Game Notes: Iowa at Penn State

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THE SETTING
No. 23/24 Iowa (14-3, 3-3) hits the road for a contest at Penn State (7-10, 0-6). Tipoff is set for 6:01 p.m. (CT) at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania.
 
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 night’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (BTN2GO). Kevin Kugler and Shon Morris will call the action.

GAME #18 STORYLINES
•    The Hawkeyes have won eight of their last nine games dating back to Dec. 6.
•    Iowa’s Tyler Cook and Penn State’s Lamar Stevens are two of three Big Ten athletes averaging 17+ points and 8+ rebounds (Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ).
•    Jordan Bohannon became the 48th Hawkeye to score 1,000 career points in the second half Saturday versus Ohio State. Jordan joins 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 ten straight games (James Winters, 1993-94). Cook and Duke’s Zion Williamson are the only players from Power 5 conferences to accomplish the feat 10 straight times this season.
•    After scoring in double figures once over the first 13 games, junior forward Ryan Kriener has tallied double figures in three of Iowa’s last four games.
•    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.
•     After starting 0-3 in the Big Ten, Iowa has won their last three conference games (3-3).
•    Nicholas Baer is four rebounds from becoming the fifth player in program history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, and 100 steals.
•    Tyler Cook is one rebound from becoming the 26th Hawkeye to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
•    Iowa has been nationally ranked in either the Associated Press or Coaches Poll the last 10 weeks (Nov. 19-present). Iowa is ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP Poll and 24th in the Coaches Poll.
•    The Hawkeyes rank first in the country in both free throw makes (370) and attempts (488). Iowa has made 19 or more free throws in 12 of 17 contests.
•    Iowa won all of its non-conference games for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
•    Iowa is 17-3 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 (2.7) and ninth in free throw percentage (.813, 52-of-64).
•    Fran McCaffery is three wins from tying Lute Olson for second on Iowa’s all-time win chart.
•    Iowa improved to 3-2 against nationally-ranked teams this season with its victory on Saturday over No. 16 Ohio State (72-62).
 
IOWA WINS BY DOUBLE DIGITS OVER OHIO STATE
Iowa used a 7-0 scoring run early in the second half to set the tone for the final 20 minutes in a 72-62 win by the Hawkeyes over No. 16 Ohio State Saturday afternoon in Iowa City. The 62 points allowed are a season best in conference play.
•   Jordan Bohannon scored career point No. 1,000 with a free throw with 1:19 remaining in the second half. The Hawkeye junior also dished out a game-best eight assists, which matched a season high for the junior.
•   Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes with 16 points. Forward Ryan Kriener came off the bench to tally 11 points, seven off came in a row during a 3:19 stretch in the first half.
•   Iowa forced 21 Buckeye turnovers, a season high for Ohio State. The Hawkeyes were credited with 11 steals, equaling a season high (Pittsburgh).
•   Tyler Cook finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds, marking the tenth straight games totaling 15+ points and 5+ rebounds.
•   Iowa held Ohio State’s leading scorer, Kaleb Wesson, to two points. Andre Wesson and C.J. Jackson paced the Buckeyes scoring 13 and 10 points, respectively.
•   Twenty-five of last 37 meetings between Iowa and Ohio State have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
•   The Iowa-Ohio State all-time series is now even, 80-80, after the Iowa victory.
 
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Last season through six Big Ten games, Iowa allowed 84.8 points per game, while its opponents shot the basketball at 48.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. This season, the Hawkeyes are allowing 76.2 points through six league games, and opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range. That’s an improvement of 8.6 points per game and .026 in shooting percentage and .108 in 3-point percentage defense.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 29-17 advantage in the series versus Penn State. The Hawkeyes have won nine of the last 15 meetings. Penn State won last season’s only meeting, 82-58, on Feb. 3, 3018, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
    Penn State holds a slim 11-10 edge in games played at University Park. Iowa, on Jan. 4, 1997, was the first visiting team to win (67-59) in Penn State’s new arena (Bryce Jordan Center). Iowa’s last victory at Penn State came on Feb. 28, 2015 (81-77 in overtime).
 
SCOUTING PENN STATE
•   Penn State enters Wednesday’s game having lost four straight games, including a 15-point setup in its last outing Sunday versus No. 6 Michigan State (71-56).
•   Penn State’s starters scored all 56 points in a 71-56 loss to No. 6 Michigan State Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Lamar Stevens totaled a game-best 20 points, while Mike Watkins, Myles Dread, and Josh Reaves each netted 11 points. The Spartans out-rebounded Penn State by 13 (41-28). Michigan State shot 49 percent from the field, while Penn State was held to 36.7 percent.
•   Three Nittany Lions average double figures in scoring: Lamar Stevens (18.6), Rasir Bolton (11.8), and Josh Reaves (10.2). Three Nittany Lions have made 20 or more 3-pointers this season: Myles Dread (36), Bolton (32), and Reaves (20). Bolton drained a season-best seven triples in its 11-point win over Colgate on Dec. 8, 2018.
•   Penn State ranks third in the league in steals (7.6), but is 13th or 14th in eight statistical categories. The Nittany Lions rank 53rd nationally in offensive rebounding (12.29), 73rd in steals (7.6), and 78th in scoring defense (67.1). Individually, Rasir Bolton and Josh Reaves are tops in the conference in free throw percentage (.887) and steals (2.6), respectively. Reaves’ 2.6 steals per game is 14th in the nation, while Bolton’s free throw accuracy is 28th in the country. Lamar Stevens is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.6) and sixth in rebounding (8.0). Stevens has posted a team-best six double-doubles this year.
•   Penn State’s Myles Dread (Wright State) and Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon (Pittsburgh) each was credited with six steals in a game this season, equaling the high mark for a Big Ten student-athlete in a game this season.
•   The Nittany Lions are 5-3 in home games this season, with all three setbacks coming against Big Ten competition. Penn State’s last home victory was versus UMBC on Dec. 29 (74-52).
•   Patrick Chambers is in his eighth season as head coach at Penn State (120-131, .478).
 
LAST MEETING
Penn State scored 50 of its 82 points in the paint in an 82-58 win over Iowa on Feb. 3, 2018, at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania.
•   Forwards Tyler Cook and Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes, scoring 19 points and 13 points, respectively.
•   Point guard Jordan Bohannon played only 24 minutes; his minutes were shortened due to the sophomore battling an illness.
•   Iowa outscored Penn State, 15-7, at the free throw line. Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes at the foul line, sinking 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
•   Jordan Bohannon made the squad’s first 3-point attempt, but Iowa misfired on its final nine 3-point attempts. The one triple was a season low for the Hawkeyes.
•   Sophomore forward Ryan Kriener did not play (concussion protocol).
•   Four starters scored double figures for the Nittany Lions: Mike Watkins (19), Lamar Stephens (17), Tony Carr (16), and Josh Reaves (11).
 
COOK ELEVATING HIS GAME
Tyler Cook has posted double-doubles in four of the last ten games, leading the Hawkeyes in scoring seven of the last ten games and leading the squad in rebounding in six of the ten. 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 ten contests, the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat since James Winters 25 years ago (1993-94).
    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 94 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Cook is one rebound from becoming the 26th Hawkeye to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
BAER APPROACHING ELITE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer needs only four 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 79 more free throws than any other Big Ten team. The Hawkeyes have made 370 fouls shots, while Minnesota is second behind Iowa with 291 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 (.855), followed by Jordan Bohannon (.852) and Connor McCaffery (.813).
 
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.
 
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 (5.0 rpg). Wieskamp is shooting at a 42 percent clip from 3-point range (28-of-66) and 49.6 percent overall from the field (64-of-129). His shooting percentage from 3-point range is tenth best in the Big Ten.
    Wieskamp led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season in Iowa’s outing at Northwestern last week, 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 416 overall wins and 165 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He is third on Iowa’s coaching win chart and four 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.
 
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,790 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,640-1,150 (.588). Iowa’s 1,640 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,049-367 (.740) record in home games, a 585-780 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 769-781 (.496) mark in Big Ten games and a 454-141 (.763) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
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 3-2 against nationally-ranked teams, beating No. 13 Oregon in New York City, No. 24 Nebraska, and No. 16 Ohio State in Iowa City. Iowa lost 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.
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   Iowa is 1-0 against Penn State when playing the Nittany Lions on Jan. 16, winning in 2010.
•   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.
 
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 17-3 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is second on the team in assists (48) and is seventh in scoring (5.7 ppg). The redshirt freshman is seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7) and ninth in free throw percentage (.813, 52-of-64).
 
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).
 
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, 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 host Illinois on Sunday at noon (CT). Sunday’s contest will be the only regular season meeting between Iowa and Illinois. Tickets are available for Iowa’s remaining seven home games at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.