Game Notes: Iowa Hosts Nebraska In Only Meeting

THE SETTING
No. 5 Iowa (18-7, 12-6) returns home to challenge Nebraska (7-17, 3-14), presented by Wellmark, on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Thursday will be the only regular season meeting between the two teams. Due to the pandemic, there will be no general admission admittance for this game.

GAME #26 STORYLINES
• Iowa is ranked No. 5 in this week’s AP Poll, its highest ranking the first week of March since being ranked fifth on March 5, 1956.
• The Hawkeyes have won five of their last six games, dating back to Feb. 10.
• Iowa has won 12 of the last 13 games against Nebraska in Iowa City, dating back to 1943.
• Nebraska is the last Big Ten opponent that Iowa has not seen at least once this season.
• Luka Garza became the program’s all-time leading scorer versus Penn State (Feb. 21), surpassing the late-great Roy Marble. Garza reached Marble’s 32-year old all-time benchmark 15 games faster than Marble (119 games).
• Jordan Bohannon (615) became Iowa’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Jeff Horner (612), in Iowa’s win over No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday. Bohannon is one of three players in program history with four 100-assist seasons (Dean Oliver, Jeff Horner).
• The Hawkeyes have held six of their last seven opponents to fewer than 70 points.
• Iowa has won nine Big Ten games by double digits, the most in a single season in five years (10 in 2015-16).
• Forward Jack Nunge suffered a season-ending knee injury last Thursday at No. 3 Michigan.
• Iowa has 11 combined Quad 1 (5) and Quad 2 (6) wins this season. Those 11 wins tie Ohio State for third most among Big Ten teams behind Illinois and Michigan (12).
• Iowa has won seven games against AP Top 25 opponents this season, a total that ties Kansas for most in the country in 2020-21. The Hawkeyes have won a combined 14 contests against ranked opponents over the last two seasons, the most in the country.
• Iowa averages 9.5 turnovers per game. The Hawkeyes are on pace to break the school record for turnovers per game in a single season, which is 10.3 set during the 2015-16 season. Iowa ranks first in the country in turnovers per offensive play (11.5%).
• Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award Finalist Luka Garza ranks third in the country in points per game (24.3 ppg) and 14th in double-doubles (11). He has scored 571 points against AP Top 25 teams, the most of any player since the start of the 2019-20 season.
• Jerry West Award Finalist Joe Wieskamp is the first junior in school history with 1,200+ points, 500+ rebounds, 150+ 3-pointers, 100+ assists, and 75+ steals. He has made three or more triples in nine of the last 13 games, shooting 43-of-76 (.566) during that span.
• All-American Luka Garza is the only Hawkeye in program history to post two 600-point and four 400-point seasons.
• Luka Garza is the first and only student-athlete in Big Ten history to accumulate 2,000 points, 850 rebounds, 125 blocked shots, and 100 3-pointers. He is the only player from a major conference with those numbers dating back to the 1992-93 season.
• Luka Garza reached 2,000 points in 113 games, faster than any other Big Ten player over the last 25 years.
• The Hawkeyes have posted 26 runs of 10-0 or better this 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: Thursday’s game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. Kevin Kugler and former Hawkeye Jess Settles will call the action.

HAWKEYES CRUISE TO VICTORY AT NO. 4 OHIO STATE
The Hawkeyes cruised to a 73-57 triumph at No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
• Sunday was Iowa’s sixth Big Ten road win and its first win in Columbus since 2014.
• The Hawkeyes held the Buckeyes to their lowest scoring output of the season. The 57 points are the fewest Iowa has allowed versus a top-5 team away from home since a 58-57 win at No. 2 Indiana on Feb. 16, 1983.
• Luka Garza (24) and Joe Wieskamp (19) combined for 33 points. Garza pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds for his team-leading 11th double-double of the season. Wieskamp drained five 3-pointers for the sixth time this season.
• Sunday was Iowa’s first win on the road with both teams ranked in the AP Top 10 since No. 9 Iowa won at No. 6 North Carolina on Jan. 7, 1989.
• Jordan Bohannon was credited with a game-best five assists to increase his career assists total to 615 to become the program’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Jeff Horner (612).
• The Hawkeyes were credited with 22 assists and tied a season low with five turnovers.
• Sophomore point guard Joe Toussaint tied a season high with seven assists.
• The Buckeyes were led by E.J. Liddell (15 points) and Justice Sueing (12 points).

NUNGE SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURY
Redshirt sophomore Jack Nunge suffered a season-ending torn meniscus of his right knee in the first half of Iowa’s road game at Michigan on Feb. 25.

It is the second time Nunge has suffered a season-ending knee injury the last 16 months. He sustained a torn ACL on the same knee on Nov. 24, 2019, versus Cal Poly.

The 6-foot-11 forward is expected to undergo surgery next week to repair the meniscus and is expected to be sidelined four to six months.

Nunge was the team’s leading scorer (7.1) and rebounder (5.3) off the bench.

LUKA GARZA CONTINUES WHERE HE LEFT OFF
• Named the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week and Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 22, after averaging 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists and one block in wins over No. 21 Wisconsin and Penn State.
• Ranks 15th in Big Ten history with 2,166 career points.
• Broke Iowa’s 32-year old all-time scoring record on Feb. 21 versus Penn State.
• Garza’s 30-point performance at No. 21 Wisconsin on Feb. 18, was his sixth against an AP Top 25 opponent in his career. Over the last 25 seasons, the only player to have more 30-point games against ranked opponents is Duke’s Jay Williams (7).
• Finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
• Averaging 24.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 2020-21 after averaging 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 2019-20. Garza is seeking to become just the third Big Ten player in the last 50 years to average 23 points and eight rebounds in consecutive seasons, joining Purdue’s Glenn Robinson (1992-93 & 1993-94) and Michigan’s Henry Wilmore (1970-71 & 1971-72).
• Reached 2,000 points in 113 games, faster than any other Big Ten player over the last 25 years. The only Big Ten player to reach the milestone faster was Wisconsin’s Michael Finley, who accomplished the feat in 107 games.
• One of three players in the nation to shoot at least 55 percent on FGAs and 45 percent on 3FGAs, with at least 35 made 3-pointers; Garza has attempted more than 100 field goal attempts than the other two players.
• Iowa’s all-time scoring leader in Big Ten regular season games with 1,364 points. Garza has tallied 402 points in 18 Big Ten games this season; 496 in 20 games in 2019-20; 243 in 19 contests in 2018-19; and 223 in 18 games in 2017-18.
• Only Hawkeye in program history with two 600-point and four 400-point seasons.
• Accounts for nine of the 12 27-point/10-rebound games in the Fran McCaffery era.
• Luka Garza tallied 18 points against Northwestern (Dec. 29), halting his streak of scoring 20+ points at 18 straight Big Ten games, dating back to last season. His 18-game streak is the longest by any player against a Big Ten team in over three decades.
• Reached the 30-point plateau an NCAA-best seven times this season. Garza has topped 30 points 12 career times, second most in program history trailing only John Johnson (13). Garza has topped 22 points an NCAA-best 15 times this season.
• Shot 70 percent or better from the field in six games in 2020-21, including 80 percent or better four times (93% vs. Southern; 93% vs. Iowa State; 80% vs. Northern Illinois; 80% at Rutgers).
• Named Big Ten Player of the Week three times this season (Nov. 30, Dec. 14, Feb. 22). Garza averaged 24.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in wins over No. 16 North Carolina, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois. He averaged 33.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in victories over N.C. Central and Southern. Garza averaged 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists and one block in wins over No. 21 Wisconsin and Penn State.
• 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).
• Tallied 102 points in three games; that is the most points by any Division I player over his first three 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 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).

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Iowa holds a 21-13 edge in the series. The Hawkeyes have won nine of the 15 meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011.

Iowa owns a commanding 15-3 advantage in games in Iowa City. Thursday will be Nebraska’s ninth contest played in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won 12 of the last 13 contests in the series played in Iowa City, dating back to 1943.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• Nebraska (122 NET Ranking) enters Thursday’s game having won two in a row at home, beating Minnesota (78-74) and Rutgers (72-51).
• The Huskers overwhelmed the Scarlet Knights, 72-51, in their last outing Monday night in Lincoln. Nebraska led by as many as 30 points in the second half. The Huskers made five more 3-pointers and grabbed 10 more rebounds than Rutgers. Lat Mayen (25), Derrick Walker (14), and Trey McGowens (12) combined for 51 of Nebraska’s points on a combined 20-of-27 (.741) shooting field the field, including 7-of-9 (.778) from 3-point range.
• Nebraska is 1-8 in games away from home with the one win coming at Penn State (62-61) on Feb. 14.
• Nebraska’s leading scorer, Terry Allen, left the program on Monday. Allen averaged 16.5 points per game, 2.0 3-pointers per game, and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
• The Huskers are 3-6 in games decided by eight points or less.
• Trey McGowens averages 10.7 points per game, while Dalano Banton averages a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game.
• Nebraska ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.305); third in forced turnovers per game (13.4); and fourth in defensive rebounding (27.7). Individually, Trey McGowens is fourth in the league in steals per contest (1.42), while Dalano Banton is eighth in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.1).
• Dalano Banton is one of two Big Ten players this season to register a triple-double. He posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in Nebraska’s 46-point win over NAIA Doane on Dec. 17.
• Fred Hoiberg is in his second season as head coach at Nebraska and his 15th season overall as a college head coach. Prior to three years as the Chicago Bulls head coach (2015-18), he was head coach at Iowa State for five seasons (2010-15).

LAST MEETING VERSUS NEBRASKA
Iowa led by as many as 38 points in a convincing 96-72 victory over Nebraska on Feb. 8, 2020, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
• Iowa’s 96 points were a season high and the most against Nebraska in the 34-game series history.
• The 24-point win was the Hawkeyes’ third largest margin of victory over Nebraska in the 34-game series.
• Joe Wieskamp netted 20 of his career-high 30 points in the second half. Luka Garza finished the contest with 22 points.
• Jervay Green led the Huskers with 18 points, while Cam Mack contributed 13 points and Dachon Burke had 12.

GARZA EARNS 2 WEEKLY AWARDS
Luka Garza was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 22, leading Iowa to victories over No. 21 Wisconsin and Penn State.

Garza averaged 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists, and one block in the two contests. He totaled 30 points and eight boards against the Badgers, and 23 points and 11 rebounds versus the Nittany Lions. The native of Washington, D.C., became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer against Penn State. Garza broke the school’s 32-year old record held by Roy Marble. Garza’s layup with 8:18 remaining in the second half was the record-breaking basket.

PRECISION ATTACK
Iowa made 52 percent (13-of-25) of its 3-point attempts at Michigan State and 63 percent (12-of-19) at Wisconsin; the last time Iowa sank 52 percent of its 3-point attempts in consecutive games was 2004 against UNC Greensboro and Northern Iowa.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK — 5
Iowa has three 1,000-point scorers on its 2020-21 roster: Luka Garza (2,166), Jordan Bohannon (1,552), and Joe Wieskamp (1,205). It marks the fifth time in program history that three 1,000-point scorers are on the same team: 1987-88 (Roy Marble, B.J. Armstrong, Jeff Moe); 1988-89 (Roy Marble, B.J. Armstrong, Ed Horton); 1995-96 (Jess Settles, Kenyon Murray, Chris Kingsbury); 2004-05 (Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner, Pierre Pierce).

Iowa’s 2020-21 trio (4,923 points and counting) is the second highest trio in school history behind the 1988-89 trio of Marble, Armstrong, and Horton (5,193 points).

VALUING THE BASKETBALL
Iowa ranks first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0). The Hawkeyes have two players ranked high nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. CJ Fredrick has a blistering 9.6 ratio (48 assists; 5 turnovers), but does not meet the minimum assists per game requirements to be ranked. Connor McCaffery is third in the country with a 3.75 ratio (90 assists; 24 turnovers), while Jordan Bohannon is 12th with a 3.3 ratio (111 assists; 33 turnovers).

Iowa has teammates who recorded 10-assist/0-turover games in consecutive games. Connor McCaffery and Jordan Bohannon are the first Division I duo from the same team to accomplish the feat in the last 10 years. McCaffery had 10 assists and zero turnovers at Maryland (Jan. 7), while Jordan Bohannon was credited with 14 assists and zero turnovers versus Minnesota (Jan. 10).

IN THE RANKINGS
• Iowa is ranked No. 5 in this week’s AP Poll, its highest ranking the first week of March since being ranked fifth on March 5, 1956.
• Iowa was ranked in the AP Top 10 the first 11 weeks. The last time the Hawkeyes were ranked in the Top 10 11 consecutive weeks was the 1986-87 season. Iowa has been ranked inside the Top 15 every week this season, including No. 5 this week.
• 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).
• Iowa’s game against Gonzaga on Dec. 19, was just the second time in program history that Iowa played in a contest pitting No. 1 against No. 3.

IOWA VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
Iowa is 7-4 versus ranked teams this season. The seven victories tie Kansas for the most by any team in the country during the 2020-21 season.

The Hawkeyes have won 10 of its 11 home games against AP ranked foes, with the line loss coming to No. 4 Ohio State on Feb. 4. That loss snapped Iowa’s nine-game win streak, the longest such streak in program history during the AP Poll era (since 1948-49).

The Hawkeyes have won 14 contests over ranked opponents over the last two seasons, the most in the country, and 19 wins over ranked foes over the last three seasons, second most in the nation (Michigan State, 23).

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).

IT AIN’T EASY BEING WIESY
Joe Wieskamp is the first Hawkeye junior in school history to amass 1,200+ points, 500+ rebounds, 150+ 3-pointers, 100+ assists, and 75+ steals.

He was the Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 15, after averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in a pair of double-digit wins over No. 25 Rutgers (79-66) and Michigan State (88-58). Wieskamp shot a combined 59 percent from the field (16-of-27), including a blistering 71 percent from 3-point range (10-of-14) in the two wins.

In Iowa’s 13-point triumph over the Scarlet Knights, Wieskamp led all scorers with 26 points and controlled 10 defensive rebounds. Wieskamp made 64 percent of his total field goal attempts (9-of-14), including 5-of-7 from 3-point territory.

Wieskamp eclipsed 20 points for the second consecutive game in Iowa’s 30-point victory against Michigan State at the Breslin Center on Feb. 13, netting a game-best 21 points and grabbing seven defensive rebounds. The 30-point win was Iowa’s largest margin of victory ever in East Lansing and the Spartans’ worst home defeat in 46 years. Once again, Wieskamp was dialed in from distance, sinking five of his seven 3-point attempts.

Wieskamp is one of five finalists for the 2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. He is averaging 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last six outings. Wieskamp, who ranks ninth in career 3-pointers at Iowa, is shooting the basketball at an extremely high level as of late, making 56.6 percent (43-of-76) over the last 13 contests. He has made five 3-pointers in four of the last six games and three or more in nine of the last 13 games.

Wieskamp ranks second on the team in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). The native of Muscatine, Iowa, ranks second in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.48) and fifth in defensive rebounds per game (5.64). He leads all players in 3-point accuracy, making 49 percent of his attempts (42-of-86) in Big Ten play.

The native of Muscatine, Iowa, has scored in double figures in 21 of Iowa’s 25 games this season and 66 career times.

He became the 50th player in program history to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 20, 2021.
He has grabbed seven or more defensive rebounds in seven of the last 11 games.

NUNGE SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURY
Redshirt sophomore Jack Nunge suffered a season-ending torn meniscus of his right knee in the first half of Iowa’s road game at No. 3 Michigan on Feb. 25.

It is the second time Nunge has suffered a season-ending knee injury the last 16 months. He sustained a torn ACL on the same knee on Nov. 24, 2019, versus Cal Poly.

The 6-foot-11 forward is expected to undergo surgery this week to repair the meniscus and is expected to be sidelined four to six months.

Nunge was the team’s leading scorer (7.1) and rebounder (5.3) off the bench.

QUIET CONFIDENCE
Small forward Keegan Murray is playing with a quiet confidence when his name is called coming off the bench. All-American center Luka Garza has tabbed him “Nicholas Baer 2.0.”

He ranks fourth on the team in rebounding (5.1), second in blocked shots per game (1.04), and sixth in 3-pointers made (14). Murray started four Big Ten games, replacing CJ Fredrick (lower leg injury).

The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, scored a personal-best 14 points and led the team in rebounding (9), steals (3), and blocks (3) against the Scarlet Knights. Murray was a staggering +30, totaling 12 points, five rebounds, and a game-best two blocks versus the Terrapins. Murray’s plus-minus is the third highest of any Hawkeye this season (Patrick McCaffery +39 and Fredrick +33 vs. Northern Illinois). He totaled eight points, seven rebounds, two rejections, and two assists against the Wildcats.

Although technically a true freshman, Murray and his twin, Kris, gained a year of experience following high school graduation playing at DME Academy in Florida in 2019-20 prior to arriving in Iowa City. The Murray twins are legacy Hawkeyes; their father Kenyon played for head coach Tom Davis for four seasons (1993-96).

JORDAN BOHANNON HOLDS 2 IOWA ALL-TIME RECORDS
Jordan Bohannon (615) became Iowa’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Jeff Horner (612), in Iowa’s win over No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday. He is also the school record holder in 3-pointers (344), which are the second most in Big Ten history (374, Ohio State’s Jon Diebler).

Bohannon is tied with Wisconsin’s D’Mitrik Trice for the most games played among active Division I players with 137. Furthermore, his 137 games played tie for third most in school history.

Eighty percent of his made field goals have been 3-pointers (60-of-75). He is one of four Division I players since the 1992-93 season to amass more than 600 assists and 325 3-pointers.

Bohannon is one of only three Hawkeyes to post four 100-assist seasons (Jeff Horner, Dean Oliver).

Bohannon averaged 18.5 points, 8.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 0.5 turnovers at Maryland and at home against Minnesota to earn Big Ten Co-Player of the Week accolades on Jan. 11. He made 61 percent (11-of-18) of his field goal attempts, including a blistering 62.5 percent from 3-point range (10-of-16) in the two wins.

Bohannon had a ridiculous stat line against the Gophers on Jan. 10: 19 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds, 0 turnovers. Bohannon is the first Big Ten player to post those numbers in a game since the 2002-03 season. He has recorded a program-best seven career double-doubles in points and assists.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Fran McCaffery is one of four coaches to record multiple regular season sweeps of Michigan State during Tom Izzo’s tenure (Steve Fisher, John Beilein, and Matt Painter).
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 or more Big Ten games six of the last seven seasons.
• The Hawkeyes rank second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions).
• Iowa, who has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last two seasons, ranks first in the Big Ten and fifth in the country this season, averaging 84.7 points per game.
• Iowa’s 41.6 scoring average in the first half ranks fourth nationally, while its 42.6 second half average ranks 13th.
• The Hawkeyes have won 70 of its last 75 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Iowa is 107-25 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 11 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 83-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last 11 years.
• Iowa has two of the top four active scorers in the Big Ten: Luka Garza is first with 2,166 points, while Jordan Bohannon is fourth with 1,552 points.
• Iowa played back-to-back road games against top-5 opponents (No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State) for the first time since the 1964-65 season.
• The Hawkeyes opened their season with 93+ points in each of their first six games for the first time in program history.
• Iowa’s 15-point victory (77-62) is its largest in Madison since a 15-point win over the Badgers in 1988. Iowa’s 77 points are the most scored at the Kohl Center since a 79-76 win in 1998.
• Iowa’s 88-58 win over Michigan State on Feb. 13, is its largest margin of victory (30 points) ever in East Lansing and the Spartans’ worst home defeat in 46 years (1975). Iowa’s 88 points are the most scored at Michigan State since 1993 (96-90 OT). The Hawkeyes posted just their second regular season sweep over Michigan State since the 1993-94 season (2015-16). The win was just Iowa’s second in its last 23 games in East Lansing (2016).
• Iowa recorded wins at Wisconsin and Michigan State for the first time since 1988.
• Iowa scorched Northwestern for 96 points in its 23-point win on Jan. 17, which are the most points scored by the Hawkeyes in Evanston in 34 years (103 points on March 5, 1987).
• Iowa’s 22-point win (89-67) at Maryland on Jan. 7, is the largest margin of victory for either team in the series. The 89 points are the most points Iowa has scored in the 12-game series.
• Iowa’s 53-point win over Northern Illinois (106-53) tied the 18th largest margin of victory in program history.
• Iowa beat Northern Illinois by 53 points, tying the 18th largest margin of victory in program history.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Entering the 2020-21 season, 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.
• 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 CLIMBING WINS CHART
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.

RECENT GRADUATES PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Jarrod Uthoff (NBA G League: Erie BayHawks), Devyn Marble (Kazakhstan), Tyler Cook (NBA Brooklyn Nets), Adam Woodbury (NBA G League: Grand Rapids Drive), Anthony Clemmons (Bosnia), Gabriel Olaseni (Turkey), Ryan Kriener (Belgium), Peter Jok (Spain), and Aaron White (Greece).

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).

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.