Game Notes: Iowa vs. Rutgers

Hawk Talk Monthly — February | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch | McCaffery News Conference Transcript (PDF) | Game Notes (PDF)

THE SETTING
No. 22/21 Iowa (21-7, 10-7) will play its home finale versus Rutgers (13-14, 6-11) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4:07 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Standing room only tickets remain for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.
 
ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Jim Albracht (play-by-play) and Bob Hansen (analysis) will call the action. 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’s game will be televised nationally on BTN (FOXSPORTSGO). Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo will call the action.

HOME FINALE STORYLINES
•    Senior Nicholas Baer is the only player in program history to total 725 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocked shots, 100 steals, and 100 3-pointers. Baer and three student managers will be honored on prior to Saturday’s “Senior Night” home game versus Rutgers at approxiately 3:45 p.m.
•    Iowa’s final three games will involve “Senior Night” ceremonies.
•     Head coach Fran McCaffery has been suspended for Iowa’s next two games. Andrew Francis will make the head coaching decisions for Saturday’s contest versus Rutgers.
•     Iowa has won 21 games, matching the highest regular season win total in 13 seasons (2015 and 2016).
•     The Hawkeyes have won 10 of their last 14 games, dating back to Jan. 6. Iowa has also won four of their last six road games (Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana, Rutgers).
•    Iowa posted back-to-back buzzer beaters for the first time since 2002. Both of Iowa’s buzzer beaters over Northwestern (Bohannon) and Rutgers (Wieskamp) were 3-pointers. Both buzzer beaters in 2002 were made by Luke Recker.
•    Iowa’s heart-stopping win at Rutgers on Feb. 16, was Iowa’s 20th of the season. Fran McCaffery has guided the Hawkeyes to 20 wins or more in five of the last seven seasons.
•    Iowa’s last four victories have been decided by a combined 14 points.
•    Iowa has four Quad 1 wins and seven Quad 2 wins. All seven Iowa setbacks are Quad 1 losses.
•    The Hawkeyes have already more than doubled their conference win total from a year ago with three league contests remaining. Iowa won four games in 2018, and enter Tuesday’s game with a 10-6 record in the Big Ten.
•    Jordan Bohannon (1,140 points) has surpassed brother Matt (1,092 at UNI) and is closing in on Jason (1,170 at Wisconsin) for most points scored in a career by a Bohannon.
•    Tyler Cook’s 15 career double-doubles tie for 15th most in program history.
•    Iowa has been nationally ranked the last 16 weeks (Nov. 19-present). Iowa is ranked No. 22 in this week’s AP and 21st in the Coaches poll.
•     Junior Jordan Bohannon shot 29 percent (14-of-48) from 3-point range over the first nine games, but is 44.2 percent (50-of-113) from long distance over the last 19 contests.
•    Junior Tyler Cook is one of 13 Hawkeyes to total 1,200 points and 500 rebounds.
 
BIG SECOND HALF LIFTS OHIO STATE OVER HAWKEYES IN COLUMBUS
Justin Ahrens scored 27 of his career-high 29 points in the second half to lift the Buckeyes to a 90-70 win over the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes Tuesday evening in Columbus, Ohio.
•   Two Hawkeyes netted double figures: Joe Wieskamp (17) and Tyler Cook (12).
•   Freshman Joe Wieskamp scored 15 of his team-best 17 points via the 3-ball, sinking 5-of-6 from long distance. Wieskamp, who ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy, has sank five or more triples in three contests this season.
•   Tyler Cook registered his team-leading sixth double-double of the season and 15th of his career, controlling a team-best 10 rebounds to go along with his 12 points.
•   Both teams shot the ball well from the free throw line, with each team missing only two free throws; Ohio State made 22-of-24 (.917) from the charity stripe, while Iowa was 12-of-14 (.857).
•   The Buckeyes made eight of their first 10 shots of the second half, with four of the eight field goals coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
•   With the win, Ohio State now leads the all-time series between the two schools, 81-80.
•   In addition to Justin Ahrens’ 29-point performance, four other Buckeyes reached double figures: Kaleb Wesson (18), Keyshawn Woods (13), Andre Wesson (11), and Duane Washington Jr. (10).
 
DOUBLE THE EXCITEMENT
Iowa is one of five schools from Power 5 conferences to have its men’s and women’s basketball teams with 21 wins or more. Joining Iowa are Kentucky and Mississippi State from the SEC, Florida State from the ACC, and Maryland from the Big Ten.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Saturday will be the eighth meeting between Iowa and Rutgers. The Hawkeyes are 6-1 against the Scarlet Knights, including a 2-0 record in Iowa City.
    The Hawkeyes won the previous two contests played inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2015 (81-47) and 2017 (68-62).
 
SCOUTING RUTGERS
•   All six of Rutgers’ conference victories have come by eight points or less, including a 68-64 triumph over Minnesota in Piscataway, New Jersey, last Sunday night.
•   In Sunday’s four-point win over the Golden Gophers, Rutgers scored more than half of its points in the paint (38). The Scarley Knights won despite allowing Minnesota to make 53 percent (8-of-15) of its 3-point attempts. Montez Mathis led the Scarlet Knights with 18 points, while Eugene Omoruyi contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, and Geo Baker netted 13 points in the winning effort.
•   Rutgers is 3-8 on the road this season, losing three of its last four road contests. The Scarlet Knights have Big Ten road victories at Penn State (64-60) and Northwestern (59-56).
•   Two starters average in double figures for Rutgers: Eugene Omoruyi (13.6) and Geo Baker (13.1). Baker also leads the squad in 3-pointers (56-of-158, .354), assists (4.1), and steals (1.67).
•   Rutgers ranks first in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding (12.8) and fourth in rebounding margin (+4.1). The Scarlet Knights are 13th in the league in scoring offense (67.4), 14th in free throw percentage (.627), 3-point field goal percentade defense (.363) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.9). Eugene Omoruyi ranks ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding (7.6) and 20th in scoring (13.6). Geo Baker is second in the conference in steals (1.7), fifth in assists (4.1), and ninth in 3-pointers made (2.1).
•   Per KenPom analysis, Rutgers is among the nation’s youngest teams with 1.09 years of experience to rank 324th nationally out of 353 D-I programs. Rutgers is also one of the nation’s tallest teams with an average height of 78.9″ to rank sixth.
•   Steve Pikiell is in his 14th season as a head coach (235-207, .532) and his third season at Rutgers (43-51, .457).
 
LAST MEETING
Joe Wieskamp made his first 3-pointer of the game on a banked 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left to propel the visiting Hawkeyes to a 71-69 win at Rutgers two weeks ago on Feb. 16.
•   Iowa led the Scarlet Knights by two points (68-66) in the closing seconds before Geo Baker rattled home a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining to give Rutgers a one-point advantage (69-68) before Wieskamp’s heroics.
•   Nicholas Baer had six points and four rebounds, but he had a +12 plus-minus, and tipped Connor McCaffery’s long inbounds pass from underneath Iowa’s own basket to Joe Wieskamp for the game-winner.
•   Three Hawkeyes netted double figures: Jordan Bohannon (18), Isaiah Moss (17), and Tyler Cook (12).
•   Jordan Bohannon made three 3-pointers to move into sole possession of second place on Iowa’s all-time 3-pointers made list. Bohannon netted 15 of his 18 points in the second half.
•   The game featured eight ties and 13 lead changes.
•   Four Rutgers players scored in double figures: Ron Harper Jr. (16), Geo Baker (13), Myles Johnson (10), and Eugene Omoruyi (10). Omoruyi also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
 
COOK, BOHANNON JOIN 1,000-POINT CLUB
Jordan Bohannon joined classmate Tyler Cook in the 1,000-point club on Jan. 12. Bohannon is 51 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Bohannon also surpassed Matt Gatens for second in career triples made as a Hawkeye with his three treys in Iowa’s road victory at Rutgers.
    Cook became the 13th Hawkeye to total 1,200 points and 500 rebounds with his scoring totals in Iowa’s win at Northwestern. Cook is one of 15 players in Iowa history to have 14 or more double-doubles.
 
MR. CLUTCH
Jordan Bohannon has scored when it matters most down the stretch. The junior guard is averaging 3.96 points in the first half and 7.57 points in the second half this season.
    There have been four games (Green Bay, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Indiana) where he has been held scoreless in the first half but finished in double figures. In 16-of-28 games, Bohannon has scored more points in the second half than the first. He has scored 10 or more points in the second half nine times this season.
    Iowa is 7-2 when Bohannon scores double-digit points in the second half.
    Bohannon ranks second in the nation in most points in the final two minutes of regulation and final two minutes of overtime this season with 70 points. Seton Hall’s Myles Powell is first with 71 points. In the final two minutes of games, Bohannon is shooting 59 percent (13-of-22) from the field, 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point range, and 87.5 percent from the foul line (35-of-40).
 
McCAFFERY RECORDS WIN NO. 20
Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in seven seasons with its win at Rutgers. McCaffery joins Lute Olson (6) and Tom Davis (10) as the only Iowa head coaches to win 20 or more games in at least five seasons. Both Olson and Davis had 20+ wins over a span of six of seven seasons.
 
COOK ELEVATING HIS GAME
Tyler Cook has led the Hawkeyes in rebounding in 11 of Iowa’s last 20 games. Cook recorded career point No. 1,000, in Iowa’s win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 15. He netted 15+ points and 5+ rebounds in ten straight contests played, dating back to the Michigan State road game on Dec. 3. He is the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat since James Winters 25 years ago (1993-94).
    Cook is one of two Big Ten student-athletes to average better than 15.8 points and eight rebounds per game (Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ). Cook ranks in the top ten in the league in scoring (eighth), rebounding (sixth), and field goal percentage (eighth). The St. Louis native registered his team-leading sixth double-double of the season in Iowa’s last outing at Ohio State Tuesday night.
 
RYAN KRIENER TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Junior Ryan Kriener posted his first career double-double in Iowa’s 15-point win over No. 5 Michigan on Feb. 1.
    The native of Spirit Lake, Iowa, has registered single-season bests in nearly every statistical category as a junior. His scoring (5.6) and rebounding (3.1) averages have improved, along with his shooting percentages. His 3-point accuracy (.348) has nearly doubled from his freshman (.200) and sophomore (.200) seasons.
    Kriener has tallied double figures six times this season.
 
RELIVING BACK-TO-BACK BUZZER BEATERS
Iowa won consecutive games in thrilling fashion, upending Northwestern and Rutgers in mid-February on last-second 3-pointers. The last time the Hawkeyes won back-to-back games at the buzzer was 2002. Luke Recker sank game-winning baskets over Wisconsin (58-56) and Indiana (62-60) at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
•   Junior Jordan Bohannon scored the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining to lift the Hawkeyes to an 80-79 win over Northwestern on Feb. 10. Bohannon scored all 15 of his points in the second half, including 13 points in the final 3:20. Northwestern led Iowa by 15 points (72-57) with 4:30 left in the game and 11 points (76-65) with 2:09 remaining. Iowa out-scored Northwestern 23-7 to rally for the victory.
•   Freshman Joe Wieskamp made his first 3-pointer of the game on a banked 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left to propel the visiting Hawkeyes to a 71-69 win at Rutgers on Feb. 16. Iowa led the Scarlet Knights by two points in the closing seconds before Geo Baker rattled home a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining to give Rutgers a one-point advantage before Wieskamp’s heroics.
 
IMPROVING HAWKEYES
Last season, Iowa was 14-19 overall, including a 4-14 mark in conference play. The Hawkeyes have already more than doubled its Big Ten win total from a year ago and have seven more victories than last season with three regular season games remaining.
    Iowa’s overall win total improvement and conference improvement from a year ago both rank among the best in the country among schools in Power 5 conferences.
    Iowa’s all-time winning coach, Tom Davis (1987-1999), had his lowest win total as a Iowa’s coach in his eighth season (11 wins) and rebounded in his ninth year with 21 victories. Fran McCaffery also had his lowest win total as Iowa’s coach in his eighth year (14 wins) and has rebounded this season with 21 wins and counting.
 
BOHANNON’S WEEK
Bohannon led Iowa to a pair of victories over Indiana (Feb. 7) and Northwestern (Feb. 10), averaging 20 points, 4.5 assists and one steal, while shooting 66.7 percent (8-12) from 3-point range and 54.5 percent (12-22) from the field.
    The native of Marion, Iowa, tied a season best with 25 points and also dished out a team-best six assists with no turnovers in a 77-72 win at Indiana. Bohannon scored Iowa’s final 11 points, including going 5-of-6 from the free throw line, over the final 90 seconds to preserve the win at Assembly Hall.
    Bohannon netted all 15 of his points over the final 5:28 of Sunday’s win over Northwestern to cap a 15-point Iowa comeback over the final 4:30, including sinking the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining. The last second win was Iowa’s first since Adam Woodbury’s last second game-winner over Temple on March 18, 2016, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Bohannon made two treys in the final 25 seconds against the Wildcats.
 
SHOOTING FOR PERFECTION
Iowa had a player make all his 3-point attempts in the first half (min. four attempts) four times this season.
    Joe Wieskamp made all four of his 3-point attempts at Indiana (Feb. 7) and was 4-of-4 vs. Illinois (Jan. 20). Junior Isaiah Moss was 4-of-4 at Penn State (Jan. 16) and was 5-of-5 vs. Illinois (Jan. 20).
 
MAKING THE FREEBIES
Iowa has made 56 more free throws than any other Big Ten team. The Hawkeyes have made 525 fouls shots, while Minnesota is second behind Iowa with 469 makes. Iowa has made more free throws than six Big Ten teams have attempted. The Hawkeyes rank second in the country in free throw makes (525) and ninth nationally in free throw attempts (698).
    The Hawkeyes are the only team with three players ranked in the top 10 in the league free throw percentage. Jordan Bohannon ranks second (.867, 85-of-98), Luka Garza is fourth (.841, 69-of-82), and Connor McCaffery is 10th (.783, 65-of-83).
 
CONSISTENT PLAY OUT OF FRESHMAN 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), rebounding (4.6 rpg), and steals (26). Wieskamp is shooting 44.5 percent clip from 3-point range (49-of-110) and 51 percent overall from the field (105-of-206). His 44.5 percentage from 3-point range ranks first in the Big Ten this season.
    Wieskamp has been the Big Ten Freshman of the Week two of the last six weeks. The native of Muscatine, Iowa, sank his first 3-pointer of the game with 0.2 seconds remaining and Iowa trailing by one point to propel the Hawkeyes to a 71-69 thrilling win at Rutgers on Feb. 16.
    Wieskamp matched a personal-best with 24 points in Iowa’s win over Illinois. His efforts in Iowa’s two victories six weeks ago earned Wieskamp, Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades on Jan. 21. The rookie helped Iowa set a Carver-Hawkeye Arena team record for field goal percentage, making 68 percent of its attempts (34-of-50) versus the Fighting Illini. He also helped the Hawkeyes total 89 points at Penn State, its highest point total ever at State College, dating back to 1955.
    Wieskamp earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurels for the second time after totaling 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and two assists in Iowa’s 15-point win over No. 5 Michigan. The five steals are the most by a Hawkeye in a Big Ten game in two years. Wieskamp became the fourth freshman nationally to register 16+ points, 7+ rebounds and 5+ steals versus a ranked opponent in the last five seasons (LSU’s Ben Simmons; NC State’s Dennis Smith, Jr.; Pitt’s Trey McGowens).
    Three weeks ago, Wieskamp had a 13-point effort in Iowa’s win at Indiana — making all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half — and scored a team-best 21 points in the comeback victory over Northwestern.
    Wieskamp posted his first career double-double versus Pittsburgh on Nov. 27, totaling a team-best in points (18) and rebounds (11).
 
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).
 
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.
 
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 422 overall wins and 172 victories while on the Iowa sidelines. He surpassed Lute Olson for second on Iowa’s coaching win chart with Iowa’s win at Indiana on Feb. 7. Tom Davis is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach with 269 wins.
 
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).
 
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.
 
COOK ATTENDS NIKE BASKETBALL ACADEMY
Tyler Cook attended the prestigious Nike Basketball Academy last 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).
 
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 12 Division I teams in which the head coach has a son on the 2018-19 roster (Alabama, Cal State Bakersfield, Central Connecticut State, Central Florida, Detroit Mercy, Kentucky, Oregon State, Portland, Syracuse, Southern Illinois, 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 24-7 in games in which Connor McCaffery has played, dating back to last season. McCaffery is second on the team in assists (3.1) and eighth in scoring (4.6 ppg).
 
HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•   Iowa’s 74 points versus No. 5 Michigan are the most the Wolverines have allowed in Big Ten play this year and the second most this season (78 vs. South Carolina). The Hawkeyes also limited the Wolverines to a season-low 32.3 percent (21-of-65) shooting from the field on Feb. 1.
•   Iowa won all of its non-conference games for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
•   Iowa recorded its first regular season sweep over Indiana since the 2010-11 season.
•   Riley Till and Michael Baer earned Dean’s List recognition for their academic achievements in the Fall of 2018.
•   Iowa started the year 16-3, matching its best start in the Fran McCaffery era (2015-16).
•   Iowa posted back-to-back wins over Michigan and Indiana for the first time since 2007.
•   Iowa established a Carver-Hawkeye Arena field goal percentage record, making 68 percent of its attempts (34-of-50) in a 95-71 convincing victory over Illinois on Jan. 20.
•   In both Iowa home Big Ten losses (Wisconsin and Michigan State), the Hawkeyes had eight point leads in the second half, but were unable to extend their advantage to double digits before the visitors came back to win.
•   Iowa’s 89 points in a seven-point win at Penn State on Jan. 16, are the most scored by the Hawkeyes in State College, dating back to 1955. The previous high was 86 on Jan. 6, 2001.
•   Iowa has scored 94 points or more in the last three games versus Illinois (104 at Illinois on Jan. 11, 2018; 96 in New York on Feb. 28, 2018; 95 in Iowa City on Jan. 20, 2019).
•   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 won the 2K Empire Classic in New York City with wins over Oregon and Connecticut. The last time Iowa won an in-season tournament outside of the state of Iowa was the 1998 San Juan Christmas Shootout.
•   Iowa is 85-20 when scoring 80 points or more, the last nine seasons. The Hawkeyes are 70-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last eight years.
•   Iowa has won 59 of its last 63 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
•   Iowa made a school record with 19 3-pointers made versus Savannah State on Dec. 22.
•  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 UNI 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 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 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 HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,801 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,647-1,153 (.588). Iowa’s 1,647 wins are 41st most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,053-369 (.740) record in home games, a 588-782 (.429) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 776-785 (.497) mark in Big Ten games and a 458-143 (.762) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
PEMSL HAS SEASON ENDING SURGERY
Junior 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 saw 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 VS. RANKED TEAMS
    The Hawkeyes are 4-4 against nationally-ranked teams, beating No. 13 Oregon in New York City, No. 24 Nebraska, No. 16 Ohio State, and No. 5 Michigan in Iowa City. Iowa lost to No. 22 Wisconsin in Iowa City, No. 10 Michigan State in East Lansing, No. 6 Michigan State in Iowa City, and No. 24 Maryland in Iowa City.
    Iowa’s 15-point win over No. 5 Michigan is its highest win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 4 Michigan State on Jan. 14, 2016. Additionally, it marked the first time an unranked Iowa team (AP Poll) beat an AP Top 5 team by 15+ points since beating then-No. 5 Purdue, 88-69, on Feb. 18, 1998.
 
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.
 
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes will finish out the regular season with back-to-back road contests. Iowa will play at Wisconsin (March 7, 6 p.m. CT) and Nebraska (March 10, 1 p.m. CT).