Game Notes: Iowa vs. Bryant

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THE SETTING
No. 24/21 Iowa (10-2) remains home for its non-conference finale against Bryant University (3-7) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Tickets are available for $15 for adults, and $5 for UI students and youth 18-and-under. Saturday is “Alumni Night”; discounted tickets are available for Iowa alumni through the Iowa Athletic Ticket Office.
 
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: Saturday night’s contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU (WATCHESPN). Chuckie Kempf and Tim McCormick will call the action.

NON-CONFERENCE FINALE STORYLINES
•    The Hawkeyes have been nationally ranked in both major polls each of the last six weeks (Nov. 19-present), ranked as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press Poll on Nov. 26.
•    Iowa has won 58 of its last 62 non-conference home games, dating back to 2012.
•    Iowa has won all ten of its non-conference games this season with one more contest left. The last time an Iowa team won all of its non-conference games was the 1986-87 season.
•    Tyler Cook has 1,037 career points, becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in Iowa’s win over Northern Iowa earlier this month.
•    Nicholas Baer is 27 rebounds and two blocks from becoming the fifth player in program history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals.
•    Iowa has led by as many as 20 points in each of Iowa’s last four games (Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Western Carolina, Savannah State).
•    Iowa has had a player post a double-double four of the last seven games. Joe Wieskamp versus Pitt (18 points, 11 rebounds), and Tyler Cook against Wisconsin (19 points, 15 rebounds), Iowa State (26 points, 11 rebounds), and UNI (17 points, 13 rebounds).
•    Jordan Bohannon sank a season-best six 3-pointers in Iowa’s win over Savannah State. The junior finished in double digits for the first time Dec. 3 at Michigan State (11 points).
•    The Hawkeyes rank first in the country in free throw makes per game (22.1) and attempts (29.6). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in nine of 11 contests.
•    Luka Garza’s 10 made 3-pointers are tied for the fifth most in the country among players 6-foot-11 or taller.
•    Iowa is 13-2 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is fifth in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9), and tenth in free throw percentage (.825, 47-of-57) and assists (3.45). McCaffery missed Iowa’s last game versus Savannah State (concussion protocol), but is expected to be available for Saturday’s game.
•    Tyler Cook has led the Hawkeyes in scoring in five of the last six games: Wisconsin (19 points), Michigan State (15 points), Iowa State (26 points), Northern Iowa (17 points), and Western Carolina (18 points).
•    Luka Garza surpassed 500 points and 250 rebounds with his game totals against tenth-ranked Michigan State on Dec. 3, in East Lansing, Michigan.
 
IOWA WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT, OVERWHELMS SAVANNAH STATE
Iowa led by as many as 51 points to remain unbeaten in non-conference play in a 110-64 victory over Savannah State on Dec. 22, on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
•   Iowa made a school record with 19 3-pointers made, besting the previous mark of 18 previously set in 2016 against Savannah State.
•   Five Hawkeyes netted double figures: Joe Wieskamp (24); Jordan Bohannon (18); Tyler Cook (16); Isaiah Moss (15); and Riley Till (10). Wieskamp’s 24 points are a personal best, while his season-high five triples are the most by a Hawkeye this season.
•   Jordan Bohannon posted season bests in scoring (18 points) and 3-pointers made (6) and attempted (14). The Hawkeye junior finished in double figures for the first time since scoring 11 points at nationally-ranked Michigan State on Dec. 3.
•   Junior forward Ryan Kriener led the squad in rebounding for the first time in his career, pulling down a career-high nine boards, to go along with a season-best four assists.
•   Iowa registered season highs in scoring (110), 3-point makes (19) and attempted (42), and assists (30). Iowa’s 110 points are the most scored in a single-game since scoring 116 versus Savannah State in 2016.
•   The Hawkeyes shot 55.7 percent (39-of-70) from the field, compared to just 36.8 percent (25-of-68) for Savannah State.
•   Iowa improved to 10-0 against non-league opponents.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa has played Bryant University (Smithfield, Rhode Island) once before, beating the Bulldogs, 61-36, on Dec. 5, 2008, in Iowa City. Bryant is a member of the Northeast Conference; the Hawkeyes are 8-0 all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference.
 
SCOUTING BRYANT
•   Bryant University enters Saturday’s game at Iowa with a 3-7 overall record, including a 0-5 mark in true road contests.
•   Three Bulldogs average in double figures in scoring: Adam Grant (15.8); Byron Hawkins (14.3); and SaBastian Townes (13.9). Patrick Harding leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.2 rebounds per contest.
•   Junior SaBastian Townes sank a 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to complete a 68-67 come-from-behind win victory over Dartmouth in Bryant’s last outing on Dec. 21. The Bulldogs rallied from a 15-point deficit to post its third victory over the season.
•   Junior Adam Grant registered his 1,000th career point in Bryant’s win over Dartmouth on Dec. 21, becoming the sixth Bulldog at the Division I level to reach the mark.
•   Bryant ranks 14th in the country in fewest turnovers per game (12.4) and is last nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.455). Individually, Adam Grant ranks 80th in the nation in 3-point attempts (87) and 82nd in 3-pointers made per game (2.9).
•   Iowa has made (265) more free throws than Bryant University has attempted (206).
•   Jared Grasso is in his first season as head coach at Bryant University. Grasso previously worked the last eight seasons at Iona. The Gaels made five NCAA Tournament appearances (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018) in Grasso’s eight years at Iona. Prior to Iona, Grasso spent four seasons on the staff at Fordham, including the majority of the final year as interim head coach.
 
FOUR-GAME WIN STREAK HIGHLIGHTS
•   Iowa has led by 20 points or more in each of Iowa’s four victories (Dec. 6-present).
•   The Hawkeyes are averaging 10.8 3-point field goals made during the win streak.
•   Four Hawkeyes average double figures during the win streak (Tyler Cook, 19.3; Joe Wieskamp, 12.8; Isaiah Moss, 12.0; Luka Garza, 12.0).
•   Iowa boasts a 25.3 margin of victory during the win streak.
•   Iowa is shooting the basketball at a 53.8 percent clip from the field (126-of-234).
•   Three of the four wins have come on home court in Iowa City.
 
IOWA IN THE BIG TEN STATISTICS
Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.746), free throw makes (265) and attempted (355); second in scoring offense (84.1) and assists (16.3); fourth in 3-point percentage defense (.293); and fifth in steals (6.6) and 3-pointers made (8.5).  Individually, Luka Garza ranks fifth in the league in free throw percentage (.842, 32-of-38), Tyler Cook is tied for seventh in rebounding (8.3) and ninth in scoring (16.7), Connor McCaffery ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9) and tenth in assists (3.5), while Nicholas Baer is tied for 15th in blocks (1.1) and steals (1.2).
 
COOK ELEVATING HIS GAME
Tyler Cook has posted double-doubles in three of the last six games, leading the Hawkeyes in scoring five of the last six games and leading the squad in rebounding in three of the six. Cook recorded career point No. 1,000, in Iowa’s win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 15
    Cook is one of three Big Ten student-athletes to average better than 16.5 points and eight rebounds per game, joining Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ and Lamar Stevens of Penn State. Cook ranks in the top ten in the league in both scoring and rebounding.
 
MILESTONES APPROACHING FOR BOHANNON, COOK
Jordan Bohannon is closing in on joining classmate Tyler Cook in the 1,000-point club. Bohannon is 63 points and 115 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Cook is 34 rebounds from becoming the 26th Hawkeye to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
BAER APPROACHING ELITE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer is 27 rebounds and two 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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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 412 overall wins and 161 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He is third on Iowa’s coaching win chart and eight victories from surpassing Lute Olson for second. Tom Davis is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach with 269 wins.
 
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 fourth in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 45.5 percent clip from 3-point range (20-of-44) and 51 percent overall from the field (44-of-86).
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double versus Pitt on Nov. 27, totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
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.
 
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.
PEMSL HAS SEASON ENDING SURGERY
Junior forward Cordell Pemsl underwent season-ending surgery on Dec. 18.
    “Cordell’s procedure removed hardware near his knee from a previous surgery when he was in high school,” said McCaffery.
    Pemsl (6-foot-8, 230 pounds) has seen action in only two games this season, playing 13 minutes against UMKC (Nov. 8) and 18 minutes versus Iowa State (Dec. 6).
    “I tried to give playing this season another shot in the Iowa State game, but after a week of rest and recovery, the chronic irritation caused by the hardware has remained resulting in my inability to play in Saturday’s game versus UNI. After further discussions with the medical staff, we determined that the best course of action is to correct the problem at this time.”
    The native of Dubuque, Iowa, has played in 68 career games, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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 HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,785 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,636-1,149 (.587). Iowa’s 1,636 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,046-367 (.740) record in home games, a 584-779 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 766-780 (.495) mark in Big Ten games and a 451-141 (.762) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
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 13-2 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is first on the team in assists (38) and is sixth in scoring (7.5 ppg). The redshirt freshman is shooting 82.5 percent (47-of-57) from the free throw line, and ranks fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9) and tenth in assists per game (3.5).
 
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).
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   Iowa has won two straight games when playing on Dec. 29.
•   Junior Tyler Cook is one of 21 players in Iowa history to have 10 or more double-doubles.
•   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 81-19 when scoring 80 points or more, the last eight seasons. The Hawkeyes are 69-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last eight years.
•  Iowa posted 98 points in its 14-point win over Iowa State on Dec. 6. The last time Iowa scored 90 points or more against Iowa State was Dec. 10, 1988, in Iowa City (Iowa won 91-71).
•  Iowa improved to 6-1 all-time in The Hy-Vee Classic with its 77-54 win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 15 in Des Moines. In the seven-year history of four-team Hy-Vee Classic, Nicholas Baer is the only player to win four games in four years. Baer averaged 10 points, nine rebounds, 2.75 assists, 2.5 blocked shots, and two steals in four games played.
•   Iowa’s 105 points versus Alabama State, equaled the fourth highest point total by the Hawkeyes in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era.
•  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, 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.
    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.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will resume Big Ten Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 3, at Purdue. The game will tipoff at 6 p.m. (CT) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.