Game Notes: Iowa vs. Iowa State

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THE SETTING
No. 18/19 Iowa (6-2, 0-2) will host in-state rival Iowa State (7-1, 0-0) on Thursday in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series contest. Tipoff is set for 7:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Limited tickets are available for the game at the UI Athletic Ticket Office, calling 1-800-IAHAWKS, or online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
 
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: Thursday’s contest will be televised nationally on FS1 (FOXSPORTSGO). Brandon Gaudin and Andy Katz will call the action.

IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES STORYLINES
•    The home team has won 13 of the last 15 in the series, dating back to 2004.
•    Thursday concludes a stretch of playing six of seven games against major conference opponents (Nov. 15-Dec. 6). 
•    Iowa leads the 12-event Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, 7-6, after six events.
•    Iowa has won 55 of its last 59 non-conference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Half of the Big Ten is ranked in this week’s AP Top 25: Michigan (5), Michigan State (10), Wisconsin (12), Iowa (18), Ohio State (19), Maryland (23), and Nebraska (24).
•    Luka Garza surpassed 500 points and 250 rebounds with his game totals against tenth-ranked Michigan State Monday in East Lansing, Michigan.
•    Four of Iowa’s remaining five games in December will be played inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena with the fifth contest being played in Des Moines on a neutral court versus UNI.
•    Jordan Bohannon made two 3-pointers Monday at Michigan State. The junior now has 198 career 3-pointers, two shy of becoming the seventh Hawkeye with 200 triples.
•    Iowa has had a player post a double-double two of the last three games. Joe Wieskamp totaled 18 points and 11 rebounds versus Pitt, while Tyler Cook registered 19 points and 15 boards against Wisconsin. Cook is one of 21 players in Iowa history to have 10 or more double-doubles.
•    Iowa’s 105 points versus Alabama State on Nov. 21, equaled the fourth most point total by the Hawkeyes in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era.
•    The Hawkeyes rank second in the country in free throw makes per game (24.6) and first in attempts (32.4). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in seven of eight contests.
•    Iowa is 10-2 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season.
•    Four Iowa starters average double figures in scoring: Tyler Cook (15.4), Luka Garza (13.0), Joe Wieskamp (10.5), and Jordan Bohannon (10.3).
•    Nicholas Baer is 45 rebounds and eight 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 960 points, 40 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 (5), Michigan State (10), Wisconsin (12), Iowa (18), Ohio State (19), Maryland (23), and Nebraska (24). 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. 19 in this week’s Coaches Poll and No. 47 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
 
MICHIGAN STATE TOPS HAWKEYES IN EAST LANSING
Michigan State shot 52 percent from the field in a 90-68 win over Iowa Monday evening at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Monday was Iowa’s first true road contest of the season.
•  Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Tyler Cook (15), Isaiah Moss (13), and Jordan Bohannon (11).
•  Starting guard Joe Wieskamp left the game in the second half with a sprained ankle after totaling eight points, four rebounds, two steals, one block, and an assist.
•  Sophomore center Luka Garza grabbed a team-best nine rebounds to go along with seven points and three assists.
•  Iowa held Michigan State to 3-of-12 (.250) shooting from 3-point range.
•  All ten Hawkeyes who played in the game scored at least one point.
•  Four Spartans scored in double digits: Nick Ward (26), Kenny Goins (19), Xavier Tillman (14), and Joshua Langford (14).
•  Michigan State assisted on 28-of-31 field goals, including a game-best 12 by point guard Cassius Winston.
•  Both teams attempted at least 30 free throws. The Hawkeyes were 20-of-30 (.667), while the Spartans were 25-of-32 (.781) from the charity stripe.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
•   Thursday will be Iowa State’s first true road game. The Cyclones are 5-0 in home contests and 2-1 on neutral floors. Iowa State’s lone setback came against Arizona (71-66) in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational.
•   Three active starters average double figures in scoring for the Cyclones: Marial Shayok (19.4), Michael Jacobson (16.8), and Talen Horton-Tucker (14.5).
•   Three Cyclones have made 11 or more 3-pointers: Talen Horton-Tucker (14), Marial Shayok (13), and Tyrese Haliburton (11).. As a team, Iowa State makes 33 percent (65-of-196) of its 3-point attempts.
•   Iowa State won its last contest, 81-59, over North Dakota State in Ames. The Cyclones outscored the Bison, 42-22, in the paint and shot 50 percent from the field compared to 36.5 percent for North Dakota State. Marial Shayok led all scorers with 20 points.
•   Cameron Lard and Zoran Talley returned from suspension in Iowa State’s last game versus North Dakota State on Monday. Lard played 10 minutes, while Talley saw 16 minutes of action.
•   Michael Jacobson is a redshirt junior from Waukee, Iowa, who transferred to Iowa State after playing two seasons at Nebraska. Jacobson averaged six points and 7.7 rebounds in three games played against the Hawkeyes as a Cornhusker. Marial Shayok is another starting transfer, who transferred to the Cyclones after playing three seasons with Virginia. Shayok played against the Hawkeyes when Virginia played Iowa at the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 25, 2016. Shayok totaled six points, three rebounds, and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench.
•   Steve Prohm is in his fourth season as head coach of Iowa State. Prohm has won 67 games as the Cyclones’ head coach and 171 overall in his eight seasons as a college head coach.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 44-27 advantage in the series. Iowa State has won the four of the last five meetings. Iowa snapped a three-game losing streak to the Cyclones with a 78-64 win in Iowa City in 2016. The home team has won 13 of the last 15 in the series, dating back to 2004, with the Cyclones winning in Iowa City in 2010 and 2015.
    Iowa holds a 28-7 advantage in games played at Iowa City. The two teams have split the last four meetings in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (2010-2016).
 
LAST MEETING
Iowa State outscored the visiting Hawkeyes, 15-1, at the free throw line and converted 18 Hawkeye turnovers into 28 points in an 84-78 victory over Iowa on Dec. 7, 2018, in Ames.
•   Iowa made 11 3-pointers in the contest, including sinking its last four attempts of the first half. The Hawkeyes attempted 36 triples, the second most in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era.
•   Iowa owned the glass, pulling down 22 more rebounds than the Cyclones (53-31).
•   All 11 players who played in the game recorded at least two points for Iowa.
•   Iowa’s leading scorer, Tyler Cook, was held to a season-low two points. However, the power forward dished out a then-career-best five assists and grabbed eight rebounds.
•   Three Cyclone starters scored in double figures: Lindell Wiggington (24), Nick Weiler-Babb (15), and Donovan Jackson (12).
 
IOWA IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.761), free throw makes (197) and attempted (259); second in scoring offense (80.8); and fifth in steals (6.5). Individually, Luka Garza ranks fourth in the league in free throw percentage (.871, 27-of-31), while Tyler Cook is ninth in rebounding (8.1) and 14th in scoring (15.4).
 
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 101 points and 126 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Cook is 40 points and 68 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.
 
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 (10.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.9 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 41 percent clip from 3-point range (12-of-29) and 45 percent overall from the field (27-of-60).
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double versus Pitt on Nov. 27, totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
BAER APPROACHING ELITE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer is 45 rebounds and eight 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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 10-2 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is first on the team in assists (27) and is fifth in scoring (7.6 ppg). The redshirt freshman is shooting 82 percent (32-of-39) 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.
    Iowa’s Big Ten opener versus No. 22 Wisconsin was its first sellout of the 2018-19 season.
 
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 1-2 this season against nationally-ranked teams, beating No. 13 Oregon in New York City, and losing to No. 22 Wisconsin on in Iowa City and No. 10 Michigan State in East Lansing.
   
IOWA, CINCINNATI TO PLAY IN CHICAGO IN 2019
Iowa has signed a contract to play the University of Cincinnati as part of the Chicago Legends next season.
    The Hawkeyes and Bearcats will play on a neutral court at the United Center in Chicago on Dec. 21, 2019, as part of a four-team men’s college basketball doubleheader. Dayton will face Colorado in the other contest.
    “We are excited to return to the United Center and play in front of our tremendous alumni base in Chicago,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “We look forward to playing Cincinnati, who is one of the premiere teams in the country.
    “If you look at our schedule in 2019-20, we will play 20 Big Ten games, two Challenge contests (ACC/Gavitt), Iowa State, Cincinnati, and an MTE (multi-team event). It will be a challenge, but that’s what you sign up for when you come to play at The University of Iowa.”
    Iowa and Cincinnati have played eight previous times, with the last contest coming in the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.
    Each of the 2019 teams has advanced to the NCAA Tournament at least twice in the past four seasons. Tickets will go on sale to the general public in 2019.
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   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).
•   Iowa started 6-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
•  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, 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.
•   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 2,781 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,632-1,149 (.587). Iowa’s 1,632 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,043-367 (.740) record in home games, a 583-779 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 766-780 (.495) mark in Big Ten games and a 448-141 (.761) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
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.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will have a eight-day break to concentrate on final exams before returning to the court on Saturday, Dec. 15, to face Northern Iowa in Des Moines at The Hy-Vee Classic. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. Tickets are available at hyveetix.com.