Game Notes: Iowa vs. Wisconsin

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THE SETTING
No. 14/15 Iowa (6-0, 0-0), one of 18 undefeated teams remaining, will host No. 22/22 Wisconsin (6-0, 0-0) on Friday in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Tipoff is set for 7:06 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for UI students and youth 18-and-under.
    Fans are encouraged to wear gold clothing to Friday’s game for the annual “Gold Out.” Also, for each UI student ticket scanned, $1 will be donated to the UI Dance Marathon.
    Due to a sold out event at Hancher, the Cambus Hancher complimentary shuttle will not be in service on Friday. Fans should look for alternative parking options for Friday.
 
ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Jim Albracht 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: Friday night’s Big Ten opener will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Jeff Levering and Stephen Bardo will call the action.

BIG TEN OPENER STORYLINES
•    Friday night is a “Gold Out” as fans are encouraged to wear gold clothing to the game.
•    Iowa’s Nicholas Baer and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ played on the same AAU squad (Quad-City Elite). Both Happ and Baer redshirted their freshman season in 2014-15.
•    Iowa won its sixth ACC/Big Ten Challenge game with a narrow 69-68 win over Pitt Tuesday night in Iowa City. Five of Iowa’s six Challenge victories have come at home. The win over Pitt was Iowa’s third straight over the Panthers dating back to 1950.
•    Iowa is one of seven Big Ten ranked in this week’s AP Top 25: Michigan (7), Michigan State (9), Iowa (14) Ohio State (16), Purdue (19), Wisconsin (22), and Maryland (24).
•    Iowa has started 6-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
•    Iowa is one of 20 schools nationally to have five or more redshirts on their roster. Iowa’s five redshirts are tied for second most in the B1G with Michigan State (Wisconsin, 8).
•    Tyler Cook is one of five Big Ten players averaging 16 points and 6.5 rebounds.
•    Iowa is in the middle of a stretch of playing six of seven games against major conference opponents (Nov. 15-Dec. 6). The Hawkeyes’ next three games are against Power 5 conference opponents (Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Iowa State).
•    Iowa’s 105 points versus Alabama State last Wednesday equaled the fourth most point total by the Hawkeyes in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era.
•    Jordan Bohannon made three 3-pointers Tuesday versus Pitt. The junior now has 193 career 3-pointers, seven shy of becoming the seventh Hawkeye with 200 triples.
•    The Hawkeyes rank first in the country in free throw makes per game (27.2) and second attempts (35.0). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in all six games.
•    Iowa is 10-0 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season.
•    Four Hawkeyes average double figures in scoring: Tyler Cook (14.8), Luka Garza (14.3), Joe Wieskamp (11.3), and Jordan Bohannon (10.0).
•    Nicholas Baer is 52 rebounds and 11 blocks from becoming the fifth player in program history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals.
•    Tyler Cook surpassed 900 career points in Iowa’s win over Connecticut on Nov.  16. The Hawkeye junior has 926 points, 74 shy of the 1,000-point plateau.
•    Luka Garza (MVP) and Tyler Cook were named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team.

HAWKEYES NATIONALLY RANKED
The Hawkeyes are one of seven Big Ten ranked in this week’s AP Top 25: Michigan (7), Michigan State (9), Iowa (14) Ohio State (16), Purdue (19), Wisconsin (22), and Maryland (24). Iowa moved up six spots from last week’s AP Poll. This marks Iowa’s highest national ranking in the AP Poll this early in the season since being ranked No. 7 on Nov. 26, 2001.
    Iowa is ranked No. 15 in this week’s Coaches Poll and the initial NCAA NET Rankings.
 
IOWA EDGES PITT IN ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Iowa held Pitt to 22 second-half points to rally from a six-point halftime deficit to beat Pitt in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday. The game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes.
•  Joe Wieskamp recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wieskamp is the first Iowa freshman with a double-double in a nonconference game against a major conference opponent since Melsahn Basabe against Iowa State in 2010.
•  Nicholas Baer scored 14 of his season-high 16 points in the second half, including a stretch of 11 straight in the season half.
•  In addition to scoring 12 points, junior guard Jordan Bohannon was credited with a career-best six steals. It marks the first time a Hawkeye recorded five or more steals in a single game since Nicholas Baer had five versus Drake on Dec. 16, 2017.
•  Iowa posted season highs in 3-pointers made (12) and steals (11).
•  Tyler Cook nearing registered a double-double, totaling nine points and eight rebounds. Additionally, Cook was fouled a season-high 12 times in 31 minutes of action.
 
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
•   Friday will be Wisconsin’s second true road contest of the season. The Badgers won at Xavier (77-68) on Nov. 13 in the Gavitt Games.
•   Wisconsin is 2-1 in games decided by nine points or fewer this season. The Badgers beat Xavier (77-68) and N.C. State (79-75), but lost to Virginia (53-46). The loss to the Cavaliers was in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
•   Ethan Happ (18.0) and D’Mitrik Trice (17.0) account for 46.8 percent of Wisconsin’s offense. Happ averages a double-double, leading the Big Ten in rebounding (12.3 rpg). The redshirt senior has posted a double-double in all seven games to start the season.
•   Wisconsin won its 10th ACC/Big Ten Challenge game, rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit in a 79-75 triumph over N.C. State in Madison on Tuesday. The Badgers shot 52 percent from 3-point range and sank six more free throws than the Wolfpack.
•   Wisconsin ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (.438); second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5); third in blocked shots (5.6); fifth in scoring defense (.603) and free throw percentage (.726); and sixth in field goal accuracy (.479).
•   Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver was a three-time third-team All-Big Ten performer (1999-01) as a Hawkeye. Oliver’s 561 assists are third most in Iowa program history.
•   Greg Gard is in his fourth season as collegiate head coach (63-37, .630).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Friday will be the 165th meeting between Iowa and Wisconsin. The Badgers own a narrow 83-81 advantage in the all-time series.
    The Hawkeyes have won the last two meetings against the Badgers: 59-57 in Madison in 2017 and 85-67 in Iowa City last season.
    Eight of the last 12 meetings, dating back to 2011, have been decided by seven points or less, with six of the last ten having been decided by five points or fewer.
    Iowa holds a 51-29 advantage in games played in Iowa City, with the Badgers winning three of the last four.
 
LAST MEETING
Five Hawkeyes scored in double figures en route to an 85-67 triumph over the Wisconsin Badgers on Jan. 23, 2018, in Iowa City. The contest was the only meeting of the regular season between the two teams.
•   Iowa’s 18-point victory is over Wisconsin is its largest margin of victory since beating the Badgers by 25 points (78-53) on Jan. 11, 1997.
•   Tyler Cook and Luka Garza each scored 17 points to pace the Hawkeyes. In addition to the 17 points, Garza pulled down a season and game-best 16 rebounds. It marked the most rebounds in a single game by a Hawkeye since Adam Woodbury had 18 against the Badgers on Feb. 24, 2016.
•   Point guard Jordan Bohannon recorded his fifth career double-double in points and assists (13 points and 11 assists).
•   Iowa forward Ryan Kriener did not play due to injury, nor did Wisconsin’s D’Mitrik Trice and Kobe King.
•   Ethan Happ led the Badgers with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.  Happ netted 17 of his 21 points in the final 19 minutes.
 
IOWA IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.776), free throw makes (163) and attempted (210); second in scoring offense (85.3); and fifth in steals (7.2). Individually, Luka Garza ranks fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.625) and fifth in free throw percentage (.870), while Tyler Cook is 11th in rebounding (7.0) and 18th in scoring (14.8).
 
MILESTONES APPROACHING FOR BOHANNON, COOK
Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook are closing in on becoming the 47th and 48th Hawkeyes to score 1,000 points. Bohannon is 123 points and 126 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Cook is 74 points and 91 rebounds from becoming the 26th Hawkeye to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
  
BOHANNON RECEIVED MUSIAL AWARD
Jordan Bohannon was one of the honorees at the 2018 Musial Awards, which celebrated the greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character.
    Last February, Bohannon, an Iowa sophomore, was approaching the Hawkeyes’ consecutive free throws made record. The record was held by the late Chris Street, an Iowa basketball legend who died in a car accident in 1993 at age 20. With a chance to break the record, Bohannon intentionally — and selflessly — missed a free throw to honor Street and keep the record in his name.
    The awards ceremony took place in St. Louis on Nov. 17. Bohannon traveled with the Street family from New York to St. Louis after Iowa’s two games in New York City.
    Other honorees included recently-inducted Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome, Loyola men’s basketball team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Florida State softball head coach Lonni Alameda, Minnesota high school pitcher Ty Koehn, and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith.
    The event is named for Stan Musial, the late St. Louis Cardinals legend who was beloved for his approach on and off the field. The mission of the Musial Awards is to encourage selflessness, integrity and civility in sports and society — and to inspire people across the country to be good sports.
 
HAWKEYES RETURN EXPERIENCE
Iowa returns 90.5 percent of minutes played a year ago, a percentage that is fourth most in the country: Washington (95.2 percent), Wisconsin (93.9 percent), and Syracuse (90.8 percent). Returning Iowa players scored 94.9 percent (2,496 of 2,630) of its offense a year ago and a combined 4,246 career points entering the 2018-19 season.
    Iowa is one of four schools nationally to have all five starters return with all five being its top five scorers in 2017-18 (Syracuse, Brown, Harvard).
 
McCAFFERY REACHES MILESTONES
Iowa’s regular season opener against UMKC was Fran McCaffery’s 700th career game as a head coach. The 2018-19 season is McCaffery’s ninth as Iowa’s head coach and 23rd overall as a collegiate head coach. McCaffery has 408 overall wins and 157 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He is third on Iowa’s coaching win chart and 12 victories from surpassing Lute Olson for second. Tom Davis is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach with 269 wins.
 
IOWA WELCOMES 4 HAWKEYES TO 2018-19 ROSTER
Iowa added two scholarship and two non-scholarship student-athletes to its 2018-19 roster. Guards CJ Fredrick (Kentucky) and Joe Wieskamp (Iowa) were their respective state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018. Guard Nicholas Hobbs and forward Michael Baer join the Hawkeye roster as walk-on. Baer is the younger brother of senior Nicholas Baer.
 
FAMILY AFFAIR
In addition to brothers Nicholas and Michael Baer on the Iowa men’s basketball team, the Baers have two cousins competing on other sports at the University of Iowa. Molly Kelly is a senior on the volleyball team, while Joe Kelly is a freshman on the Iowa wrestling team. Additionally, cousin Kristin Baer is a senior on the Notre Dame volleyball team.
  
FAST START FOR WIESKAMP
Joe Wieskamp is off to a fast start for the Hawkeyes as a freshman. The shooting guard ranks third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 46 percent clip from 3-point range (11-of-24, .458) and 50 percent overall from the field (22-of-44). The native of Muscatine, Iowa, has led the team in rebounding three of six games, including the last two contests.
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double in Iowa’s win over Pitt Tuesday night totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
BAER APPROACHING ELITE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer is 57 rebounds and 11 blocked shots from becoming the fifth Hawkeye in program history to amass 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals. The four other players who have accomplished that feat include Greg Stokes, Acie Earl, Michael Payne, and Ryan Bowen.
 
BREAKING DOWN IOWA’S BIG TEN SCHEDULE
Of the 10 Big Ten homes games played in Iowa City, eight will be played on weekends: three on Friday nights (Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana), two on Saturday afternoons (Ohio State, Rutgers), three on Sunday afternoons (Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern).
    Other than playing two straight Big Ten road games one month apart (Michigan State on Dec. 3 and Purdue on Jan. 3), Iowa has only one other back-to-back road game sequence (Wisconsin on March 7 and Nebraska on March 10).
    This season will mark the seventh time in nine years that the Hawkeyes will open league play at home and just the second time in nine years that Iowa will play its regular season finale on the road under head coach Fran McCaffery.
 
MEASURING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa has four players with wingspans over seven feet: Ryan Kriener (7-3), Jack Nunge (7-2), Luka Garza (7-1.5), and Tyler Cook (7-1). Guards Maishe Dailey (6-11) and Joe Wieskamp (6-11) have longest wingspans among backcourt players.
 
NUNGE, FREDRICK TO REDSHIRT
Sophomore forward Jack Nunge and freshman guard CJ Fredrick plan to redshirt the 2018-19 season. Nunge, one of seven forwards on this season’s roster, saw action in all 33 games a year ago, ranking second on the team in blocked shots (25), fourth in steals (21), and fifth in scoring (5.7). Fredrick was the 2018 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year at Covington Catholic High School.
 
PEMSL TO MISS SEASON DUE TO INJURY
Junior forward Cordell Pemsl is scheduled to have season-ending surgery next month after final exams.
    “Cordell’s procedure is to remove hardware near his knee from a previous surgery when he was in high school,” said McCaffery. “It was hoped this procedure could wait until the end of the season, but is now determined the hardware removal is necessary before he will be able to return to the court.
    “Cordell really worked hard preparing for his junior season and this is an unfortunate setback. We will submit a medical hardship waiver request to the Big Ten Conference after the season.”
    Pemsl (6-foot-8, 230 pounds) has played in only one game this season, 13 minutes in the season opener against UMKC on Nov. 8. The native of Dubuque, Iowa, has played in 67 career games, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
 
COOK ATTENDS NIKE BASKETBALL ACADEMY
Tyler Cook attended the prestigious Nike Basketball Academy this past summer in California. The camp provided Cook the opportunity to train alongside some of the best NBA players and coaches. The prestigious skills development camp was limited to 25 of the nation’s top collegiate players, which included a combine experience, drills, off-court workouts, film sessions, and competition.
    Cook is the fourth Hawkeye in five years to be invited to this elite basketball camp, joining Aaron White (2014), Jarrod Uthoff (2015), and Peter Jok (2016).
 
CONNOR MCCAFFERY RETURNS HEALTHY
Guard Connor McCaffery received a medical redshirt following last season. McCaffery (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) has four years of men’s basketball eligibility remaining after averaging 13.3 minutes in only four games last December as a true freshman. The native of Iowa City missed two games due to a sprained ankle, eight contests due to mononucleosis, and 19 games after undergoing a tonsillectomy in December.
    McCaffery is the son of head coach Fran McCaffery. Iowa is one of nine Division I teams in which the head coach has a son on the 2018-19 roster (Cal State Bakersfield, Central Connecticut State, Central Florida, Detroit Mercy, Kentucky, Portland, Syracuse, Tennessee Martin).
    Iowa is 10-0 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is first on the team in assists (23) and is fifth in scoring (9.0 ppg). The redshirt freshman is shooting 85 percent (29-of-34) from the free throw line.
 
DIRECTING THE HAWKEYE OFFENSE
Jordan Bohannon, an honorable mention all-Big Ten honoree, had a solid sophomore campaign, dishing out a team-best 178 assists, and averaging 13.5 points. He averaged 2.9 3-pointers made per game, which ranked second in the league and 41st in the country. His 3-point percentage (.430) also ranked 22nd nationally.
    The native of Marion, Iowa, has six 10+ assists games in his career (Indiana, South Dakota, TCU, Ohio State, and Wisconsin), which ties Cal Wulfsberg for the most by a Hawkeye in program history. His six career double-doubles — all in points and assists — are the most in program history.
    Bohannon is one of three players from a major conference with 300+ assists and 150+ made 3-pointers through their sophomore season in the last two decades joining Duke’s Jay Williams (2000-01) and Chris Thomas of Notre Dame (2002-03). Additionally, he is the only player nationally over the past 25 years to register 150+ assists and 80+ 3-pointers as a freshman and sophomore.
 
FANS FLOCK TO CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa ranked 28th in the country in average home attendance (12,026) in 2017-18. The Hawkeyes have ranked in the top 30 nationally in attendance each of the past six seasons, including ranking in the top 25 five of the last six years.
 
RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Devyn Marble (Italy), Anthony Clemmons (Kazakhstan), Gabriel Olaseni (Germany), Jarrod Uthoff (Russia), Melsahn Basabe (Israel), Peter Jok (NBA G League: Northern Arizona Suns), Adam Woodbury (NBA G League: Stockton Kings), and Aaron White (Lithuania).
 
IOWA VS. RANKED TEAMS
Iowa is 1-0 this season against nationally-ranked teams, beating No. 13 Oregon (77-69) on Nov. 15, at the 2K Empire Classic.
 
GARZA SHINES IN FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
Luka Garza led the team in blocked shots (1.0), and was second in rebounding (6.4), double-doubles (4), free throws made (92) and attempts (135), and was third in field goal accuracy (.557) and scoring (12.1) as a freshman. Garza ranked second among freshmen in Big Ten games in rebounding (5.7), third in scoring (12.4), and fourth in field goal percentage (.539) last season.
    The native of Washington, D.C., is one of two Hawkeyes to total 400 points and 200 rebounds as a freshman (Jess Settles).
    Garza netted double figures in 15 of Iowa’s last 23 games as a freshman.
 
COOKIN’ WITH TYLER
Tyler Cook, an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection, ranked first on the team in scoring (15.3), rebounding (6.8), and free throws made (121) and attempted (183).
    He had the best game of his career versus UAB (29 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 13-of-16 from the free throw line). Cook’s 28-point performance against Indiana on Feb. 17, was the most points scored by the forward against a Big Ten team in his two years as a Hawkeye.
    Cook registered 60 dunks this season (1.8 per game), including a season-best six in Iowa’s win over Drake on Dec. 16.
    Cook ranked sixth in the league in field goal accuracy (.566) and 11th in rebounding (6.8). The native of St. Louis had a team-best seven double-doubles to his credit this season (Penn State, Illinois, Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, and Northwestern). Cook registered six double-doubles in the last 15 contests.
 
ON THE TUBE
All but one of Iowa’s remaining regular season games will be televised nationally on BTN, FS1, or an ESPN network. Iowa’s game versus Savannah State on Dec. 22, will be available on BTN2GO.
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   Iowa has won 55 of its last 59 non-conference home games, dating back to 2012.
•  Two Hawkeyes were named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team: Luka Garza (MVP) and Tyler Cook. Cook averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds, while Garza averaged 16 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two victories. Iowa trailed for only two minutes in the two victories over No. 13 Oregon and Connecticut.
•   Iowa is 79-19 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.
•  Iowa torched Alabama State for 68 first-half points on Nov. 21, the most points scored by Iowa in a half in the Fran McCaffery era besting a 63-point outburst in the second half at Minnesota a year ago.
•   Junior Cordell Pemsl (230) is 19 pounds lighter than when he was a freshman (249). Pemsl did not play in Iowa’s last four games due to injury.
•   Fran McCaffery and his coaching staff are the first in program history to win 18 games or more in six straight seasons (2013-18).
•   Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to upper division finishes in the Big Ten in five of the last six seasons. McCaffery has accumulated 17 first division finishes in 22 years as a head coach.
 
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.
 
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,779 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,632-1,147 (.587). Iowa’s 1,632 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,043-366 (.740) record in home games, a 583-778 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 766-778 (.496) mark in Big Ten games and a 448-140 (.762) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes will play their Big Ten road opener at nationally-ranked Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan on Monday (5:30 p.m. CT). Iowa returns home next week for a rivalry game versus Iowa State on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) in Iowa City. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.