Game Notes: Iowa vs Portland State

THE SETTING
Iowa (5-0) will conclude its six-game homestand on Friday when the Hawkeyes welcome Portland State (2-2) to Iowa City. Tipoff is set for 6:01 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Friday will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Due to the holiday weekend, there will be FREE parking to fans attending Friday’s game. Game tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth and UI Students. Terrace Club tickets are also available for purchase for $36.25.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Jon Swisher will handle Friday’s 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.
Stream: Friday’s exhibition will be streamed on mobile devices at B1G+ ($). Matt Menzl and Jay Wilson will call the action.

GAME #6 STORYLINES
• Iowa scored a season-high 109 points in its last outing. The Hawkeyes have topped the century mark in three of five games this season (Longwood, Alabama State, Western Michigan). The last time an Iowa team scored 100+ points in three of its first five games was the start of the 1997-98 season.
• Iowa has made a combined 32 3-pointers over its last two games (12 against Western Michigan and 20 versus Alabama State).
• Jordan Bohannon sank his 375th career 3-pointer last Thursday to surpass Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) to become the Big Ten’s all-time 3-point leader.
• Iowa has won 75 of its last 80 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Sophomore forward Keegan Murray ranks first in the Big Ten in points per game (26.2) and fourth in free throw percentage (.886) and rebounds per game (8.8).
• Keegan Murray and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley (2007-08) are the only two players from a major conference to score 24+ points in each of their first five games of the season over the last 15 years.
• Iowa has been making the most of its trips to the foul line through five games. The Hawkeyes are shooting a Big Ten-best 83.9 percent from the foul line, making 104-of-124 attempts.
• Fran McCaffery coached in his 800th career game as a head coach last Thursday versus Alabama State. 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).
• Jordan Bohannon is back for his sixth season. He is Iowa’s career leader in assists (645), free throw percentage (.889), games played (148), and 3-pointers (379).
• 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 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 CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER WESTERN MICHIGAN
Iowa’s bench scored a season-high 63 points in a comfortable 109-61 victory over Western Michigan Monday evening on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Keegan Murray led the team in scoring for the fifth straight game to start the season. The Big Ten’s leading scorer totaled a personal-best 29 points, to go along with six rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and eight drawn fouls. Murray scored Iowa’s first 17 points and reached 20 points in the first 11 minutes.
• Collectively, Iowa was credited with 15 steals, equaling the third most total by an Hawkeye team in the Fran McCaffery era.
• Iowa, who leads the Big Ten in free throw accuracy, missed only two free throws (21-of-23).
• Sophomore guard Tony Perkins and freshman guard Payton Sandfort each reached double figures for the second time this season. Sandfort netted 19 points, while Perkins had a personal-best 15 points. Sandfort knocked down five 3-pointers for the second straight game.
• Sophomore Ahron Ulis was credited with a career-high eight assists.
• Redshirt sophomore forward Patrick McCaffery (lower body injury) and Josh Ogundele (illness) did not play.
• Iowa improved to 86-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points over the last 12 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes had a 13-0 scoring run in the first half. Iowa has had scoring runs of 10-0 or more a combined eight times in five games.
• Monday was the first meeting between the two teams since 1951.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE
• Portland State competes in the Big Sky Conference. Last season, the Vikings posted a 9-13 overall record and finished eighth in their league with a 6-8 conference mark.
• After losing their season opener at Oregon State (73-64), the Vikings won two straight. Portland State beat Evergreen State (100-44) and George Fox (104-58). Portland State dropped its last outing to rival Portland (69-54).
• Portland State lost its last game, 69-54, to Portland on Tuesday night. James Jean-Marie led the way for the Vikings with a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double. Cold shooting doomed the Vikings, shooting just 9 percent from 3-point range (2-of-23) and 31.5 percent overall from the field (23-of-73).
• James Jean-Marie averages a team-best 15 points per game, followed by Madison, Wisconsin, native Marlon Ruffun at 12.3 points per contest.
• Fifth-year senior forward Khalid Thomas is the team’s returning leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game last season. He spent his first two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, and his junior year at Arizona State.
• Portland State’s roster of 15 is comprised of three seniors, seven juniors, two sophomores, and three freshmen.
• Portland State ranked 17th in the country in defensive turnover percentage a year ago.
• Jase Coburn is in his first season as head coach of Portland State after serving five seasons as an assistant coach (2014-18) and three years as the associate head coach (2018-21). A native of Mesa, Arizona, Coburn played collegiate basketball at MiraCosta College.

KEEGAN MURRAY TABBED BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Keegan Murray was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday. He shared the honor with Purdue forward Trevion Williams.

Murray averaged 26.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks in a pair of convincing victories last week. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a combined 19-of-35 (.543) from the field and 13-of-15 (.867) from the foul line.

Murray had a historic stat line against N.C. Central on Nov. 16. The forward totaled 27 points, 21 rebounds, and four blocks against the Eagles. He became the fourth Hawkeye over the last five decades, and first since 1977, to score 20+ points and grab 20+ rebounds in a game.

Against Alabama State on Nov. 18, Murray amassed 26 points, six rebounds, and a career-high four assists. Murray sank two of Iowa’s school-record 20 3-pointers in a 26-point win.

Murray, who leads the Big Ten in scoring (25.5 ppg), has netted 24+ points in each of the first four contests of the season. He is one of three players from a major conference to score 24+ points in each of their first four games of the season over the last 15 years. In addition to Murray, Kansas State’s Michael Beasley (2007-08) and Arizona’s Allonzo Trier (2017-18) accomplished the feat.

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 in the opener tallying nine points, four assists, and four of Iowa’s six steals. Last Thursday versus Alabama State, he totaled a career-high 11 assists and a season-high 11 points.

Toussaint ranks second in the Big Ten in assists per game (5.4) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.4). He has already matched his 3-point field goals made mark from a year ago through five games this season (3).

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.

TWICE AS NICE
Sophomores Keegan and Kris Murray rank 1-2 in team scoring. Keegan averages a Big Ten-best 26.2 points, while Kris averages 12.8 points.

The Murray’s combined for 40 points, 14 rebounds, seven blocks, and two assists against Longwood. 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.

The twins combined for 31 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and three steals against Kansas City and 43 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and one block against Alabama State. The duo combined for 41 points, 16 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks in Iowa’s last outing against Western Michigan on Monday.

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 (645), 3-pointers made (379), games played (148), and free throw percentage (.889, 296-333). His 379 triples are the most in Big Ten history and 117 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.

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.

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.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,877 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Iowa’s overall record is 1,697-1,180 (.589). Iowa’s 1,697 wins are 36th most among Division I programs. That includes a 1,087-374 (.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 491-148 (.768) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• Iowa has topped 100 points in three of five games (Longwood, Alabama State, Western Michigan).
• Iowa has limited its turnovers in each of the first five games this season. The Hawkeyes have committed just 41 combined turnovers in four contests (8.2), an average that is tops in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes also rank first in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.56).
• Iowa posted school single-game records in 3-pointers made (20) and attempted (44) against Alabama State on Nov. 18, besting the previous records of 19-of-43 against Savannah State on Dec. 22, 2018. Iowa’s 20 3-pointers made equals the Carver-Hawkeye Arena record (20 by Purdue on Jan. 20, 2018).
• Iowa is 114-26 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 12 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 86-2 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).

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).