Game Notes: Iowa vs. Texas Tech

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THE SETTING
Iowa (4-1) will challenge No. 12 Texas Tech (5-0) in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday. Tipoff is set for approximately 7 p.m. (CT) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. 
    The Iowa-Texas Tech contest will be the first game of a doubleheader, with Creighton facing San Diego State in the nightcap at 9:30 p.m. (CT).

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Jerry Kiwala will handle the play-by-play in Las Vegas, 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: Thursday’s game will be televised nationally on FS1. Jeff Levering and Casey Jacobsen will call the action.

HAWKEYES CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER CAL POLY
Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures in a comfortable 85-59 triumph over Cal Poly on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.
•    CJ Fredrick led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. He also was credited with a personal-best five assists.
•    Luka Garza tallied double-figures in scoring for the fifth straight time to start the season, registering 18 points. He was one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the year, grabbing a game-best nine boards. Garza also rejected a game-best three shots, equaling a season high.
•    Junior Cordell Pemsl scored a season-high 10 points, while sophomore Joe Wieskamp also netted 10 points. Freshman Joe Toussaint grabbed a personal-best eight rebounds.
•    Connor McCaffery was credited with seven assists for the third consecutive game. Through five games, McCaffery has 27 assists and only seven turnovers, ranking third in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.9).
•    The Hawkeyes dominated the glass, outrebounding Cal Poly by 11 (43-32). 
•    Iowa earned 20 more free throw attempts than the Mustangs.

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).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa is 4-1 all-time against Texas Tech, recording wins in 1958, 1959, 1985, and 2004. The Red Raiders’ lone win over the Hawkeyes came in 2003 on a neutral site contest in Dallas. The last time the two programs played each other was Dec. 21, 2004, in Chicago.
    Iowa has never faced San Diego State and is 14-11 all-time against Creighton. The Bluejays won the last meeting between Iowa and Creighton in 2011 on a neutral court in Des Moines. Iowa and Creighton have played five times since 1990, with the Hawkeyes winning two of those five contests.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH
•    The nationally-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders have won its first five games by an average of 26.8 points. Four of their five victories have come on home court.
•    The Red Raiders cruised to victory in their last contest, 96-66, over LIU. Jahmi’us Ramset tallied a game-best 27 points, bolstered by 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Texas Tech forced 19 turnovers and out-rebounded LIU by 16 (41-25).
•    All five starters average double figures in scoring: Jahmi’us Ramsey (19.4), TJ Holyfield (13.8), Davide Moretti (13.8), Terrence Shannon, Jr. (10.0), and Kyler Edwards (10.0). Two of Texas Tech’s starters are freshmen: Ramsey and Shannon.
•    Two Red Raiders have made 12 triples through five games: Jahmi’us Ramsey and Davide Moretti.
•    Texas Tech is shooting 50.3 percent from the field, including 42.4 percent from long distance, and 74.8 percent from the foul line.
•    Texas Tech has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 12.2 boards per game and have made more free throws (92) than its opponents have attempted (78).
•    Chris Beard is in his eighth overall season (177-61, . 744) as a head coach and fourth on the Texas Tech sidelines (81-31, .723). Beard led the Ted Raiders to the 2019 Final Four after reaching the Elite Eight in 2018 for the first time in program history. Beard was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year for the second straight season after guiding the team to the Big 12 Conference regular-season championship and then earned Associated Press National Coach of the Year recognition.

NUNGE SUFFERS TORN ACL
University of Iowa men’s basketball sophomore Jack Nunge suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee in Sunday’s home game versus Cal Poly. The injury occurred late in the first half as Nunge was driving to the basket.
    “All of us feel for Jack,” said McCaffery. “This is an unfortunate setback for a young man who spent countless hours in the gym and weight room last year preparing for this season. Jack has the full support of his teammates and coaches during his recovery.”
    Nunge (6-foot-11, 245 pounds) started Iowa’s first five games, averaging six points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. The native of Newburgh, Indiana, redshirted last season.

HAWKEYES WON LAST YEAR’S THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
Iowa posted wins over No. 13 Oregon (77-69) and Connecticut (91-72) to win the 2019 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
•    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 made 29 free throws (attempted 33) in the win over No. 13 Oregon and sank 29-of-37 from the charity stripe in the championship game versus Connecticut.
•  Ryan Kriener provided productive minutes in both contests, averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in the two games. Kriener scored a season-high 11 points in the win over the Ducks.
•      Redshirt freshman Connor McCaffery played a big role in the championship game victory. Starting point guard Jordan Bohannon was whistled for his second foul 89 seconds into the game. McCaffery played a then-career-high 29 minutes, posting personal bests in scoring (19), free throws made (9) and attempted (11), and assists (5).

GARZA PRODUCING BOTH INSIDE AND OUT
Luka Garza has been Iowa’s bell cow the first five games of the season. The junior is producing both inside and out, ranking second on the squad in 3-point percentage (.583, 7-of-12) and field goal efficiency (.587, 44-75).
    Garza leads the team in 10 statistical categories: scoring (22.2), rebounding (10.2), double-doubles (3), offensive rebounding (3.8), defensive rebounding (6.4), blocked shots (2.0), field goals made (44) and attempted (75), free throws made (16) and attempted (28).
    Garza leads the Big Ten in scoring (22.2 ppg), is second in double-doubles (3), and ranks third in rebounding (10.2 rpg). The native of Washington, D.C., has registered three double-doubles this season, including back-to-back efforts against Oral Roberts and North Florida. Garza made 12 of his final 13 field goal attempts in Iowa’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 Thursday’s game versus Texas Tech with 930 career points, 70 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 ranks second on the team in scoring (11.0) and rebounding (5.6).
    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).

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 Thursday’s game versus Texas Tech with 270 3-pointers; Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) is the Big Ten all-time leader in triples made (374).

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).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,813 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,653-1,158 (.588). Iowa’s 1,653 wins are 36th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,057-371 (.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 462-145 (.761) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

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 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). However, Nunge will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in Iowa’s fifth contest of the season. 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.

GETTING TO THE FREE THROW LINE
Iowa has earned 139 free throw attempts through five games. Iowa’s 27.8 average ranks eighth in the country. The Hawkeyes have made more free throws (97) than their opponents (55) have attempted (+42). Connor McCaffery ranks fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.933).

LUTE OLSON ENSHRINED IN HALL OF FAME
Former Iowa head men’s basketball coach Lute Olson was 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).

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
•    Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in assists per game (18.6), and third in scoring offense (84.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
•    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 has won 63 of its last 68 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012. 
•      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 90-21 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 10 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 72-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last 10 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.
    McCaffery played in Iowa’s first two games, however has missed the last three contests.

FRESHMAN GAINING CONFIDENCE
Freshman Joe Toussaint is gaining confidence with each game played. The native of New York ranked fourth on the team in scoring (7.8), is third in assists (2.0), and is 13-of-18 (.722) from the foul line. 
    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. The native of Bronx, New York, grabbed a personal-best eight rebounds and chipped in five points versus Cal Poly.

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 (7.6) and third in rebounding (4.6). He leads the team in field goal accuracy, making 13 of his 17 attempts (.765) and is 12-of-17 (.706) 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 play a pair of road games at Syracuse (Dec. 3) and Michigan (6). The Hawkeyes’ game at Syracuse is part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, while their contest at Michigan will be the Big Ten opener.