Game Notes: Iowa vs. Cal Poly

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THE SETTING
Iowa (3-1) will entertain Cal Poly (1-3) in a Las Vegas Invitational preliminary game on Sunday at 4:07 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Tickets are $15 for adults, and $5 for youth and UI students. 

SUNDAY PROMOTION
•    Junior Hawk Club Game — All JHC members receive free admission and can participate in pregame shoot-around from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

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: Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on BTN. Mike Hall and former Hawkeye Jess Settles will call the action.

GAME #5 STORYLINES
•     Sunday will be the first meeting between Cal Poly and Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 10-2 all-time against current members of the Big West Conference.
•     Iowa and Cal Poly have programs featuring head coaches with sons on their rosters. Sophomore Connor McCaffery and freshman Patrick McCaffery are the sons of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, while senior Jamal Smith is the son of Cal Poly coach John Smith. Iowa and Cal Poly are two of 13 father/coach and son/player duos in Division I in 2019-20.
•    Iowa has won 62 of its last 67 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012. 
•    Luka Garza leads the Big Ten in scoring and is averaging a double-double (23.3 ppg and 10.5 rpg). Garza became the first Hawkeye to total 29 or more points in back-to-back games (Oral Roberts, North Florida) since Matt Gatens in 2011-12. He leads the Hawkeyes in 12 statistical categories through four games, including scoring (23.3), rebounding (10.5), double-doubles (3), 3-pointers made (6), and 3-point accuracy (.600).
•     Luka Garza (30 points versus Oral Roberts) became the seventh Hawkeye in the Fran McCaffery era to record 30 points or more in a single game (Peter Jok, Matt Gatens, Isaiah Moss, Jarrod Uthoff, Devyn Marble, Jordan Bohannon). Garza is quickly ascending towards reaching the 1,000-point milestone, scoring 93 points in four games to start the season. He is 88 points from scoring career point No. 1,000.
•    Jordan Bohannon is one assist from tying Ronnie Lester for fifth place on Iowa’s career list. Bohannon surpassed Jeff Moe for 22nd in Iowa career scoring in Iowa’s last outing against North Florida. He trails Jarrod Uthoff for 21st place by 48 points.
•     Iowa has led the Big Ten in scoring offense two of the last six years, including last season.
•    Iowa has qualified for four NCAA tournaments over the last six years (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019) and seven postseason tournaments over the last eight seasons (4 NCAA; 3 NIT).
•    Iowa won 23 games a year ago, its second highest total in 13 seasons, and most victories under Fran McCaffery for an NCAA Tournament team.
•    Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to 20 wins or more in five of the last seven seasons and upper division finishes in the Big Ten six of the last seven seasons. Only Michigan State (7) has more first division finishes than Iowa (6) and Wisconsin (6) since the 2013 season.
•    Jordan Bohannon led the Big Ten in free throw percentage each of the last two seasons. 
•    Jordan Bohannon is the 10th player in all of Division I basketball since 1992, to post at least 79 triples and 118 assists per season in each of his first three seasons.
•    Luka Garza joins Aaron White, Tyler Cook, and Jess Settles as the only Hawkeyes to total more than 800 points and 350 rebounds through their sophomore season.

SECOND HALF SPURT LIFTS HAWKEYES OVER NORTH FLORIDA
Iowa started the second half on a 17-4 scoring surge to propel the Hawkeyes to an 83-68 victory over North Florida Thursday evening in Iowa City.
•    Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Luka Garza (29), Joe Wieskamp (14), Jack Nunge (11), and Joe Toussaint (10). 
•    Luka Garza posted his second straight double-double, registering 29 points and 12 rebounds. It was the eighth double-double of his career and third of the season. Garza is the first Hawkeye to total 29 or more points in back-to-back games since Matt Gatens in 2011-12.
•    Joe Toussaint shined, scoring seven of his 10 points and dishing out three of his four assists in highlight fashion in the second half.
•    Connor McCaffery was credited with seven assists and only one turnover for the second straight game. Through four games, McCaffery has 20 assists and only five turnovers.
•    The Hawkeyes dominated the glass, outrebounding the Ospreys by 13 (48-35). Iowa scored nearly half its points in the paint (40/83).
•    Iowa valued the basketball, committing a season-low six turnovers, its fewest in a single-game since Dec. 5, 2016 (five versus Setson).

BOHANNON JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
Jordan Bohannon is 21 assists from becoming the sixth Hawkeye to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists. Bohannon, Iowa’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, Hawkeye senior enters Sunday’s game against Cal Poly with 270 3-pointers; Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) is the Big Ten all-time leader in triples made (374).
 
SCOUTING CAL POLY
•    Six of Cal Poly’s first seven games of the season are true road games, including Sunday afternoon against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
•    The Mustangs play at Creighton Friday evening in a Las Vegas Invitational preliminary game before traveling to Iowa City on Sunday.
•    Junior Ballard (10.8 ppg) is the only Mustang to average double figures in scoring.
•    Cal Poly has only three players who stand 6-foot-8 or taller.
•    The Mustangs lost their last outing, 79-48, at nationally-ranked St. Mary’s.
•    Cal Poly began playing Division I basketball in 1994-95. The Mustangs have competed in two Division I postseason tournaments: 2013 CollegeInsider.com Tournament and 2014 NCAA Tournament.
•    John Smith is in his first season as head coach at Cal Poly. Smith arrived at Cal Poly after serving as associate head coach at Cal State Fullerton from 2013-19. During Smith’s final three seasons, the Titans qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament and earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in both 2017 and 2019.

GARZA PRODUCING BOTH INSIDE AND OUT
Luka Garza has been Iowa’s bell cow the first four games of the season. The junior is producing both inside and out, leading the team in 3-point percentage (.600, 6-of-10) and is second in overall field goal efficiency (.581, 36-62).
    Garza leads the team in 12 statistical categories: scoring (23.3), rebounding (10.5), double-doubles (3), offensive rebounding (4.5), defensive rebounding (6.0), blocked shots (1.75), field goals made (36) and attempted (62), 3-pointers made (six), 3-point accuracy (.600), free throws made (15) and attempted (26).
    Garza leads the Big Ten in scoring (23.3 ppg), and is fourth in rebounding (10.5 rpg). The native of Washington, D.C., has registered three double-doubles this season, including back-to-back efforts in Iowa’s last two outings (Oral Roberts, North Florida). Garza made 12 of his final 13 field goal attempts in Thursday’s win over the Ospreys.
    Garza registered a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds against Oral Roberts, becoming the first Hawkeye since Peter Jok in 2016 to total at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game. Jok amassed 33 points and 10 boards versus Omaha.

2 HAWKEYES NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Junior Luka Garza and sophomore Joe Wieskamp have been named to preseason watch lists. 
    Garza is one of 20 players named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List. The honor recognizes the top center in men’s college basketball. Garza was an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree after ranking second on the team in scoring (13.1) and fourth in rebounding (4.5) a season ago. Garza enters Sunday’s game versus Cal Poly with 912 career points, 88 shy of the 1,000-point milestone.
    Wieskamp is one of 20 players named to the Jerry West Award Watch List. The honor recognizes the top shooting guard in men’s college basketball. Wieskamp was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team last season after ranking second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.424, 59-of-139) and ranking third on the team in scoring (11.1) and steals (32), and second in rebounding (4.9). Wieskamp opened the 2019-20 season with a 16-point effort against SIUE.
    Both lists will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February and then five finalists will be selected in March that will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and West and the selection committees.

WIESKAMP NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Sophomore shooting guard Joe Wieskamp is one of 10 men’s basketball players selected to the 2019-20 Preseason All-Big Ten team as selected by a media voting panel. 
    Wieskamp was named to the five-player All-Big Ten Freshman Team a season ago, leading the team the team and finishing second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.424, 59-of-139). He ranked third on the team in scoring (11.1) and steals (32), and second in rebounding (4.9). The Muscatine, Iowa, native joins Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois and Maryland’s Jalen Smith as the only underclassmen recognized on the 10-player team. Wieskamp is the third Hawkeye in the last five seasons to be named Preseason All-Big Ten (Peter Jok, 2016; Jarrod Uthoff, 2015).

HAWKEYES TO HIT THE ROAD
Over the next six weeks, Iowa will play games in three different time zones, seven different states, and travel 8,362 total miles. 
    Eight of Iowa’s next 11 games will be played away from Iowa City. The Hawkeyes will potentially play seven straight games against teams who finished in the Top 100 of the NCAA NET Ranking a year ago from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21 (Texas Tech, possibly Creighton at Las Vegas Invitational, Syracuse, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa State, Cincinnati).

McCAFFERY’S JOIN LIST OF BROTHERS ON SAME TEAM
Redshirt sophomore Connor McCaffery and freshman Patrick McCaffery are one of 16 brothers nationally who are playing on the same Division I team this season. The McCaffery’s at Iowa join brothers playing at Oklahoma State, Ohio, Northwestern State, Vermont, Pepperdine, Eastern Washington, Mount St. Mary’s, Navy, Maryland, Coppin State, Boston College, Robert Morris, Ohio State, SIUE, and The Citadel.
    Iowa is one of 13 father/coach and son/player duos in Division I in 2019-20 (Cal Poly, Central Connecticut State, Davidson, Detroit Mercy, Illinois, Oregon State, Portland, Syracuse, Texas Southern, UT Martin, Utah, and Wright State. Of the 13 schools, the McCaffery’s are the only program with a father/coach and two sons on the roster.

GARZA JOINS ELITE COMPANY
Luka Garza has put up numbers that few Hawkeyes have done through their sophomore season. Garza joins Aaron White, Jess Settles, and Tyler Cook as the only Hawkeyes to total more than 800 points and 350 rebounds through their sophomore year.
    Garza’s sophomore campaign started with surgery in early September to remove a benign cyst in his abdomen. The native of Washington, D.C., recovered in time to start the season opener and have another stellar season for the Hawkeyes. Garza was an honorable mention all-conference honoree and was voted the MVP of the 2K Empire Classic in New York City.
    Garza achieved single season bests in points per game (13.1), field goals made per game (4.9), and free throw percentage (.804). He ranked second on the squad in scoring (13.1) and fourth in rebounding (4.5). 

BOHANNON RECOVERS FROM HIP SURGERY
Senior guard Jordan Bohannon has been recovering from hip surgery in May. Bohannon entered the 2019-20 season with 96 consecutive starts, which tied for the eighth-longest active streak in the country. The streak was snapped in Iowa’s opener versus SIUE, playing 19 minutes off the bench.
    Bohannon (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) suffered the injury early his junior season and managed the injury until the end of the season. 
    A third-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Bohannon was credited with a team-best 118 assists, becoming just the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons. The native of Marion, Iowa, is one of 10 Division I basketball players since 1992, to total at least 79 3-pointers and 118 assists in each of his first three seasons. As a junior, Bohannon ranked third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and led the Big Ten in free throw accuracy during league play. Bohannon is Iowa’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made (264). Last season, Bohannon netted 85 points over the final two minutes of regulation and two minutes of overtime to rank among the nation’s best.
    Bohannon became the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons (Dean Oliver, Jeff Horner, B.J. Armstrong, Andre Woolridge, Mike Gesell, Devyn Marble).

2019-20 SCHEDULE NOTES
•     Iowa will play 14 games against teams who finished in the Top 50 of the NCAA NET Rankings last season. Furthermore, the Hawkeyes will potentially play seven straight games against teams who finished in the Top 100 of the NCAA NET Ranking a year ago from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21 (Texas Tech, possibly Creighton at Las Vegas Invitational, Syracuse, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa State, Cincinnati).
•     Iowa will play games in three different time zones and ten states, including games in Las Vegas, Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and New York.
•     From Nov. 28-Jan. 4, the Hawkeyes will travel 8,362 total miles (Las Vegas, Syracuse, Ann Arbor, Ames, Chicago, Philadelphia).
•     Iowa’s first five games of the season will be played at home at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, from Friday, Nov. 8 to Sunday, Nov. 24. The last time Iowa opened with five straight home games was the 2013-14 season.
•     Iowa will visit the Palestra in Philadelphia on Jan. 4, for a Big Ten game against Penn State. It will mark the Hawkeyes’ first visit to the historic building since 1961. Fran McCaffery played inside the Palestra for three years while a guard at Penn (1980-82).
•     Iowa will open Big Ten play versus Michigan in Ann Arbor on Dec. 6. The last time the Hawkeyes opened league play against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor was the 1968-69 season.
•     Iowa will play three straight Big Ten home games for the first time since 2003. The Hawkeyes will host Michigan on Jan. 17; Rutgers on Jan. 22; Wisconsin on Jan. 27.
•     Iowa’s Big Ten home opener will be against Minnesota on Dec. 9. The last time the Hawkeyes hosted the Golden Gophers in their first league home game was the 1995-96 season.
•     The Hawkeyes will play Cincinnati for the second straight season on Dec. 21 (Chicago), after beating the Bearcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March in Columbus. Four of the previous nine meetings against Cincinnati have come on a neutral floor. 
•     Iowa will host nine weekend home games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including five Big Ten games on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

3 HAWKEYES RETURN AFTER REDSHIRT YEAR
Forwards Jack Nunge and Cordell Pemsl, along with guard CJ Fredrick are on this season’s active roster after redshirting a year ago.
    Nunge saw action in all 33 games as a freshman, ranking second on the team in blocked shots (25), fourth in steals (21), and fifth in scoring (5.7). Pemsl played in two nonconference games before undergoing a procedure to remove hardware near his knee last December. He has played in 68 career games, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
    Fredrick was the 2018 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year at Covington Catholic High School.
    Joining the three redshirts on the roster this season will be newcomers: Bakari Evelyn, Joe Toussaint, Patrick McCaffery, and Aidan Vanderloo. Evelyn is a graduate transfer from Valparaiso, while Toussaint, McCaffery and Vanderloo (walk-on) are true freshmen.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,812 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,652-1,158 (.587). Iowa’s 1,652 wins are 36th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,056-371 (.740) record in home games, a 590-786 (.429) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 776-788 (.496) mark in Big Ten games and a 461-145 (.761) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•     Iowa will be making its second appearance in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Hawkeyes competed in the tournament in 2008.
•    Luka Garza netted a career-high 30 points, bolstered by sinking 12 field goals against Oral Roberts (Nov. 15). The 12 field goals made ties four former Hawkeyes for most in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era (Peter Jok, Jarrod Uthoff, Matt Gatens, and Isaiah Moss). Garza is the seventh Hawkeye to score 30 or more points in a single game in the McCaffery era.
•    Luka Garza netted a career-high 30 points, making 12 field goals, including two 3-pointers, and four free throws. The 12 field goals made ties four former Hawkeyes for most in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era (Peter Jok, Jarrod Uthoff, Matt Gatens, and Isaiah Moss). Garza is the seventh Hawkeye to score 30 or more points in a single game in the McCaffery era.
•     Iowa won 21 games in the 2018-19 regular season, matching the highest total in 13 seasons (2015 and 2016).
•     Iowa posted five victories over nationally-ranked opponents in 2018-19, equaling Iowa’s highest total in the Fran McCaffery era and the most since 2006 (8).
•     Iowa rallied from a 15-point deficit with 4:15 remaining to win 80-79 over Northwestern on Feb. 10, 2019.
•      Iowa has won its last three NCAA Tournament first round games (2015 vs. Davidson; 2016 vs. Temple; and 2019 vs. Cincinnati).
•    Riley Till and Michael Baer earned Dean’s List recognition for their academic achievements in the Fall of 2018.
•      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 89-21 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 10 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 71-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last nine years.
•    Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to upper division finishes in the Big Ten in six of the last seven seasons. McCaffery has accumulated 18 first division finishes in 23 years as a head coach.

PATRICK McCAFFERY GRANTED #22
Patrick McCaffery has been granted uniform No. 22 to wear by All-American Bill Seaberg (1954-56) in honor of his friend Austin “Flash” Schroeder, who passed away in 2015.
    McCaffery started wearing No. 22 when his father was the coach at Siena and it was the number of his favorite Siena player, Ryan Rossiter. McCaffery has worn that number for each team he has played for at every level. It also was the number that Schroeder wore in baseball.
    Cancer touched both of their lives. McCaffery had surgery on March 19, 2014, to remove a tumor on his thyroid. On that same day, while on a family spring break trip to Mexico, Austin discovered a large lump in his groin. Two days after Patrick’s surgery, doctors informed his family that the tumor was malignant. A second surgery was scheduled in April. That month, Schroeder started chemotherapy for T-Cell lymphoma. Schroeder was 15 when he passed away on April 28, 2015. 
    Seaberg’s No. 22 hasn’t appeared for 63 seasons and 1,845 games. McCaffery wrote Seaberg a letter, explaining what No. 22 means to him. Seaberg agreed to let McCaffery wear it, with the stipulation that it return to retired status after McCaffery’s playing career ends at Iowa.

LUTE OLSON TO BE ENSHRINED IN HALL OF FAME
Former Iowa head men’s basketball coach Lute Olson will be enshrined in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City on Nov. 24. Olson coached Iowa for nine seasons (1974-83), taking the Hawkeyes to five straight NCAA Tournaments, including the 1980 Final Four. He left as the Hawkeyes’ winningest coach — his 165 wins now rank third most in school history. Olson was instrumental in the vision and construction of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened on Jan. 5, 1983. Olson went on to coach at the University of Arizona for 25 years (1983-2008).

FRESHMAN GAINING CONFIDENCE
Freshman Joe Toussaint is gaining confidence with each game played. The native of New York ranked third on the team in scoring (8.5), is third in assists (2.0), and is 10-of-13 (.769) from the foul line. 
    In Iowa’s last game against North Florida, Toussaint shined, scoring seven of his 10 points and dishing out three of his four assists in highlight fashion over the final 20 minutes. 

RYAN KRIENER TAKES THE NEXT STEP
Ryan Kriener registered single-season bests in nearly every statistical category as a junior last year. His scoring (5.7) and rebounding (3.0) averages improved, along with his shooting percentages. Kriener tallied double figures seven times in 2018-19.
    The native of Spirit Lake, Iowa, is off to a good start in 2019-20 ranking fifth on the team in scoring (7.8) and third in rebounding (4.8). He leads the team in field goal accuracy, making 10 of his 14 attempts (.714) and is 11-of-15 (.733) from the charity stripe.

FRAN McCAFFERY SIGNS FIRST GRAD TRANSFER
Fran McCaffery enters his 10th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes and signed his first graduate transfer this past July. Bakari Evelyn, a native of Detroit, played the previous two seasons at Valparaiso (2017-18) and his freshman year at Nebraska (2016). 
    Last season at Valparaiso, Evelyn tied for first on the team in 3-pointers made (48), ranked second in assists (68) and fifth in scoring (8.4 ppg). He led the team in steals and assists in six games, and scoring three times. 
     As a sophomore, Evelyn was a Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team selection and was named co-MVP of the Savannah Invitational. He was the only Crusader to start all 32 games, ranking second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and first in assists (93). 
    Evelyn saw limited action in 18 games as a freshman at Nebraska.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 72 years of combined collegiate head coaching experience and more than 125 years of collegiate coaching under their belts. 
    Iowa is one of two programs nationwide who have four current/former Division I head coaches on their active coaching staffs (Pitt).

RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Jarrod Uthoff (NBA G League: Memphis Hustle), Nicholas Baer (NBA G League; Raptors 905), Tyler Cook (NBA; Cleveland Cavaliers), Devyn Marble (NBA G League; Santa Cruz Warriors), Adam Woodbury (NBA G League: Grand Rapids Drive), Anthony Clemmons (Monaco), Gabriel Olaseni (Turkey), Melsahn Basabe (Slovakia), Peter Jok (France), and Aaron White (Italy).

McCAFFERY RECORDS WIN NO. 20
Last season, Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in seven seasons. 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 or more victories over a span of six of seven seasons.
    McCaffery has taken Iowa to the NCAA Tournament four times. Among Iowa’s head basketball coaches, McCaffery ranks third in tournament appearances behind Davis (9) and Olson (5). Davis is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach, while McCaffery moved past Olson into second place earlier this season.

ON THE HORIZON
Iowa will travel to Las Vegas next week to compete in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Hawkeyes will face nationally-ranked Texas Tech on Thanksgiving at 7 p.m. (CT) in the first round before facing Creighton or San Diego State in the consolation/championship Friday night.