Game Notes: Hawkeyes Open Big Ten Play

THE SETTING
No. 4/5 Iowa (6-1, 0-0) will host Purdue (6-2, 1-0) on Tuesday. Tipoff for the Hawkeyes’ conference opener is set for 8:07 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Due to the pandemic, there will be no general admission admittance for this game.

CONFERENCE OPENER STORYLINES
• Iowa has won 19 of its last 20 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to last season. The lone setback during that span was to Purdue (77-68) on March 3, 2020.
• The last time Iowa won its conference opener was on Dec. 29, 2015, against top-ranked Michigan State (83-70) in Iowa City.
• Luka Garza seeks to extend his streak of scoring 20+ points to 17 straight Big Ten games on Tuesday. Garza netted 20+ in the final 16 conference games of the 2019-20 season (Jan. 10-March 3, 2020). The 16-game streak against Big Ten opponents is the longest streak 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.
• Iowa has scored 88+ points in its first seven games. The Hawkeyes opened their season with 93+ points in each of their first six games for the first time in program history.
• Iowa, who has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last two seasons, is the highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 98.7 points per game.
• Luka Garza has scored at least 30 points on 72 percent shooting or better three times in seven games to start the season. He is five points from passing Greg Stokes for fourth and 16 points from passing Acie Earl for third in Iowa career scoring.
• Jack Nunge has been Iowa’s biggest producer off the bench, averaging 10.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, which ranks third and second best on the team, respectively.
• Iowa has made 10+ 3-pointers in five of seven games this season. The Hawkeyes have four players who have made 12+ triples: Luka Garza, CJ Fredrick, Jordan Bohannon, and Joe Wieskamp.
• The Hawkeyes have played on Dec. 22 seven straight years. Iowa is 23-8 in contests played on Dec. 22, winning nine straight, dating back to 2005.
• Luka Garza (29.3) and Joe Wieskamp (15.9) combined to average 45.2 points, which is 45.7 percent of Iowa’s offensive production.
• Head Coach Fran McCaffery, who is in his 25th season as a head coach, recorded his 450th career victory on Dec. 11 and victory No. 200 as Iowa’s head coach on Dec. 13.
• Luka Garza, who ranks first in the country in points per game (29.3 ppg), has scored 366 points against AP Top 25 teams, the most of any player since the start of the 2019-20 season.
• Iowa has made more free throws (125) than its opponents have attempted (109).
• 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.

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: Tuesday’s contest will be televised on Big Ten Network. Kevin Kugler and former Boilermaker Robbie Hummel will call the action.

TOP-RANKED GONZAGA UPENDS HAWKEYES IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Top-ranked Gonzaga recorded a 99-88 victory over No. 3 Iowa last Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota. It was Iowa’s first setback of the 2020-21 campaign (6-1).
• Luka Garza led all scorers with 30 points, marking the 12th time in 13 games the All-American topped 20 points against an AP Top 25 opponent, dating back to last season. Garza eclipsed 30 points for the fourth time of seven games this season and ninth time in his career. Garza also snagged a team-best 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
• Luka Garza (30) and Joe Wieskamp (20) combined for 50 of Iowa’s 88 points. Wieskamp’s 20 points and nine rebounds both equaled season bests for the junior. Sophomore Joe Toussaint tallied 12 of his season-high 14 points in the second half.
• Gonzaga (13) made nine more 3-pointers than Iowa (4). The Zags sank 10 if their 13 triples in the first half, while the Hawkeyes shot a season-low 18 percent from beyond the arc.
• Joe Toussaint provided a spark off the bench, scoring 12 of his season-high 14 points in the second stanza.
• Five players reached double figures in scoring for Gonzaga, led by freshman Jalen Suggs’ 27 points. Suggs tallied 21 of his 27 points via the long ball, draining 7-of-10 (.700) from 3-point range.

RAINING THREES
Three Hawkeyes sank five or more 3-pointers in Iowa’s victory over No. 16 North Carolina: Jordan Bohannon (7), CJ Fredrick (5), and Joe Wieskamp (5). It was the first time in UNC history that three opponent players made five or more triples in a game. It is also the only time in the last 25 years that three teammates (on any team) have made 5+ threes apiece in regulation against an AP Top 25 opponent.

LUKA GARZA CONTINUES WHERE HE LEFT OFF
• Luka Garza has passed seven former players (Dean Oliver, Adam Haluska, Jess Settles, Matt Gatens, Ronnie Lester, Devyn Marble, and B.J. Armstrong) on Iowa’s all-time scoring chart in only seven games played so far this season.
• Reached the 30-point plateau four times this season, the most by any player nationally. Garza has topped 30 points nine career times, third most in program history trailing only John Johnson (13) and Fred Brown (10).
• Twice has been named Big Ten Player of the Week this season (Nov. 30 and Dec. 14). Garza was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 24.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in wins over No. 16 North Carolina, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois. Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 33.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in victories over N.C. Central and Southern.
• Garza scored 44 points at Michigan (Dec. 7, 2019) and 41 points versus Southern University (Nov. 27, 2020). He 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).
• He tallied 102 points in three games; that is the most points by any Division I player over his first 3 games of a season since Davidson’s Stephen Curry had 106 in 2008-09.
• Garza is the only Division I player in the last 25 years to score 100+ points on 75.0 percent shooting over any 3-game span. The last NBA player to accomplish that over a 3-game span was Shaquille O’Neal in January, 1996.
• 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.
• His 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).
• Finished the Southern University 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).
• Posted his third double-double of the season and 23rd of his career with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and a season-high four blocks against No. 16 North Carolina.

VALUING THE BASKETBALL
Three of Iowa’s guards have outstanding assist-to-turnover numbers through seven games. Connor McCaffery, who led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio last season, has a 5.6 ratio (28 assists, 5 turnovers). CJ Fredrick has a 4.75 ratio (19 assists, 4 turnovers), while Jordan Bohannon has a 2.8 ratio (34 assists, 12 turnovers).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Purdue holds a 92-76 advantage in the series. The Boilermakers have won the last four in the series, including sweeping both contests a season ago. Iowa holds a 52-29 advantage in Iowa City, including winning four of the last six meetings, dating back to 2014. The Hawkeyes hold an 18-14 edge over the Boilermakers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

SCOUTING PURDUE
• Purdue enters Tuesday’s game having won five of its last six, including three straight. The Boilermakers posted home wins over Indiana State and Ohio State and a neutral site victory over Notre Dame over the past 10 days.
• The Boilermakers are 0-1 in true road games this season. Purdue let a 20-point lead getaway in a 58-54 loss at Miami in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Four Boilermakers average double figures in scoring: Eric Hunter, Jr. (14.3); Trevion Williams (13.8); Sasha Stefanovic (12.5); and Zach Edey (11.3). Williams pulls down a conference-best 9.8 rebounds, while Stefanovic leads the league in 3-pointers made (26-of-50, .520).
• Purdue’s leading scorer, Eric Hunter, Jr., missed Purdue’s first four games of the season due to a fractured tibia.
• Purdue averages 9.8 more rebounds per contest than their opponents.
• Purdue ranks first in the Big Ten in defensive rebounding (27.4); third in rebounding margin (+9.8); fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.388) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.294),
• Matt Painter is in his 16th season as head coach at Purdue (343-176, .661). Painter has guided the Boilermakers to 11 NCAA Tournaments.

LAST MEETING VERSUS PURDUE
Purdue snapped Iowa’s 13-game home win streak with a 77-68 victory on March 3, 2020, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The loss was the Hawkeyes’ only home setback in Big Ten 2019-20 play.
• The 13-game win streak is the second longest in a single-season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history (17 in 2006). The Hawkeyes were the last team to lose a Big Ten home game in 2019-20.
• Luka Garza’s free throw in the second half was point No. 700. He became the first Hawkeye in program history to register 700 points in a season, breaking John Johnson’s 50-year old single-season record of 699 points in 1970.
• Garza recorded a double-double (26 points, 12 rebounds). Garza surpassed 20 points for the 15th consecutive Big Ten game, posted his NCAA-leading 12th 20-point/10-rebound performance, and seventh 25-point/10-rebound effort of the season.
• Purdue outrebounded Iowa by 14, and scored 20 second-chance points after grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. The Boilermakers also netted 25 points off 15 Hawkeye turnovers.
• Purdue was led by senior Evan Boudreaux (14 points, 14 rebounds), Eric Hunter Jr. (19 points, 3 steals), and Jahaad Proctor (12 points).

IN THE RANKINGS
• The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll three of the first four weeks of the season. The last time Iowa was ranked as high as third nationally was Jan. 25, 2016.
• 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).
• Saturday’s game against Gonzaga was just the second time in program history that Iowa played in a contest pitting No. 1 against No. 3.
• Half of the Big Ten teams (7) are ranked in this week’s AP Top 25, led by No. 4 Iowa. Wisconsin is No. 9, followed by No. 11 Rutgers, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 18 Illinois, No. 19 Michigan, and No. 23 Ohio State.

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.

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).

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

EMOTIONAL YEAR FOR NUNGE
It has been a difficult 12 months for forward Jack Nunge. On Nov. 24, 2019, Nunge tore his ACL (right knee) in the fifth game of the 2019-20 season after sitting out the previous season (redshirt). Nearly 12 months to the day later, Nunge’s father (Dr. Mark Nunge) passed away unexpectedly at the age of 53 on Nov. 28, 2020.

Nunge did not play in Iowa’s first two games against N.C. Central and Southern University as the redshirt sophomore was with family back home in Indiana. Nunge returned to Iowa City on Dec. 1, and played in his first game in over a year, tying a career high with 18 points and snagging five rebounds versus Western Illinois (Dec. 3).

Nunge is Iowa’s leading scorer off the bench (10.6) and second-leading rebounder overall (6.8).

CJ FREDRICK MADE IMMEDIATE IMPACT
CJ Fredrick made an impact in 2019-20 as a freshman. He was third in team 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 12 of his first 23 (.522) 3-point attempts in 2020-21. He also has dished out 19 assists to only four turnovers this season. Fredrick ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per contest.

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.

Last season, 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.

CONNOR McCAFFERY VALUES THE BASKETBALL
Connor McCaffery was the nation’s best in taking care of the basketball in 2019-20. 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).

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 has dished out 28 assists to only five turnovers through the first seven games of the 2020-21 season.
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 119.

Bohannon has made a school-record 297 3-pointers and is 77triples from tying the all-time Big Ten record (374, Jon Diebler). His 297 triples are the most of any active player from a Power 5 conference. He is three 3-pointers from 300 and cracking the Big Ten’s top 10.

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.

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, who ranks fifth in Iowa career assists, has dished out 10 assists or more seven times in his career.

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

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.

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.

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.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa is 101-24 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 11 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 80-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last 10 years.
• Iowa’s 53-point win win over Northern Illinois (106-53) tied the 18th largest margin of victory in program history.
• Iowa, who leads the country in scoring, netted a season-high 106 points. The Hawkeyes have topped the century mark in three of six games.
• Iowa won by 53 points, tying the 18th largest margin of victory in program history.
• The Hawkeyes have won 70 of its last 75 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• 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’s 105 points and 28-point victory on Dec. 11, are the most points scored and the largest margin of victory, respectively, in the 74-game series history with Iowa State.
• 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.
• The Hawkeyes sank 17 3-pointers against the Tar Heels. The 17 triples were two shy of a school record (19 against Savannah State on Dec. 22, 2018). Additionally, the 17 3-pointers tie for the third most ever against North Carolina.
• Assistant Coach Billy Taylor has been named to the class of 2021 for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
• Luka Garza scored 20+ points in 19 straight games (Jan. 10-Dec. 3, 2020), including 16 straight against Big Ten opponents, breaking the school’s 49-year old record. The 16-game streak against Big Ten opponents is the longest streak 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.
• Jordan Bohannon joined Bob Hansen, Kevin Boyle, and Mark Gannon as the only Hawkeyes to register four victories over the Cyclones in their career.
• 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. Garza and Wieskamp are one of four returning tandems who averaged 37+ points per game from last season (IUPUI, Austin Peay, Texas-San Antonio).
• 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.
• As a result of Iowa’s win over No. 16 North Carolina, the Hawkeyes have won six of their last eight ACC/Big Ten Challenge games and four straight Challenge home games.
• 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.
• 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 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).

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.

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).LUKA

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).

IOWA VS. RANKED TEAMS
Iowa is 1-1 against ranked teams. The Hawkeyes beat No. 16 North Carolina (93-80) in Iowa City, but fell to No. 1 Gonzaga (99-88) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Hawkeyes have won seven straight home games against AP ranked opponents. That’s the longest such streak in program history during the AP Poll era (since 1948-49).

Iowa won seven contests against ranked opponents last season, the most by any team nationally and the most by a Hawkeye team in a single-season since 2006 (8).

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.

ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes will play on Christmas Day for just the third time in program history, traveling to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Williams Arena.