Game Notes: Iowa at Virginia

THE SETTING
Iowa (6-0) will play its first road game of the season on Monday when the Hawkeyes travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face Virginia (5-2) in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:01 p.m. (CT) at John Paul Jones Arena.

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: Monday’s contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Anish Shroff and Cory Alexander will call the action.

BIG TEN/ACC MEN’S BASKETBALL CHALLENGE STORYLINES
• Iowa is 8-12 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, notching six of its eight Challenge wins at home. The two road victories came at nationally-ranked North Carolina (60-55) in 2015 and at Syracuse (68-52) in 2019.
• The Hawkeyes have won six of their last eight ACC/Big Ten Challenge games.
• The Hawkeyes have topped the century mark in three of six games (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.
• Jordan Bohannon sank his 375th career 3-pointer on Nov. 18, to surpass Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) to become the Big Ten’s all-time 3-point leader.
• Sophomore forward Keegan Murray is one of three Big Ten players since the 2002-03 season with six consecutive 20-point games to start the season.
• Keegan Murray ranks second in the Big Ten in points per game (25.7), fourth rebounds per game (8.8), and seventh in free throw percentage (.892).
• Iowa has been making the most of its trips to the foul line through six games. The Hawkeyes are shooting 83.2 percent from the foul line, making 119-of-143 attempts. Iowa is tops in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in free throw accuracy.
• Fran McCaffery 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 (646), free throw percentage (.890), games played (149), and 3-pointers (379). He ranks seventh in career scoring (1,698), surpassing Roy Devyn Marble last game. Bohannon is eight points from surpassing B.J. Armstrong (1,705) for sixth.
• 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 PORTLAND STATE
Iowa cruised to its sixth straight victory to start the season, as the Hawkeyes overwhelmed Portland State, 85-51, on Friday in Iowa City.
• Keegan Murray led the team in scoring for the sixth straight game to start the season. The sophomore forward totaled 23 points, to go along with nine rebounds, two steals and a block.
• After missing the previous two games with a lower body injury, Patrick McCaffery returned to action scoring 14 points.
• Tony Perkins netted 10 points, reaching double figures for the third time in four games.
• Connor McCaffery dished out a game and season-high seven assists.
• The Murray twins combined for 26 of Iowa’s 31 first-half points. Keegan netted 21 points, while Kris had five points in the first stanza.
• Iowa has won 76 of its last 81 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Iowa improved to 87-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points over the last 12 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes had a 10-0 scoring run in the second half. Iowa has had scoring runs of 10-0 or more a combined nine times in six games.
• Friday was the first meeting between the two teams.

5 YEARS AGO…
Jordan Bohannon was spectacular in his first career start when the Hawkeyes visited Notre Dame in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 29, 2016. Bohannon netted 23 points and dished out seven assists with only one turnover in 32 minutes of action. He was 7-of-15 from 3-point range with the 15 attempts tying for second most in a single game in Iowa history.

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Monday will be the fourth overall meeting between the two programs and first time Iowa will play Virginia in the 23 years of the Big Ten/ACC Men’s Basketball Challenge. The Hawkeyes won the first two meetings against the Cavaliers: 73-60 in the 1997 NCAA Tournament First Round in Salt Lake City and 75-64 in the 2013 NIT Quarterfinals in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Cavaliers topped Iowa in the last meeting at the 2016 Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA
• Virginia has won four straight games after losing two of its first three games of the season. The Cavaliers have beaten Coppin State, Georgia, Providence, and Lehigh the last couple weeks. Virginia ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (53.6).
• Virginia posted an 18-7 overall record and its 10th Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title with a 13-4 league mark a year ago. The Cavaliers advanced to the ACC Tournament Semifinals and earned its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, falling to 13th-seeded Ohio University in the first round as a No. 4 seed.
• The Cavaliers lost the top three scorers from a year ago in redshirt seniors Sam Hauser (16.0) and Jay Huff (13.0) and Trey Murphy III (11.3), who decided to forgo his remaining eligibility and entered the 2021 NBA Draft.
• Virginia has three players average double figures in scoring: Jayden Gardner (13.4 ppg), Armaan Franklin (13.0 ppg), and Kihei Clark (10.3 ppg). The Hawkeyes are familiar with Franklin, as the junior played his first two seasons and Indiana in the Big Ten.
• Kadin Shedrick ranks fifth in the country with 23 total blocks. Reece Beekman is second nationally with 20 total steals.
• The Cavaliers won their last outing, topping Lehigh 61-43 on Friday in Charlottesville. Virginia held Lehigh to 35 percent shooting from the field. Beekman and Clark combined for 21 points and 11 assists to lead the Cavaliers.
• Franklin and Clark are Virginia’s two main 3-point threats, each sinking 11 triples.
• Three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett is in his 13th year as head coach at Virginia. Bennett came to Charlottesville in 2009 after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Washington State, where he was the 2007 National Coach of the Year. Thursday’s win over Lehigh was Tony Bennett’s 300th victory as Virginia’s head coach (300-105, .741). His overall record is 369-138 (.728) in 16 seasons.

LAST MEETING
Iowa snapped Virginia’s 19-game home win streak with a 75-64 triumph in the NIT Quarterfinals in 2013.
• Iowa was perfect from the free throw line, making all 15 attempts. The Hawkeyes made all 14 of their free throw attempts in the final 3:09 of the contest.
• Roy Devyn Marble netted a game-high 24 points. Adam Woodbury went 5-of-7 from the field to score in double-figures (10). Zach McCabe also scored 10 points, hitting 2-of-3 from long distance.
• The Hawkeyes drained eight 3-pointers (8-of-17, .471). The 47.1 shooting percentage is a school NIT single-game record.

TWICE AS NICE
Sophomores Keegan and Kris Murray rank 1-2 in team scoring. Keegan averages 25.7 points, while Kris averages 12.8 points.

The Murray’s combined for 40 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks against Longwood. The twins combined for 31 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and three steals against Kansas City; 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 against Western Michigan and 36 points and 15 rebounds versus Portland State.

Kris missed the game versus N.C. Central due to illness.

KEEGAN MURRAY TABBED BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Keegan Murray was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 22. 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. 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.

SPOTLIGHTING KEEGAN MURRAY’S DOMINATING EFFORT
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.

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).

McCaffery has continued his mastery of limiting turnovers in 2021-22 with 18 assists and only two turnovers through six games. His 9.0 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the country. Joe Toussaint’s 3.75 ratio is third in the league and 25th nationally.

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 third in the Big Ten in assists per game (5.0) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.75). He has already matched his 3-point field goals made mark from a year ago through six 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.

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 (646), 3-pointers made (379), games played (149), and free throw percentage (.890, 299-336). His 379 triples are the most in Big Ten history and 117 more than any other Hawkeye.

He ranks seventh in career scoring (1,698), surpassing Roy Devyn Marble last game. Bohannon is eight points from surpassing B.J. Armstrong (1,705) for sixth.

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.

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.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Fran McCaffery has the most experienced coaching staffs in the country. The Iowa men’s basketball staff has 75 years of combined collegiate head coaching experience and more than 125 years of collegiate coaching under their belts.

HAWKEYE FASTBREAKS
• 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 limited its turnovers in each of the first six games this season. The Hawkeyes have committed just 54 combined turnovers in four contests (9.0), an average that ties for second in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes also rank second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22).
• 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 115-26 when scoring 80 points or more, the last 12 seasons. The Hawkeyes are 87-2 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.
• 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).

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).