Game Notes: Iowa to Entertain Western Illinois

THE SETTING
No. 3 Iowa (2-0) remains home on Thursday, hosting Western Illinois (0-0). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Thursday’s contest will be the Leathernecks’ season opener. Due to the pandemic, there will be no general admission admittance for this game.

GAME #3 STORYLINES
• Iowa opened its season with 97+ points in each of its first two games for the first time since 1997-98.
• All-American Luka Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Week. Garza averaged 33.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in wins over N.C. Central and Southern. Garza scorched the nets making 86.2 percent (25-of-29) of his field goal attempts, 75 percent from 3-point range (3-of-4), and 87.5 percent from the foul line (14-of-16).
• Six Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, led by No. 3 Iowa. Wisconsin is No. 4, followed by No. 5 Illinois, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 23 Ohio State, and No. 24 Rutgers.
• The last time the Hawkeyes were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll was Jan. 25, 2016.
• Luka Garza moved into Iowa’s top ten in career scoring after scoring 67 points in two games last week, surpassing Dean Oliver, Adam Haluska, and Jess Settles. Garza (1,626) is 10 points from moving past Matt Gatens (1,635) for eighth place.
• Iowa has won 15 of its last 16 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won 66 of its last 71 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Luka Garza tallied 20 points or more in both games last week and 18 straight, dating back to last season. That ties Oklahoma’s Trae Young (2017-18) for the second-longest streak by a major conference player over the last 20 seasons, trailing only T.J. Warren (19).
• Four Hawkeyes average double digits in scoring; Luka Garza averages an NCAA-best 33.5 points, followed by Joe Wieskamp (12.5), Patrick McCaffery (11.5), and Keegan Murray (10.5).
• Iowa’s No. 5 preseason ranking is its highest preseason position in 65 years (No. 4 in the 1955-56 preseason poll). This marks the eighth time in program history that Iowa is ranked in the AP Preseason Top 10: No. 4 in 1954-55, No. 4 in 1955-56, No. 9 in 1981-82, No. 7 in 1983-84, No. 7 in 1988-89, No. 8 in 1995-96, and No. 9 in 2001-02. Iowa last started a season ranked in the AP Poll 15 seasons ago (No. 20 in 2005-06).
• The Hawkeyes will play one game this week (Thursday), but will play three games in six days next week prior to fall semester final exams.
• Jordan Bohannon (513) is five assists from surpassing B.J. Armstrong (517) for fifth in career assists in program history.
• Iowa returns a large percentage of its production: scoring (81%), rebounding (76%), assists (77%), steals (83%), and blocks (67%). Iowa is one of eight schools from Power 5 conferences to have at least 65 percent of its production return from the previous season.
• Head Coach Fran McCaffery, who is in his 25th season as a head coach, is three wins from his 450th career victory and four wins from victory No. 200 as Iowa’s head coach.
• Iowa has two athletes who have consecutive free throws made streaks. Jordan Bohannon has made 24 straight, including all 18 attempts in 2019-20; Joe Toussaint has sank 17 straight from the charity stripe, dating back to Jan. 27.

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: Thursday’s contest will be televised nationally on BTN. Jeff Levering and former Hawkeye Jess Settles will call the action remotely.

FIGHT WITH US FAN CUTOUTS AVAILABLE FOR CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Four options of fan cutouts are available for purchase for its basketball and wrestling arena. Prices are $35 for students, $50 for season ticket holders and $70 for fans who are not season ticket holders. For $250, fans may purchase a cutout that will be signed by head coaches Tom Brands, Lisa Bluder or Fran McCaffery after the season and returned via mail.

Twenty percent of revenue from the cutouts will go toward University of Iowa Dance Marathon, the remainder of the profits will support the I-Club General Scholarship Fund for all student-athletes. To purchase a fan cutout, go to hawkeyesports.com/fancutouts.

LUKA GARZA CONTINUES WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Luka Garza torched Southern University for 41 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Garza netted 36 first-half points, which is believed to be the most points scored by a Hawkeye in a half in program history. In the first half, Garza made all 12 field-goal attempts and was 10-of-12 from the free throw line.

Garza’s 41 points are the most points scored by a Hawkeye in a single-game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history (1983), besting 36 scored by Adam Haluska (2006) and Rob Griffin (2000). The arena record is 45 points by Brian Quinnett of Washington State in a neutral site contest contested against Loyola Marymount (1986).

Garza finished the contest with a .933 field goal percentage (14-of-15), including a perfect 1.000 (3-of-3) from 3-point range, which is the best single-game mark by a Big Ten player since 1984 (Minnesota’s Tommy Davis, 15-of-16, at Indiana). Also, the only player in the last decade to have 40+ points and shoot 90 percent was Connecticut’s Amida Brimah in 2014 against Coppin State (40 pts, 13-of-13).

The All-American is one of two players in program history to score 40 points or more in two games in a career (John Johnson, 49 and 46). Garza netted 44 points at Michigan last season.

HAWKEYES SWEEP NCCU, SOUTHERN
Iowa scored 97+ points in each of it first two games in wins over N.C. Central (97-67) and Southern University (103-76) last week in Iowa City.
• Four Hawkeyes netted double digits against NCCU in Iowa’s 10th straight season opening victory: Luka Garza (26), Patrick McCaffery (16), Keegan Murray (12), and CJ Fredrick (10).
• Iowa got separation from NCCU by virtue of a 20-2 scoring run spanning 8:49 in the first half.
• Joe Wieskamp made his first five free throws versus NCCU to extend his consecutive free throws made streak to 27, dating back to last season, before missing in the second half.
• All-American Luka Garza poured in a season-high 41 points, while Joe Wieskamp contributed 16 points in Iowa’s 27-point triumph over Southern University last Friday.
• Iowa sprinted out to a 14-2 advantage, scoring the first 11 points of the game, against the Jaguars.
• Redshirt sophomore Jack Nunge did not play in the two games last week. Nunge returned home to mourn the unexpected passing of his father.

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD
Iowa is 9-0 all-time against Western Illinois, dating back to 1944. The two teams have played three times over the last two decades, all in Iowa City, with the Hawkeyes winning those three contests by an average of 24 points. Iowa won the last meeting, 90-56, in 2015.

SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
• Western Illinois is located in Macomb, Illinois, and is a part of the Summit League.
• Last season, Western Illinois went 5-21, going 2-14 in conference play and 1-11 on the road.
• Western Illinois faces off against Iowa in its season opener and its first of three non-conference games, before beginning Summit League play.
• The Leathernecks lost their top three scorers from last season.
• The Leathernecks have 11 newcomers, highlighted by Division III All-American and Bettendorf, Iowa, native, Will Carius (Monmouth College), and first-team NJCAA All-American, Justin Brookens (Iowa Lake CC).
• The Leathernecks are led by Rob Jeter, who is in his first season at Western Illinois. Jeter has 25 years of coaching experience at the Division I level. He was most recently an assistant coach at Minnesota (2019-20), before being on staff at UNLV from 2016-18. From 2005-16, Jeter became UW-Milwaukee’s the all-time winningest coach in the Division I era, going 185-170.

IOWA HAD 4 BIG TEN STAT CHAMPIONS IN 2019-20
The Hawkeyes had four different players lead the conference in four major statistical categories. Luka Garza was first in points per game (23.9), Joe Wieskamp led all players in free throw accuracy (.856), CJ Fredrick was tops in 3-point field goal percentage (.461), while Connor McCaffery led the league and nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.6).
All four return in 2020-21, along with redshirt senior Jordan Bohannon, who is Iowa’s all-time 3-point leader.

GARZA RETURNS FOR SENIOR SEASON
All-American Luka Garza has been named to every major preseason All-America list, including headlining the AP Preseason All-America Team. Garza, who is the first Iowa men’s basketball player named to a preseason AP All-American, was the lone unanimous selection, receiving all 64 votes. Below is a sampling of Garza’s preseason recognition:

• Associated Press Unanimous Preseason All-American
• Blue Ribbon First Team Preseason All-American
• CBS Sports First Team Preseason All-American
• USA Today First Team Preseason All-American
• Dick Vitale Preseason Player of the Year
• Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
• NABC Player of the Year Watch List
• Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List
• Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List
• Unanimous All-Big Ten Preseason Team
• Kareem Abdul Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 73 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 Washington Wizards), Devyn Marble (Kazakhstan), Tyler Cook (NBA Denver Nuggets), Adam Woodbury (NBA G League: Grand Rapids Drive), Anthony Clemmons (Bosnia), Gabriel Olaseni (Turkey), Peter Jok (Spain), and Aaron White (Greece).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,838 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,670-1,168 (.588). Iowa’s 1,670 wins are 38th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,068-372 (.742) record in home games, a 596-795 (.428) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 786-797 (.496) mark in Big Ten games and a 473-146 (.764) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

3 HAWKEYES GRANTED MEDICAL HARDSHIP WAIVERS
Forwards Jack Nunge and Patrick McCaffery, and guard Jordan Bohannon were each granted medical hardship waivers in 2019-20.

Nunge suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee in November. Bohannon had season-ending hip surgery in December, while McCaffery was dealing with residual health and wellness issues related to his thyroid.

CJ FREDRICK MADE IMMEDIATE IMPACT
CJ Fredrick made an impact in 2019-20 as a freshman. He was third on the team in scoring (10.2), and first in the Big Ten in 3-point accuracy (.461, 47-of-102) and 14th in field goal accuracy (.483, 87-of-180). His 10.2 points per game ranked third among Big Ten freshmen.

The native of Cincinnati, Ohio, has made four of his first nine 3-point attempts in 2020-21.

Fredrick was one of only three players nationally — and only player from a major conference dating back to 1993 — with 65+ assists, 32 or fewer turnovers, and shoot 46%+ from 3-point range.

Fredrick missed six full games and two second halves due to different injuries (quad, ankle, stress reaction in foot).
Fredrick was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 20, 2020), and earned all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Invitational.

HAWKEYE TRIFECTA
Iowa has had a student-athlete lead the Big Ten in free throw percentage (league games only) each of the past three seasons. Jordan Bohannon led the conference in 2018 (.949) and 2019 (.901), while Joe Wieskamp was first in 2020 (.874).

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Last season, Iowa had six players miss time due to injuries or illness: Patrick McCaffery (29), Jack Nunge (26), Jordan Bohannon (21), CJ Fredrick (5), Cordell Pemsl (3), and Riley Till (1). Collectively the group missed 86 games, which ranked fourth highest amongst Division I teams.

1. Louisiana 105
2. North Carolina 104
3. George Mason 91
4. IOWA 86

CONNOR McCAFFERY VALUES THE BASKETBALL
Connor McCaffery was the nation’s best in taking care of the basketball in 2019-20 as a redshirt sophomore. He was the only player in the country with 120+ assists and less than 30 turnovers. He finished the 2019-20 campaign as the national leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.6) and was only player in the country averaging at least six points, four rebounds, four assists, and fewer than one turnover per game.

He was the only player nationally, dating back to 1993, with 120+ assists, 120+ rebounds, 175+ points, 25+ steals, and 27 or fewer turnovers in a season.

McCaffery dished out nine assists to only two turnovers through the first two games of the 2020-21 season.
Over the last 10 games a year ago, he had three seven-assist/0-turnover efforts, boasting a 6.85 assist-to-turnover ratio (48 assists; seven turnovers in a combined 322 minutes).

McCaffery, who played multiple positions in 2019-20 due to lack of depth (1-4), had more steals (35) than turnovers (27).

In addition to his accolades on the court, the two-sport student-athlete is a role model off the court. McCaffery (finance major) was named UI’s Male Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree, and earned NABC Honors Court, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-District First Team, and Academic All-Big Ten recognition in 2020. He is also on the Big Ten Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition.

JORDAN BOHANNON RETURNS FOR REDSHIRT SENIOR SEASON
Jordan Bohannon had surgery on his left hip last December after playing in 10 games in 2019-20. The native of Marion, Iowa, had the same procedure successfully performed on his right hip May, 2019. He played in 10 games prior to his latest procedure, averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 assists per game.

Bohannon enters this week tied with Wisconsin’s D’Mitrik Trice for most games played among active Division I players with 114.

Bohannon has made a school-record 287 3-pointers and is 87 triples from tying the all-time Big Ten record (374, Jon Diebler). His 287 triples are the most of any active player from a Power 5 conference.

A third-team All-Big Ten performer in 2019, Bohannon was credited with a team-best 118 assists, becoming just the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons. He 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 became the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons (Dean Oliver, Jeff Horner, B.J. Armstrong, Andre Woolridge, Mike Gesell, Devyn Marble).

Bohannon has dished out 10 assists or more seven times in his career. He was credited with seven assists and no turnovers in Iowa’s last game against Southern University last Friday.

LUKA GARZA HAD HISTORIC SEASON
Luka Garza had a historic season in 2019-20, earning National Player of the Year honors by six major news outlets, recognized as the Big Ten and USBWA District VI Player of the Year, Pete Newell Big Man of the Year and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year, as well as being honored as a unanimous consensus first-team All-American.
The six news outlets to name Garza National Player of the Year include: Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, Bleacher Report, FOX, and ESPN. He is the first Iowa men’s basketball player to earn national player of the year distinction. Garza was also a unanimous consensus first-team All-America selection. He joins former Hawkeyes Murray Wier (1948) and Charles Darling (1952) as the program’s only consensus first team All-Americans. Garza is also the first Hawkeye to win the Abdul-Jabbar and Newell national awards.

Garza (740 points and 305 rebounds) is one of three Big Ten players to ever total 740+ points and 300+ rebounds in a single-season (Purdue’s Glenn Robinson in 1994 and Purdue’s Joe Barry Carroll in 1979). He ranked second nationally with 12 20-point/10-rebound performances, 20-point games (25); third in total field goals made (287) and points per 40 minutes played (29.8), fifth in scoring (23.9), 10th in 30-point games (5), 19th in double-doubles (15) and offensive rebounds per game (3.58), and 34th in rebounding (9.8). His 15 double-doubles are third most in a single-season by a Hawkeye in three decades. Garza averaged 26.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 12 games against AP ranked opponents in 2019-20, including recording 11 straight 20-point performances, the longest streak by any player since UConn’s Kemba Walker in 2011.

Iowa’s Male Athlete of the Year, Garza finished the 20-game league schedule averaging 26.2 points per game, becoming the first player to average at least 26 points in Big Ten play since Purdue’s Glenn Robinson in 1994 (31.1 ppg). Garza scored a school-record 740 points, breaking the program’s 50-year old record previously set by John Johnson in 1970. He scored 20 points or more in a school-record 16 straight Big Ten games, the longest streak by any player in the Big Ten since Ohio State’s Dennis Hopson 16 in 1987.

Garza is the only Big Ten player to register seven 25-point/10-rebound performances in the same season in more than 17 years. He produced the two highest point totals in a game by a Big Ten player last season (44 at Michigan; 38 at Indiana).

LUKA GARZA HONORS (2019-20)
•  National POY (Sporting News, Basketball Times, ESPN, Stadium, Bleacher Report, FOX)
•  Unanimous Consensus First-Team All-America
•  NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year
•  Naismith Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year
•  Big Ten Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
•  USBWA District VI Player of the Year
•  Naismith, Wooden, Oscar Robertson, and Lute Olson award finalist
•  Iowa Male Athlete of the Year

TOUSSAINT SHINED AS POINT GUARD IN FRESHMAN SEASON
Joe Toussaint started Iowa’s last 20 games after coming off the bench the first 11 contests as a freshman in 2019-20. He was first on the squad in steals per game (1.15), second in assists (2.9) and fifth among active players in scoring (6.5).

Toussaint made his last 17 free throw attempts, dating back to Jan. 27, 2020, and was six of his last 10 from 3-point range (.600) over the last six contests.

The New York native was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 6, 2020) for his efforts versus No. 21 Penn State. He scored a personal-best 18 points to go along with team bests in assists (4) and steals (2). Toussaint netted 16 of his 18 points in the second half and tied a personal best sinking two 3-pointers.

5 NEWCOMERS TO JOIN ROSTER IN 2020-21
The Iowa basketball program welcome five freshmen to the 2020-21 roster: Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Josh Ogundele, Tony Perkins, and Ahron Ulis.

Perkins was one of 13 seniors named to the 2020 Indiana All-Star Team. As a senior, Perkins averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals leading Lawrence North to a 25-2 record. He shot 58 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.

Ulis was the ESCC Player of the Year and named to the AP All-State Class 4A First Team. The three-year starter finished with over 1,500 points, trailing only his brother, Tyler, in the school’s record book.

COOL HAND LUKA
Last season, Luka Garza became the sixth Hawkeye to average 22+ points per game and first in 49 years since Fred Brown averaged 27.6 points per game in 1971. He became the fourth Big Ten player since 1993 to average at least 23 points per game (Glenn Robinson, Shawn Respert, and Carsen Edwards).

Garza finished the 20-game conference schedule averaging 26.2 points per game to become Iowa’s first scoring leader in Big Ten games only since Adam Haluska (21.3 ppg) in 2007. Garza’s 26.2 Big Ten scoring average is the highest by a true center since Minnesota’s Tom Kondla (28.3 ppg) in 1967.

Garza tallied 38 points at Indiana (Feb. 13, 2020). The 38 points were two points shy of matching the Assembly Hall single-game record by an opponent. Garza had the two highest single-game point totals in the Big Ten in 2019-20: 44 at Michigan & 38 at Indiana. He amassed 77 points in two games against Michigan, the most points by any Big Ten player versus a single opponent in regular season conference play over the last 20 seasons.

Garza, who is 12th on Iowa’s career scoring chart with 1,559 points, is the fourth Hawkeye over the last four decades to average better than 20 points per game. He totaled 287 field goals and 530 field goal attempts; two field goals from John Johnson’s record of 289 in 1970 and five attempts from tying Fred Brown’s record of 535 in 1971.

He is one of six Hawkeyes in school history with 1,550 points and 650 rebounds and is the only Iowa player to post those numbers through his junior season. Garza joined Jarrod Uthoff (2015 & 2016) as the only players in program history to total 50+ blocks and 35+ 3-pointers in a season.

Garza is also one of only five Big Ten players since the 2010-11 season to register multiple 30-point/10-rebounds games in the same season

Garza scored 25 points or more 13 times in 2019-20 (fifth nationally). He controlled 10 rebounds or more in 14 games. He snagged a career-best 18 boards twice in 2019-20.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa is one of six teams from last year’s final AP Top 25 that returns their leading scorer; the other five teams include Baylor, Illinois, Houston, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Iowa’s second conference game will be played on Christmas Day at Minnesota. It marks just the third time in program history that the Hawkeyes will play on Christmas; the previous two times were in holiday tournaments in Hawaii in 1984 and 1988.
• Iowa led the Big Ten in scoring offense (77.7) in 2019-20; the Hawkeyes have led the conference in scoring three of the last seven seasons, including the last two years.
• Luka Garza has scored 20+ points in 18 straight games, including 16 straight against Big Ten opponents, breaking the school’s 49-year old record. The 16-game streak is the most in the Big Ten since Ohio State’s Dennis Hopson accomplished the feat in 1987. Garza scored 20+ points in 19-of-20 Big Ten games in 2019-20.
• Luka Garza (23.9) and Joe Wieskamp (14.0) combined to average 37.9 points per game, which was the fifth best scoring duo in the country in 2019-20. Garza and Wieskamp combined for 1,175 points, the third highest scoring duo in program history.
• Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to 20 wins or more in six of the last eight seasons. He has led Iowa to Big Ten upper division finishes seven of the last eight years. Only Michigan State (8) has more first division finishes than Iowa (7) and Wisconsin (7) since the 2013 season.
• If not for the COVID-19 global pandemic, Iowa would have competed in its 27th NCAA Tournament in 2020, including its fifth appearance in seven seasons.
• Iowa had seven victories over ranked opponents, the most by an Iowa team since 2006 (8) and the most by any team in the country in 2019-20.
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 or more Big Ten games five of the last six seasons.
• Iowa had the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in five sports in 2019-20: Luka Garza (men’s basketball), Kathleen Doyle (women’s basketball), Spencer Lee (wrestling), Wayne Lawrence (indoor track & field), and Laulauga Tausaga (women’s track & field).
• Iowa posted a 14-2 record at home in 2019-20, winning 13 straight contests between Nov. 15 and Feb. 29. The 13-game home winning streak was the second longest in a single-season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history (17 in 2006). Iowa was the last team to win a loose a Big Ten home game in 2019-20.
• Iowa was nationally ranked in the AP Poll each of the last eight weeks and in the Coaches Poll nine straight weeks last year. The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 25 in the final AP Poll.
• Iowa won five straight Big Ten games during the month of January, marking the fourth time in the last six seasons that the Hawkeyes have won at least five consecutive Big Ten games (2019-20; 2018-19; 2015-16; 2014-15).
• Iowa has qualified for four NCAA tournaments over the last six completed seasons (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019) and seven postseason tournaments over the last eight completed seasons (4 NCAA; 3 NIT).
• Iowa is 98-23 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 11 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 78-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last 10 years.

FAMILY AFFAIR
Redshirt junior Connor McCaffery and redshirt freshman Patrick McCaffery are one of 16 father/coach and son/player duos in Division I in 2020-21 (Boise State, Connecticut, Detroit Mercy, Illinois, Liberty, Memphis, Michigan State, USC Upstate, Southern, Syracuse, Texas Southern, Utah, Western Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Wright State). Of the 16 schools, the McCaffery’s are the only program with a father/coach and two sons on the roster.

McCAFFERY RECORDS WIN NO. 20
Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes have reached the 20-win plateau six of the last eight 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.
McCaffery has taken Iowa to the NCAA Tournament four times, and likely a fifth time last March if not for the postseason cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 is second.

20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
This season is the 20-year anniversary of Iowa’s first Big Ten Tournament championship. The Hawkeyes won four games in four days, knocking off Northwestern (72-55), Ohio State (75-66), Penn State (94-74), and Indiana (63-61). Reggie Evans was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

HAWKEYES EARN POSTSEASON HONORS
In addition to Luka Garza being named Big Ten Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, Garza was also a unanimous first-team all-conference selection by both the media and coaches in 2019-20. Sophomore Joe Wieskamp was a third-team all-conference honoree, while CJ Fredrick was selected to the five-player All-Freshman Team. Redshirt sophomore Connor McCaffery was the recipient of Iowa’s Big Ten Men’s Basketball Sportsmanship Award.

Head Coach Fran McCaffery has coached a first-team All-Big Ten honoree five of the last seven seasons, the most over a seven-year span since 1956-62. Garza joins Devyn Marble (2014), Aaron White (2015), Jarrod Uthoff (2016), and Peter Jok (2017) as first team selections.

Fredrick is the ninth Hawkeye to be voted to the five-player All-Freshman Team since the honor was first introduced in 2003. Fredrick is the seventh rookie to be recognized on the All-Freshman Team under Fran McCaffery and the fourth in four years (Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook in 2017; Joe Wieskamp in 2019).

Garza was also voted the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District VI Player of the Year on Tuesday, as well as the all-district team. Joining Garza on the 10-player all-district squad was teammate Joe Wieskamp.

Garza and Wieskamp’s honor marks the sixth time in seven seasons that a Hawkeye has garnered all-district recognition (Devyn Marble in 2014; Aaron White in 2015; Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok in 2016; Jok in 2017; Cook in 2019; Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp in 2020).

LUKA GARZA MAKES HISTORY
• Luka Garza became the 49th Hawkeye to score No. 1,000 points, reaching the 1,000-point milestone after netting a career-high 44 points against the Wolverines on Dec. 6, 2020. Garza’s 44 points are the most by an Iowa big man, third most in a single-game in program history, and are the most scored by a Hawkeye in a single-game since guard John Johnson poured in a school-record 49 points against Northwestern on Feb. 24, 1970.
• Garza’s 44 points are the most scored by a visiting player in Crisler Center history, besting Ohio State’s Dennis Hopson’s 39 points on Jan. 8, 1987. The 44-point outburst is the second highest scoring output by any player in Crisler Center history (48 by Rudy Tomjanovich vs. Indiana on Jan. 7, 1969).
• Garza’s 44 points are believed to be the most in a game by a Big Ten player since Purdue’s Glenn Robinson scored 44 against Kansas on March 24, 1994.
• Garza made 17 field goals, tying Bruce King (vs. Michigan on Jan. 31, 1976) for third most in a game in Iowa history. Garza’s 32 attempts tie three others (Fred Brown, Murray Wier and Charles Darling) for fourth most in Iowa history.
• Garza’s 27 first-half points are the most by a Hawkeye in a half since Jarrod Uthoff had 30 at Iowa State (Dec. 10, 2015).
• Garza scored all 44 of his points against the Wolverines at the free throw line and inside the 3-point arc. Garza is the first Big Ten player to score 40 points or more without making a 3-pointer since Jared Sullinger had 40 points without a triple against IUPUI in 2010.

MEN’S BASKETBALL REPRESENTED ON BIG TEN COALITION
In June 2020, the Big Ten Conference formed the Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition, which includes student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, chancellors, presidents and other members of the Big Ten family representing all 14 member institutions.

The University of Iowa has 10 representatives on the Coalition, including head coach Fran McCaffery, assistant coach Billy Taylor, and redshirt junior Connor McCaffery.

The Coalition will leverage, support, and complement the extraordinary efforts already taking place across the Big Ten through initiatives on our campuses, as well as through existing conference-wide organizations like the Big Ten Advisory Commission.