Game Notes: Iowa vs Alabama State

THE SETTING
Iowa (3-0) hosts Alabama State (0-4) on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth and UI Students. Terrace Club tickets are also available for purchase for $36.25. Iowa is 3-0 all-time against Alabama State with all previous games being contested in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won in 2001 (73-64), 2017 (92-58), and 2018 (105-78).

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 on the Big Ten Network. Kevin Kugler and former Hawkeye Jess Settles will call the action.

GAME #4 STORYLINES
• Jordan Bohannon is one 3-pointer made from becoming the Big Ten’s all-time 3-point leader. He has made a combined 10 triples through three games to tie Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) for first with 374.
• Keegan Murray exploded for 27 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists in Tuesday’s win over North Carolina Central. Murray is the first Hawkeye to total 25+ points and 20+ rebounds in a game since Bruce King in 1977. King had 31 points and 21 rebounds vs. Ohio State in 1977.
• Iowa has been making the most of its trips to the foul line through three games. The Hawkeyes are shooting a Big Ten-best 83.5 percent from the foul line, making 71-of-85 attempts. Three Hawkeyes have missed just one attempt (Keegan Murray, 20-of-21; Patrick McCaffery 11-of-12; Tony Perkins 10-of-11).
• Thursday will be Fran McCaffery’s 800th career game as a head coach. He has coached a first-team All-Big Ten honoree six of the last eight years. He has guided Iowa to 20+ wins seven of the last nine seasons and fifth place or better finishes in the Big Ten five of the last seven years.
• Iowa is the only Division I program with two sets of brothers on the 2021-22 roster, with one being identical twins. Connor and Patrick McCaffery are two years apart, while Keegan and Kris Murray are identical twins. The Murray twins are one of four twins on Division I rosters this season (Arizona State, San Diego State, and SIUE).
• Iowa has won 72 of its last 77 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Iowa returns an average percentage of its production from a year ago: scoring (39%), rebounding (43%), assists (68%), steals (60%), and blocks (40%).
• Jordan Bohannon is back for his sixth season. He is Iowa’s career leader in assists (641), free throw percentage (.887), games played (145), and 3-pointers (373).
• Redshirt senior Connor McCaffery ranked fourth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio last season (3.7) and ranked first nationally in 2020 (4.6).
• Iowa has won 14 home games each of the last three seasons. The Hawkeyes have averaged just over 13 home victories since Fran McCaffery’s arrival in Iowa City in 2011.
• Iowa broke three school single season records in 2021: fewest turnovers per game (9.5), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.02), and 3-pointers made (301).
• Iowa ranked first in the Big Ten in scoring offense for the third straight season; Iowa’s 83.7 points per game average in 2021 is its highest since the 1988-89 season (89.6). The Hawkeyes have led the conference in scoring four of the last eight seasons.
• Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to 20 wins or more in seven of the last nine seasons. He has led Iowa to Big Ten upper division finishes eight of the last nine years. Iowa, Michigan State, and Wisconsin have each recorded a Big Ten-best eight first division finishes since 2013.

HAWKEYES BEAT N.C. CENTRAL TUESDAY NIGHT
Sophomore forward Keegan Murray exploded for 27 points, 21 rebounds, and four blocks to lead the Hawkeyes to an 86-69 victory over North Carolina Central on Tuesday in Iowa City.
• Murray registered his first career double-double, totaling game and career bests in scoring (27) and rebounds (21). Murray has netted 24+ points in each of Iowa’s first three games this season.
• Jordan Bohannon sank one 3-pointer to tie Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) for first in all-time 3-pointers made in Big Ten history with 374.
• Keegan Murray made his first nine free throw attempts before missing his 10th attempt, snapping a streak of 21 consecutive free throws made, dating back to last season.
• Tony Perkins (13 points) and Ahron Ulis (12 points) shined off the bench for the Hawkeyes, each netting a career high in points. Ulis also had a team-best four assists, while Perkins was credited with a team-best three steals.
• Patrick McCaffery netted a season-best 15 points. The redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures in all three games this season. The 41 attempts equal the sixth most in a game during the Fran McCaffery era (2011-present).
• Iowa was 35-of-41 from the free throw line. The 35 makes are the most in a game by the Hawkeyes since making 39 versus Indiana in 2017.
• Iowa’s largest scoring run was 15-0 in the first half. The Hawkeyes have had scoring runs of 10-0 or more a combined six times in three games.
• Iowa improved to 3-0 all-time against North Carolina Central.

SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE
• Alabama State is located in Montgomery, Alabama, and competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Last season, the Hornets went 4-14 overall and finished in eighth place in their league.
• The Hornets play their first five games of the season on the road. Alabama State dropped a 68-60 decision to Iowa State Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa.
• Isaiah Range and Jordan O’Neal combined for 27 of Alabama State’s 60 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Cyclones. Range also pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds. The Hornets held the Cyclones to just 5 percent (1-20) from 3-point range.
• Alabama State’s roster of 16 is comprised of one senior, five juniors, four sophomores, and five freshmen.
• Alabama State boasted the fourth best free throw percentage in the country last season.
• Redshirt junior guard Kenny Strawbridge, a two-time transfer, is the team’s returning leading scorer. He is averaging 8.3 points through four games this season.
• Forward Trace Young leads the team in scoring, averaging 11 points per contest. Isaiah Range also averages double figures in scoring, averaging 10.8 points.
• Mo Williams is in his second season as head coach at Alabama State. Williams came to Alabama State after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at California State University at Northridge (CSUN). Williams enjoyed a prosperous 14-year NBA career, including an NBA Championship season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

SPOTLIGHTING KEEGAN MURRAY’S DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
Keegan Murray posted 27 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists in Iowa’s win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 16. He accomplished something that has not been done in over four decades by a Hawkeye.

Murray is the first Hawkeye to total 25+ points and 20+ rebounds in a game since Bruce King in 1977. King had 31 points and 21 rebounds vs. Ohio State in 1977.

Murray is one four players over the last five decades to post a 20-20 game: Kevin Kunnert (24-23) vs. Illinois in 1972; Fred Haberecht (29-20) vs. Wisconsin in 1975; Bruce King (42-20) vs. Pittsburgh in 1976; Bruce King (31-21) vs. Ohio State in 1977.

The last Big Ten player to have a 20-20 performance was Purdue’s Trevion Williams at Michigan on Jan. 9, 2020 (36-20).

Murray is the first Hawkeye since Greg Brunner in 2006 to grab 20+ rebounds in a game; Brunner had 23 against Minnesota on Jan. 18, 2006. Murray is the first major conference player with 27+ points, 21+ rebounds, and 4+ blocks since Kansas State’s Michael Beasley versus Sacramento State on Nov. 9, 2007.

TOUSSAINT RETURNS TO STARTING LINEUP
Joe Toussaint shined in the season opener on Nov. 9, in his first start since a true freshman in 2019. The native of Bronx, New York, was all over the floor against Longwood tallying nine points, four assists, and four of Iowa’s six steals. Toussaint started 20 of Iowa’s 31 games in 2019. His role changed to coming off the bench last year with a roster filled with upperclassmen.

MURRAY TWINS DOMINATE SEASON OPENER
Sophomore Keegan and Kris Murray combined for 40 points, 14 rebounds, seven blocked shots, and two assists in the season opener against Longwood on Nov. 9. The identical twins were efficient shooting the basketball, shooting a combined 15-of-19 (.789) from the field, including 5-of-8 (.625) from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 (.833) from the free throw line.

Keegan posted 24 points, five blocks, and a career-best three 3-pointers, while Kris registered career bests in scoring (16), rebounds (7), 3-pointers (2), and blocks (2). The twins combined for 31 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and three steals last Friday’s triumph over Kansas City.

2021-22 SCHEDULE NOTES
• Iowa plays its first six regular season games at home on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• The Hawkeyes will play back-to-back games away from home five times in 2020-21. beginning with the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Virginia on Nov. 29, and the Big Ten opener at Purdue on Dec. 3.
• Iowa’s final two games of the regular season will be on the road at Michigan (March 3) and at Illinois (Dec. 6). It marks the second time in three seasons that the Hawkeyes will be on the road for their final two contests.
• Iowa will host a three-game Big Ten homestand in mid-February hosting Nebraska (Feb. 13), Michigan (Feb. 17), and Michigan State (Feb. 22).
• The Hawkeyes’ conference opener will be on Monday, Dec. 6 versus border-rival Illinois.
• Iowa has won 14 home games each of the previous three seasons.

JORDAN BOHANNON HOLDS 4 IOWA ALL-TIME RECORDS
Jordan Bohannon, competing in his sixth season, is the program’s career leader in four statistical categories: assists (642), 3-pointers made (374), games played (146), and free throw percentage (.889, 296-333). His 374 triples tie Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (374) for the most in Big Ten history and 112 more than any other Hawkeye.

Bohannon, an honorable mention all-conference honoree in 2021, is one of 30 Division I players over the last 25 years to make 75+ 3-pointers in four seasons.

Bohannon ranked first in the league in 3-point accuracy (.394) and second in 3-pointers made per game (2.58) in 2021. He was second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.07) and fourth in assists per contest (4.4).

Bohannon’s 80 3-pointers in 2021 are fourth most and his 135 assists are ninth most by a senior in program history.
Eighty percent of his made field goals last season were 3-pointers (80-of-100). He is one of only three Division I players since the 1992-93 season to amass more than 625 assists and 360 3-pointers.

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

He has accumulated seven points-assists double-doubles, the most in school history. Bohannon registered a school-record eight games with 10 or more assists.

GIVE ME THREE OF THESE, PLEASE
Iowa established a new single-season 3-point field goals made record last season, sinking 301 to best the previous benchmark of 300 set four seasons ago in 2017. Iowa made 38.6 percent of its attempts (301-of-780), its highest percentage since the 1996-97 season (218-of-543). Iowa’s 38.6 percentage from long distance in 2020-21 is impressive considering the Hawkeyes attempted 237 more attempts than the 1997 squad. The school record for 3-point percentage in a single-season is 41.5 percent (188-of-453) in 1987-88; that team attempted 327 fewer 3-point shots.

VALUING THE BASKETBALL
Iowa ranked first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.02) last season. The Hawkeyes had two players ranked high nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. Connor McCaffery was fourth in the country with a 3.73 ratio (112 assists; 30 turnovers), while Jordan Bohannon was 13th with a 3.07 ratio (135 assists; 44 turnovers).

KEEGAN MURRAY TABBED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Sophomore forward Keegan Murray was named to the 2021-22 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.

It marks the third straight season that one or more Hawkeyes have been selected to the preseason list, voted upon by a selected panel of media. Joe Wieskamp was selected in 2019 and 2020, while Luka Garza was tabbed the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year in November, 2020.

Murray is one of the league’s top emerging players after being named to the five-player All-Big Ten Freshman Team a year ago. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native was one of only five players nationally — and only bench player — to amass 200 points, 35 blocks, 25 steals, and 15 3-pointers. He was the team’s leading scorer (7.8) and rebounder (5.5) off the bench in conference play. Murray led team in blocks 12 times and steals five times. The 6-foot-8 forward was second on the team in steals (26) and ranked 11th in the Big Ten in blocked shots per game (1.26). His 39 blocks tie for fourth most by a freshman in program history.

Murray totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and a steal in Iowa’s first-round victory over Grand Canyon to become the first Hawkeye ever to stuff the stat sheet with those numbers in an NCAA Tournament contest.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa has limited its turnovers in each of the first three games this season. The Hawkeyes have committed just eight turnovers in each of the first three contests, an average that is second best in the Big Ten.
• Iowa is 112-26 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 12 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 85-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points, the last 12 years.
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 or more Big Ten games six of the last seven seasons.
• Jordan Bohannon, Bob Hansen, Kevin Boyle, and Mark Gannon are the only Hawkeyes to win four games over the Cyclones.
• The Hawkeyes have won six of their last eight ACC/Big Ten Challenge games.
• Iowa has won an NCAA Tournament game each of its last four tournament appearances.
• Iowa has qualified for five NCAA tournaments over the last seven completed seasons (2014-16, 2019, 2021) and eight postseason tournaments over the last nine completed seasons (5 NCAA; 3 NIT).
• Iowa earned a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, matching its highest seed ever in NCAA Tournament history (No. 2 seed in the 1987 Tournament).

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,875 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,695-1,180 (.589). Iowa’s 1,695 wins are 36th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,085-374 (.743) record in home games, a 610-806 (.431) record in contests away from Iowa City, a 802-805 (.499) mark in Big Ten games and a 489-148 (.767) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

McCAFFERY CLIMBING WINS CHART
Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes have reached the 20-win plateau seven of the last nine seasons. McCaffery and Tom Davis (10) are the only Iowa head coaches to win 20 or more games in at least seven seasons. Among Iowa’s head basketball coaches, McCaffery ranks second in tournament appearances behind Davis (9). 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: Joe Wieskamp (NBA San Antonio Spurs), Luka Garza (NBA Detroit Pistons), Jarrod Uthoff (Japan), Devyn Marble (Israel), Tyler Cook (NBA Chicago Bulls), Anthony Clemmons (Italy), Gabriel Olaseni (Turkey), Ryan Kriener (Matsuyama), Bakari Evelyn (Germany), Peter Jok (France), Melsahn Basabe (Puerto Rico), and Aaron White (Serbia).