Game Notes: Iowa vs. Ohio State

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THE SETTING
RV/25 Iowa (13-3, 2-3) returns home to host No. 16/17 Ohio State (12-3, 2-2) on Saturday in Iowa City. Tipoff is slated for 1:37 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). A limited number of tickets are available for $35 for adults and $20 for UI students and youth 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: Saturday afternoon’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Brandon Gaudin and Shon Morris will call the action.
 
STAR WARS NIGHT ON SATURDAY AT CHA
•   Fans are encouraged to wear their Star Wars themed apparel items. Outside of Star Wars, costumes that look like law enforcement or officials are not allowed. “Realistic-looking weapons and light sabers” will be prohibited and up to the discretion of security upon entering the arena. Fans should error on the side of not bringing items if they are not certain.
•   A number of movie characters will be in costume on the concourse prior to the game. The characters will interact with and take photos with fans between 3-4 p.m.
•   Star Wars trivia questions at different points during media timeouts.

GAME #17 STORYLINES
•    The Hawkeyes have won seven of their last eight games dating back to Dec. 6.
•    Randy Larson, the founder and director of the Prime Time League that spanned over three decades, will be recognized before Saturday’s game.
•    Jordan Bohannon (995 points) is closing in on joining brothers Matt (1,092 at Northern Iowa) and Jason (1,170 at Wisconsin) in the 1,000-point club.
•    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 is 2-2 against nationally-ranked teams this season.
•    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.
•    Iowa’s leading scorer and rebounder Tyler Cook did not play in Iowa’s last game due to injury. Cook has led the Hawkeyes in scoring in seven of the last nine games played.
•    Nicholas Baer is nine rebounds from becoming the fifth player in program history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals.
•      Three of Iowa’s next four games are at home in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
•    The Hawkeyes have been nationally ranked in the Coaches Poll the last eight weeks (Nov. 19-present).
•    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 versus Nebraska last Sunday, to move into 36th place on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart.
•    The Hawkeyes rank first in the country in free throw makes per game (22.0) and is second in attempts (28.9). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in 12 of 16 contests.
•    Iowa is 16-3 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is seventh in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9), ninth in free throw percentage (.820, 50-of-61), and 14th in assists (3.3). 
•    Iowa’s win over Northwestern on Wednesday moved Fran McCaffery into fourth place in Big Ten wins as Iowa head coach with 70. He is one Big Ten victory from equaling Bucky O’Connor for third with 71.
 
BIG SECOND HALF LIFTS IOWA TO VICTORY AT NORTHWESTERN
Iowa rallied from a seven-point second half deficit to upend Northwestern, 73-62, Wednesday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
•   Iowa played without its leading scorer and rebounder, Tyler Cook, who did not play due to a sore knee.
•   Freshman Joe Wieskamp led the Hawkeyes in scoring for the fourth time this season, netting 15 of his game-best 19 points in the second half.
•  After starting 4-of-8 from the free throw line, Iowa finished the game making 17 of its final 18 free throw attempts.
•  Iowa improved to 5-0 all-time versus Northwestern in games played on Jan. 9.
•  Luka Garza netted ten of his 16 points from the free throw line; Isaiah Moss chipped in nine points, while Jordan Bohannon scored Iowa’s final six points. Bohannon finished the contest with eight points, five shy of the 1,000-point threshold.
•  Iowa committed only seven turnovers, one shy of a season low (six vs. Savannah State).
•  Vic Law and Anthony Gaines each scored 13 points to lead the Wildcats.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Ohio State leads the all-time series by a narrow, 80-79, margin after sweeping the season series a year ago. Twenty-four of the last 36 meetings have been decided by ten points or less, with 13 decisions by five points or less. 
    Iowa holds a 49-28 overall advantage in Iowa City and a 19-13 record versus the Buckeyes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Last year’s win by the Buckeyes in Iowa City snapped a two-game losing skid in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to 2015.
 
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
•   Ohio State enters Saturday’s game at Iowa having lost its last two games. The Buckeyes fell at home to nationally-ranked Michigan State (86-77) on Jan. 5, and at Rutgers (64-61) this past Wednesday.
•   Rutgers scored the final six points in a 64-61 win over the Buckeyes Wednesday night in New Jersey. Kaleb Wesson (18), Luther Muhammad (13), and C.J. Jackson (10) combined to score 41 of Ohio State’s 61 points. Rutgers made eight more free throws (15-8) than Ohio State.
•   Two Buckeyes average double figures in scoring: Kaleb Wesson (17.1) and C.J. Jackson (13.1). Two Buckeyes have made 23 or more 3-pointers this season: Jackson (30) and Duane Washington Jr. (23).
•   Ohio State ranks third in the Big Ten in assists per game (15.9) and field goal percentage defense (.393); and fourth in scoring defense (63.7). Individually, Kaleb Wesson ranks tenth in the conference in scoring (17.1) and 12th in rebounding (6.9); Kyle Young leads the league in field goal percentage (.730, 46-of-63); C.J. Jackson ranks seventh in assists (3.9); while Keyshawn Woods is tied for second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3).
•   The Buckeyes are 4-1 in games away from Columbus, including a 2-1 mark in true road contests. Wednesday’s game at Rutgers was Ohio State’s first road game since playing at Creighton on Nov. 15.
•   Chris Holtmann is in his second year as head coach of the Buckeyes. In his first season at Ohio State, Holtmann was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and returned the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to being appointed at Ohio State, Holtmann spent the previous three seasons at Butler.
 
LAST MEETING
Iowa dropped an 82-64 decision at Ohio State on Feb. 10, 2018, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
•   Freshman Jack Nunge led the Hawkeyes in both scoring (18) and rebounding (5).
•   Sophomore Jordan Bohannon was the only other Hawkeye in double figures, netting 11 points, bolstered by making a team-best three triples. Bohannon also led the visitors with five assists.
•   Ohio State (21) attempted 11 more free throws than Iowa (10).
•   Five Buckeyes scored double figures: Kaleb Wesson (18), C.J. Jackson (14), Keita Bates-Diop (14), Jae’Sean Tate (11), and Micah Potter (10).
 
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.
 
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.
 
MILESTONES APPROACHING FOR BOHANNON, COOK
Jordan Bohannon is closing in on joining classmate Tyler Cook in the 1,000-point club. Bohannon is five points and 102 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 nine 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 81 more free throws than any other Big Ten team. The Hawkeyes have made 352 fouls shots, while Minnesota is second behind Iowa with 271 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 (.863), followed by Jordan Bohannon (.860) and Connor McCaffery (.823).
 
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,789 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,639-1,150 (.587). Iowa’s 1,639 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,048-367 (.740) record in home games, a 585-780 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 768-781 (.495) mark in Big Ten games and a 453-141 (.762) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
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 (11.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 43.8 percent clip from 3-point range (28-of-64) and 50 percent overall from the field (61-of-122). His shooting percentage from 3-point range is ninth best in the Big Ten.
    Wieskamp led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season in Iowa’s last outing at Northwestern, netting 19 points and snagging seven rebounds in the road win.
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double versus Pittsburgh on Nov. 27, totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
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 415 overall wins and 164 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He is third on Iowa’s coaching win chart and five victories from surpassing Lute Olson for second. Tom Davis is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach with 269 wins.
 
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
Saturday will be Iowa’s fifth game of the season against a ranked opponent. 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.
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   Iowa is a perfect 2-0 against Ohio State when playing the Buckeyes on Jan. 12, dating back to 1999. The Hawkeyes last defeated Northwestern on Jan. 9, in 2014 (93-67).
•   Iowa has reached the midway point of the season, having played 16 games with 15 regular season contests remaining beginning with Saturday afternoon’s contest versus Ohio State.
•   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.
 
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).
 
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 16-3 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is first on the team in assists (48) and is seventh in scoring (6.0 ppg). The redshirt freshman is seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8), ninth in free throw percentage (.823, 51-of-62), and 14th in assists (3.2).
 
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 hit the road for a contest at Penn State on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. The game will be televised nationally on BTN.
    Iowa’s next home game will be versus Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 20, at noon (CT). That contest will be the only regular season meeting between Iowa and Illinois. Tickets are available for Iowa’s remaining seven home games: hawkeyesports.com/tickets.