod Uthoff (NBA G League: Fort Wayne Mad Ants), Peter Jok (NBA G League: Northern Arizona Suns), Adam Woodbury (NBA G League: Fort Wayne Mad Ants), and Aaron White (Lithuania).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,742 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,614-1,128 (.588). Iowa’s 1,614 wins are 39th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,032-360 (.741) record in home games, a 578-765 (.430) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 762-765 (.499) mark in Big Ten games and a 437-134 (.765) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

PEMSL MADE THE MOST OF HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS
Freshman Cordell Pemsl had a great start to his collegiate career. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, started 14 games, while coming off the bench 20 times. In 34 total games, Pemsl scored in double digits 15 times and averaged 8.9 points and five rebounds per game, while shooting a Big Ten-best and 29th-best nationally 61.7 percent (116-of-188) from the field. He scored in double figures in eight of the 14 starts. 
    Pemsl’s 61.7 shooting percentage is a school single-season record, besting Russ Millard’s 60.9 percent (151-of-248) set in 1996. It also shatters the school record for field goal percentage by a freshman, surpassing Ray Thompson (.597, 148-of-248) set in 1989.

A CLOSER LOOK AT IOWA’S FRESHMEN PRODUCTION IN 2016-17
•    Iowa’s six freshmen accounted for 48.8 percent of Iowa’s offense, besting Iowa’s 1943-44 freshmen class who averaged 40.7 points.
•    Iowa freshmen scored in double figures a program-best 62 times, besting the 1997-98 squad (42).
•    For the first time in program history, Iowa had four freshmen score at least 20 points in a single game: Tyler Cook (24 vs. Seton Hall; 21 at Maryland); Jordan Bohannon (24 at Maryland; 23 at Notre Dame; 24 vs. Indiana; 25 vs. TCU); Isaiah Moss (21 vs. Stetson); Cordell Pemsl (21 vs. Stetson). 
•    For the first time in school history, Iowa had five freshmen reach double digits in scoring in a game throughout the season: Tyler Cook, Jordan Bohannon, Cordell Pemsl, Ryan Kriener, and Isaiah Moss.
•    Iowa freshmen accumulated 96 combined starts, which is the most in program history.
•    Iowa rookies combined to average 15.4 rebounds per game, second behind the 2000-01 squad (16.3 rpg).

NOT YOUR AVERAGE BAER
Sophomore Nicholas Baer was voted the 2017 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year by league head coaches. He was the only Division I men’s basketball player in 2016-17 to amass 250+ points, 40+ blocked shots, 45+ steals, and 45+ 3-pointers, and he was the only Big Ten player to accomplish the feat over last 25 years.
    Baer ranked first on the squad in blocks (1.26), steals (1.4), and rebounding (5.8), and was third in assists (1.7). 
    Baer’s 43 rejections ranked second best in a single-season by an Iowa sophomore behind Greg Stokes’ 79 set in 1983.
    Baer tied for fifth in the Big Ten in steals (1.4) and tied for 10th in rejections (1.3). The native of Bettendorf, Iowa, led the team in steals a team-best 13 times, being credited with three steals or more in a game a team-best seven times.
    Baer posted three double-doubles in 2016-17: versus Northern Iowa (11 points, 11 boards), versus Penn State (20 points, 10 rebounds), and versus TCU (15 points, 10 rebounds). The 20 points against the Nittany Lions in the regular season finale were a career best. 

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 58 years of combined collegiate head coaching experience and more than 125 years of collegiate coaching under their belts. Listed below are the number of years of head coaching experience on the Iowa staff.
        
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will travel to the Cayman Islands for the first time in program history, competing in the inaugural eight-team Cayman Islands Classic. The Hawkeyes will play three games in three days beginning on Monday, Nov. 21, against Louisiana (11 a.m. CT).