Hawkeyes Host Michigan Tuesday Night

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THE SETTING
Iowa (9-6, 0-2) looks to extend its season-best five-game win streak Tuesday when the Hawkeyes host Michigan (11-3, 1-1). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) in Iowa City, Iowa. Tickets are available for $25 for adults, and $10 for youth and UI students.

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: Tuesday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 (WATCHESPN). Jason Benetti and Tom Crean will call the action.

GAME #16 STORYLINES
•    Iowa has won five straight games against Michigan, dating back to February, 2014.
•    Four of the last seven meetings between Iowa and Michigan in Iowa City have gone to overtime, dating back to 2009.
•    The Hawkeyes enter Tuesday’s contest having won a season-best five games in a row.
•    Iowa was credited with 34 assists on 36 field goals in its last outing against Northern Illinois last Friday. The 34 assists tie the school single-game record previously set on Dec. 1, 1984 against George Mason and are the most by a Big Ten team this season.
•    In Iowa’s seven home games, freshman Luka Garza is averaging team bests in scoring (15.9), rebounding (7.9), and blocked shots (2.28). He is shooting 66.7 percent from the field (36-of-54) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
•    Tyler Cook has dunked the ball nine times during Iowa’s five-game win streak, including a season-best six in Iowa’s versus Drake. Cook has 28 dunks this season.
•    Fran McCaffery has 397 wins in 22 seasons as a head coach; he is three victories from reaching the 400-win milestone.
•    Iowa has netted 90 points or more in seven of its nine wins.
•    Iowa is 9-0 when scoring 80 points or more and 5-0 when Iowa has fewer turnovers than its opponent this season.
•    Iowa is shooting the basketball at a 53 percent clip in its nine victories and has made 52 percent of its field goal attempts in its seven home games.
•    Tuesday will be the second of three straight home games for the Hawkeyes.
•    The Hawkeyes rank third in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.7 per contest. Additionally, Iowa ranks ninth in total free throw attempts (349), 15th nationally in total rebounds per contest (41.4), and 38th in rebounding margin (+7.0).
•    Iowa has only played two of its 15 regular season games at full strength. The Hawkeyes have had at least one player not active due to injury in 13 of their 15 games.
•    Iowa’s top six scorers are underclassmen with sophomore Tyler Cook leading the pack (13.8). Freshman Luka Garza leads the squad in rebounding (6.6) and blocks (1.4), and sophomore Jordan Bohannon ranks first in assists (4.8).
•    After a slow start, Iowa has climbed to No. 150 in the RPI. Michigan enters Tuesday’s game with an RPI of 37.

HAWKEYES POST CONVINCING WIN OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Iowa was credited with 34 assists on 36 made baskets en route to a comfortable, 98-75, win over Northern Illinois Friday night in Iowa City. The 34 assists tie the school single-game record previously set against George Mason on Dec. 1, 1984.
•    Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Luka Garza (25), Tyler Cook (17), and Isaiah Moss (11).
•    Luka Garza and Tyler Cook combined for 42 points and 10 rebounds. The frontcourt duo combined to shoot 14-of-15 (.933) from the field and 11-of-15 (.733) from the free throw line.
•    Luka Garza posted personal bests in scoring (25), blocked shots (5), and 3-pointers (3). The Hawkeye freshman mad all eight of his field goal attempts, including three triples.
•    Point guard Jordan Bohannon dished out seven assists for the fifth time this season. He also had zero turnovers directing the Hawkeye offense.
•    Iowa started the contest making 14 of its first 17 field goal attempts, sprinting out to a 35-17 advantage in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Hawkeyes finished the game shooting 58 percent (36-of-62) from the field.
•    Iowa’s bench scored a season-high 53 points, besting the previous high of 52 established against Southern University (Dec. 10).
•    The Hawkeyes made 12 3-pointers, one shy of its season high mark of 13 set against Southern. Iowa shot 54 percent (7-of-13) from 3-point territory in the first half.
•    Four Huskies scored in double figures: Eugene German (20), Justin Thomas (16), Gairges Daow (12), and Dante Thorpe (11).
•    Friday’s game was played in front of a season-high 14,665 fans.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
•    Michigan has won three straight games, including an overtime contest at home against UCLA on Dec. 9, in Ann Arbor. Michigan hosts Savannah State on Saturday before traveling to Iowa City for Tuesday’s Big Ten game.
•    Two Wolverines average double figures: Moritz Wagner (15.6) and Charles Matthews (14.8).
•    Thirty-eight percent of Michigan’s offensive production come via the 3-ball, making 137 triples (411) and totaling 1,077 points this season. Michigan is tops in the league in triples per game (9.8), while the Wolverines rank seventh in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.363).
•    Junior Mortiz Wagner missed Michigan’s game versus Alabama A&M due to injury.
•    Michigan has allowed 70 points or more just three times this season (77 vs. LSU, 86 at North Carolina, and 71 at Ohio State).
•    Michigan ranks fifth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.69), seventh in fewest fouls per game (14.6), 10th in turnover margin (5.5), 13th in scoring defense (61.4), and 28th in scoring margin (15.6). Individually, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman boasts the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country (5.88).
•    Michigan and Iowa have played one common opponent: Indiana. The Hawkeyes lost at Bloomington (77-64) on Dec. 4, while the Wolverines beat the Hoosiers (69-55) in Ann Arbor on Dec. 2.
•    John Bielein is in his 40th season as head coach (777-456, .630) and his 10th at Michigan (226-138, .621). Beilein became Michigan’s all-time winningest coach last season surpassing Johnny Orr.

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Michigan holds a 91-63 advantage in the series that began with a 19-15 Wolverine win in 1912. The Wolverines have won 11 of the last 18, but the Hawkeyes have won the last five, including winning last year’s only meeting in Iowa City, 86-83 in overtime in the Big Ten opener on Jan. 1, 2017.
    Iowa owns a slim 38-36 edge in games played in Iowa City. Iowa holds a 17-13 edge in games played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Michigan has lost its last four contests at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to 2012.
    Four of the last seven Iowa-Michigan games played in Iowa City have gone to overtime, dating back to 2009.

LAST MEETING
Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures in an 89-83 Iowa overtime victory over Michigan in Iowa City on New Year’s Day in the only meeting between the two teams a year ago.
•    Senior Peter Jok led the Hawkeyes with 25 points. Jordan Bohannon had 17 points, Nicholas Baer netted 12, while 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. 
•    Forward D.J. Wilson led all scorers with a career-high 28 points for the Wolverines.

STANDING TALL
Iowa has a nine players on its 16-play roster who stand 6-foot-7 or taller. The Hawkeyes own a +7.0 rebounding margin, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 38th nationally. Iowa averages 41.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 15th in the country. Iowa has only averaged 40 rebounds or more per game once since the 1996-97 season (40.3 in 2013-14).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,755 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,621-1,134 (.588). Iowa’s 1,621 wins are 39th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,036-361 (.741) record in home games, a 581-770 (.430) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 762-766 (.499) mark in Big Ten games and a 441-135 (.765) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

GARZA SHINES IN EARLY SEASON GAMES
Freshman Luka Garza leads the team in rebounding (6.6) and blocked shots (1.4), is second in free throws made (41) and attempts (71), and is fourth in scoring (10.4).
    Garza has netted double figures in four of Iowa’s last five games (23 points versus Southern, 13 against Drake, 17 versus Southern Utah, and 25 against Northern Illinois). He had his best game as a collegiate player against Northern Illinois this past Friday, going 8-of-8 from the field, including making all three 3-pointers, and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe, scoring a personal-best 25 points. He also denied a season-best five shots.
    Garza has made 25 of his last 32 free throws (.781) after starting the season 16-of-39 (.410) from the charity stripe. Additionally, he has shot 50 percent or better from the field in seven of the last eight games, making a combined 31-of-48 (.646) during that span.
    Against Chicago State on Nov. 10, Garza became 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 against Chicago State (16 points, 5 rebounds) with a double-double 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. Garza’s efforts in those first two wins garnered the forward Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades.

COOKIN’ WITH TYLER
Tyler Cook ranks first in scoring (13.9) and is second in rebounding (6.3). Cook has made a team-best 60 percent of his field goal attempts (minimum 100 attempts). The native of St. Louis has grabbed six or more rebounds in 11 of 15 games, including a career-best 12 against Penn State. He had the best game of his collegiate career against UAB on Nov. 22 (29 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 13-of-16 from the free throw line).
    During Iowa’s five-game win streak, Cook is averaging 15.2 points. He made 30-of-44 (.682) field goals and 16-of-24 (.667) free throws. He dunked the ball nine times during that stretch, including a season-high six versus Drake. Cook has 28 dunks this season.
    Cook is seventh in the league in field goal accuracy (.597) and is 16th in rebounding (6.3). He has one double-double to his credit this season (Penn State).
    Not only has Cook done a good job getting to the free throw line, but making his foul shots. Cook ranks 47th nationally in free throw attempts (86) and 70th in free throw makes (60).

MISSING IN ACTION
Iowa has played two games this season (Drake and Southern Utah) with a full active roster of 16.

• Connor McCaffery: 11 games (combination of ankle, mono, tonsils)
• Nicholas Baer: first six games (finger)
• Ahmad Wagner: UAB (shoulder) and Colorado (ankle)
• Ryan Kriener: Indiana (concussion)
• Cordell Pemsl: Southern University (leg laceration)

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 is averaging 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 14 contests. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, reached double figures four times this season, including netting 10 points in Iowa’s win over Colorado. He scored 10 points and snagged eight rebounds before leaving Iowa’s game at Iowa State on Dec. 7, due to injury. Pemsl did not play against Southern on Dec. 10, however returned to action versus Drake posting eight rebounds and six points. 
    Pemsl netted a game-high 15 points in Iowa’s win over Alabama State on Nov. 12. He had a personal-best 14 rebounds and a career-best six assists at Virginia Tech. The 14 boards against the Hokies are the fifth most by a Big Ten player this season. 
    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.

FRAN McCAFFERY TO BE INDUCTED INTO SIENA HALL OF FAME
The Siena Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 includes former men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery. McCaffery and three others, including former player Ronald Moore (2009-12), will be enshrined in a special ceremony on Feb. 18 at the Times Union Center, prior to the men’s basketball game versus Monmouth.
    McCaffery led Siena to the most decorated five-year run in program history, which culminated with the Saints being the only Division I program to win both their regular season and tournament championships for three consecutive years from 2008-10. The Philadelphia native amassed a 112-51 (.687) overall record from 2005-10, including a 68-22 (.756) mark in the MAAC. McCaffery guided Siena to four straight 20-win seasons and MAAC Tournament Championship Game appearances. Named the 2009-10 NABC District I Coach of the Year and 2008-09 MAAC Coach of the Year, he led Siena to school record-tying 27-win seasons in each of his last two years at the helm, which included a program record 15-game winning streak in his final campaign. McCaffery both recruited and coached four fellow Siena Athletics Hall of Famers, and three of the top-five scorers in program history. 

CONNOR McCAFFERY OUT INDEFINITELY
Freshman guard Connor McCaffery underwent a tonsillectomy last Wednesday at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a result of recurrent bouts of throat infections and his recent case of mononucleosis.
    McCaffery, who already has missed 10 games of his freshman campaign due to a sprained ankle and mononucleosis, will be out for an indeterminate period of time. 
    The native of Iowa City has played limited minutes in four nonconference games.

BOHANNON NAMED CANDIDATE FOR BOB COUSY AWARD
Sophomore Jordan Bohannon is on 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, has had a great start to the 2017-18 campaign, dishing out a team-best 72 assists, and averaging 11.6 points. He is averaging 2.46 3-pointers made per game, which ranks fourth in the league and 162nd in the country. 
    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.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•    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 51 of its last 55 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Iowa is 74-15 when scoring 80 points or more, the last eight seasons. The Hawkeyes are 67-2 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.

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.

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: Westchester Knicks), and Aaron White (Lithuania).

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).

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will return to action in two days when the Hawkeyes welcome Ohio State to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:01 p.m. (CT). Tickets are available via hawkeyesports.com/tickets.