Game Notes: Iowa at Northwestern

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THE SETTING
Iowa (12-3, 1-3) will face Northwestern (10-5, 1-3) in the first of two regular season meetings Wednesday at Evanston, Illinois. Tipoff is slated for 8:07 p.m. (CT) at Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039).
 
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: Wednesday’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler and Jon Crispin will call the action.

GAME #16 STORYLINES
•    The Hawkeyes have won six of their last seven games dating back to Dec. 6.
•    This season marks the first time since 2014-15 that Iowa and Northwestern will play twice during the regular season.
•    Tyler Cook is the first Hawkeye in 25 years to total 15+ points and 5+ rebounds in nine straight games. James Winters accomplished the feat the first ten games of the 1993-94 season.
•    Iowa improved to 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams with its nine-point win over Nebraska Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.
•    The Hawkeyes are 4-1 in games decided by nine points or less, including 2-0 in games decided by five points or less this season.
•    The Hawkeyes have been nationally ranked in the Coaches Poll the last eight weeks (Nov. 19-present).
•    Jordan Bohannon is closing in on career point No. 1,000. The junior guard has netted 987 points, 13 shy of becoming the 48th Hawkeye to achieve the scoring milestone.
•    Iowa has two student-athetes from Chicago on its roster: Isaiah Moss and Nicolas Hobbs. Moss prepped at Simeon HS, while Hobbs attended Fenwick HS.
•    Iowa won all 11 of its non-conference games. The last time an Iowa team won all of its nonconference games was the 1986-87 season.
•    Tyler Cook surpassed Ryan Bowen, Fred Brown, and Charles Darling in Iowa’s last game versus Nebraska on Sunday, to move into 36th place on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart.
•    Nicholas Baer is 19 rebounds from becoming the fifth player in program history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals.
•    The Hawkeyes rank first in the country in free throw makes per game (22.1) and is second in attempts (29.1). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in 11 of 15 contests.
•    Iowa is 15-3 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), 11th in free throw percentage (.820, 50-of-61), and 14th in assists (3.3). 
•    Tyler Cook has led the Hawkeyes in scoring in seven of the last nine games.
•    Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Sunday moved Fran McCaffery into a tie with Rollie Williams for fourth in Big Ten wins as Iowa head coach with 69.
 
HAWKEYES OUTLAST NEBRASKA IN IOWA CITY
All five Iowa starters scored in double figures en route to a 93-84 win over No. 24/23 Nebraska Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.
•   Iowa made six more 3-pointers than Nebraska, limiting the Cornhuskers to 4-of-23 (.174) shooting beyond the 3-point arc.
•   Junior Jordan Bohannon scored a game and season-best 25 points, 22 of which came in the second half. Bohannon’s first basket of the game came on a 30-foot buzzer beater at the end of the first half.
•   Junior Ryan Kriener earned his first career start, netting a season-best 14 points, one point shy of a career best. Kriener also rejected a game-best three shots, equaling a career high.
•   Junior Isaiah Moss posted his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and snagging a game and career-best 10 rebounds.
•   Iowa was white-hot shooting from the free throw line, making 29 of its 32 attempts (.906). Jordan Bohannon made all ten of his free throw attempts.
•   Iowa improved to 9-1 in homes games this season.
•   All but seven of Nebraska’s 83 points were scored by its starting five. Isaac Copeland led the Huskers with 24 points, while James Palmer netted 14 of his 20 points in the second half.
 
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.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 116-60 advantage over Northwestern in the series. The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last 11 meetings. This season marks the first time since the 2014-15 season that Iowa and Northwestern will meet twice during the regular season. Iowa and Northwestern have played each other once each of the past three seasons.
    Iowa won last year’s only meeting, 77-70, in the regular season finale in Iowa City on Feb. 25, 2018.
    Iowa holds a 46-41 edge in games played in Evanston. Sunday will be Iowa’s first visit to Evanston, Illinois, since an 89-54 loss on Jan. 15, 2017. The two teams have split the last four meetings in Evanston, dating back to 2013. Iowa’s last victory at Northwestern was a 76-50 triumph on Jan. 25, 2014.
 
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
•   Like Iowa, Northwestern notched its first Big Ten win of the season on Sunday, recording a 68-66 win over in-state rival Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
•   Three of Northwestern’s four Big Ten games played this season have been by two-point margins. The Wildcats beat Illinois (68-66), but lost to Michigan (62-60) and Indiana (68-66).
•   Three Wildcats average double figures in scoring: Vic Law (17.6), Dererk Pardon (13.9), and Ryan Taylor (12.5). Taylor (36) and Law (32) are Northwestern’s two main 3-point threats, combining for 68 of the team’s 115 triples. Pardon leads the Wildcats in rebounding (8.3) and blocked shots (1.3).
•   Northwestern ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.276); fourth in scoring defense (63.2), assists (15.9) and free throw percentage (.727), and fifth in blocked shots (4.5). Individually, Vic Law ranks seventh in the league in scoring (17.6) and sixth in minutes played (32.9). Dererk Pardon ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.614), while A.J. Turner is fifth in free throw accuracy (.843).
•   Redshirt junior A.J. Turner made the game-winning basket, a second-chance 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to lift the Wildcats to a 68-66 win in its last outing. Turner had 12 points — including six-of-eight from the line — and finished with a plus/minus of +18. Senior forward Vic Law finished with a double-double, registering 13 points and 10 rebounds.
•   The Wildcats are 8-2 in home games this season, losing by two points to nationally-ranked Michigan (68-66) and by seven in overtime to Oklahoma (76-69).
•   Chris Collins is in his sixth season as a head coach, all at Northwestern (98-82, .544). Collins led the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2017.
 
LAST MEETING
Four Hawkeyes netted double figures in a 77-70 win over Northwestern on Feb. 25, 2018, in Iowa City.
•   Jordan Bohannon made his first two free throw attempts to tie Chris Street’s consecutive free throw record (34) before missing the potential record-breaking shot on purpose.
•   Both teams shot the ball extremely well from 3-point range, making a combined 23 triples. Scottie Lindsey of Northwestern equaled a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record, making nine of his 11 attempts (.818), while Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon drained a season-high seven treys, six of which came in the first half.
•   Jordan Bohannon scored a team-best 25 points, followed by Luka Garza’s 18-point effort, 14 points by Tyler Cook, and 12 by Isaiah Moss.
•   In addition to his 14 points, Cook grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Cook was also credited with a career-high six assists.
•   The Hawkeyes owned the glass, outrebounding the Wildcats by 12 (41-29). Iowa scored 20 second-chance points after snagging 17 offensive rebounds.
•   Iowa was 17-of-23 (.739) from the charity stripe, making 14 more free throws than the visitors from Northwestern.
•   Scottie Lindsey was Northwestern’s only player in double figures, leading all scorers with 32 points, bolstered by his 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point territory. Vic Law did not play due to injury and starting point guard Bryant McIntosh played only seven minutes.
 
COOK ELEVATING HIS GAME
Tyler Cook has posted double-doubles in four of the last nine games, leading the Hawkeyes in scoring seven of the last nine games and leading the squad in rebounding in five of the nine. Cook recorded career point No. 1,000, in Iowa’s win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 15. He has netted 15+ points and 5+ rebounds in each of Iowa’s last nine contests, the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat in the Fran McCaffery era.
    Cook is one of three Big Ten student-athletes to average better than 17 points and eight rebounds per game, joining Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ and Lamar Stevens of Penn State. Cook ranks in the top seven 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 13 points and 103 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Cook is nine rebounds from becoming the 26th Hawkeye to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
BAER APPROACHING ELITE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer is 19 rebounds 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.
 
MAKING THE FREEBIES
Iowa has made 69 more free throws than any other Big Ten team. The Hawkeyes have made 331 fouls shots, while Minnesota is second behind Iowa with 262 makes.
    The Hawkeyes are the only team with three players ranked in the top 10 in the league free throw percentage. Luka Garza is third (.850), followed by Jordan Bohannon (.849) and Connor McCaffery (.820).
 
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,788 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,638-1,150 (.587). Iowa’s 1,638 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,048-367 (.740) record in home games, a 584-780 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 767-781 (.495) mark in Big Ten games and a 453-141 (.762) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
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 414 overall wins and 163 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He is third on Iowa’s coaching win chart and six 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 (10.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 44 percent clip from 3-point range (26-of-59) and 48 percent overall from the field (54-of-111). His shooting percentage from 3-point range is ninth best in the Big Ten.
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double versus Pittsburgh on Nov. 27, totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
IOWA VS. RANKED TEAMS
The Hawkeyes are 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams, beating No. 13 Oregon in New York City and No. 24 Nebraska in Iowa City, and losing to No. 22 Wisconsin on in Iowa City and No. 10 Michigan State in East Lansing.                               
 
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 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.
 
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).
    McCaffery is believed to be one of three Division I men’s basketball student-athletes who are dual-sport athletes in 2018-19. McCaffery (basketball and baseball), joins South Carolina junior Evan Hinson (football and basketball) and Buffalo sophomore Dominic Johnson (football and basketball).
    Iowa is 15-3 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is tied for first on the team in assists (44) and is seventh in scoring (6.1 ppg). The redshirt freshman is shooting 82 percent (50-of-61) from the free throw line, and is tied for fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8), ninth in free throw percentage (.820, 50-of-61), and 16th in assists (3.1).
 
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 is a perfect 4-0 against Northwestern when playing the Wildcats on Jan. 9, dating back to 1937. The Hawkeyes last defeated Northwestern on Jan. 9, in 2014 (93-67).
•   Iowa has reached the midway point of the season, having played 15 games with 16 regular season contests remaining beginning Wednesday night.
•   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).
•  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 82-19 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 has won 59 of its last 63 non-conference home games, dating back to 2012.
•   Iowa made a school record with 19 3-pointers made versus Savannah State on Dec. 22, besting the previous mark of 18 previously set in 2016 against Savannah State.
•  Iowa posted 98 points in its 14-point win over Iowa State. 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.
 
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
The Hawkeyes will return to home court on Saturday versus No. 16/17 Ohio State. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.