Game Notes: Iowa vs Western Illinois

THE SETTING
Iowa (9-3) hosts Western Illinois (10-3) in its nonconference finale on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 7:01 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.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Jon Swisher will handle 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.
Stream: Wednesday’s game will be streamed on mobile devices at B1G+ ($). Scott Sudikoff and Jess Settles will call the action.

NONCONFERENCE FINALE STORYLINES
• Wednesday will be the 11th meeting between Iowa and Western Illinois. The Hawkeyes won all 10 previous games, most recently last December in Iowa City (99-58). Iowa won the previous 10 contests against the Leathernecks by an average of 35.2 points.
• Iowa has won 76 of its last 81 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• Iowa has limited its turnovers in each of the first 12 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.06); third in fewest turnovers per game (8.6); and fourth in turnover margin (7.2).
• Keegan Murray is tops in the country in points per game (23.2); 43rd in free throws made (50); 46th in field goal percentage (.576); and 55th in blocks per contest (1.9).
• The Hawkeyes have had scoring runs of 10-0 or more a combined 14 times in 12 games.
• Kris Murray leads the squad in 3-point accuracy, making 47 percent (16-of-34) of his attempts, while Jordan Bohannon ranks second (.423, 30-of-71).
• Jordan Bohannon (107) and Connor McCaffery (88) rank second and fourth, respectively, in most career wins among active Big Ten players.
• Iowa has won five straight games played on Dec. 29, dating back to 2016.
• 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.
• Iowa has been making the most of its trips to the foul line through 12 games. The Hawkeyes are shooting 78.4 percent from the foul line. Iowa is tops in the Big Ten and 14th nationally in free throw accuracy. The Hawkeyes have made (200) nearly more free throws than their opponents have attempted (201). The 200 free throw makes are 15th most in the country.
• 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 five twins on Division I rosters this season (Arizona State, San Diego State, SIUE, and Wisconsin).
• 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.
• Jordan Bohannon is back for his sixth season. He is Iowa’s career leader in assists (655), free throw percentage (.890), games played (155), and 3-pointers (394). He ranks sixth in career scoring (1,767), two points from surpassing Greg Stokes (1,768) for fifth.
• 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 SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
Iowa led by as many as 37 points in a 93-62 comfortable victory over Southeastern Louisiana last Tuesday evening on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye in Iowa City.
• The nation’s leading scorer, Keegan Murray, posted the second double-double of the season (20 points, 10 rebounds). Murray, who recorded his eighth 20-point effort of the season, netted 15 of his 20 points in the second half.
• Freshman Payton Sandfort reached double figures for the third time this season, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half.
• Redshirt sophomore Patrick McCaffery registered a personal-best 16 points, to go along with two steals, a pair of assists, and three rebounds.
• Jordan Bohannon drained four 3-pointers raising his career total to 394, six shy of 400.
• Iowa made double-digit 3-pointers for the fifth time this season, sinking 11 triples.
• Southeastern Louisiana was led by Joe Kasperzyk, who posted team bests in points (14) and assists (5).

LAST MEETING AGAINST WESTERN ILLINOIS
Iowa led by as many as 41 points in a convincing 99-58 triumph over Western Illinois on Dec. 3, 2020, in Iowa City.
• National Player of the Year Luka Garza totaled 35 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks to lead the Hawkeyes. Garza outscored the Leathernecks by himself in the first half, 30-26.
• Iowa recorded scoring runs of 18-2 (spanning 3:51) in the first half and 22-2 (spanning 4:27) in the second half.
• Iowa grabbed 57 rebounds, tying the most by a team in the Fran McCaffery era.
• Pearson (12 points, 6 rebounds) and Carius (10 points, 3 steals) led Western Illinois.

SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
• Western Illinois is located in Macomb, Illinois, and is a part of the Summit League.
• Western Illinois is off to a hot start, winning 10 of its first 13 contests. The Leathernecks are a perfect 6-0 at home and 4-3 on the road.
• Western Illinois dropped its last outing, 84-78, at Omaha on Dec. 22. Trenton Massner posted a team-best 26 points, bolstered by four 3-pointers and going 6-of-7 at the foul line. Will Carius tallied 20 points, nine of which came from the free throw line (9-of-9), while Colton Sandage netted 16. Tamell Pearson controlled a season-high 14 rebounds. George Dixon eclipsed 1,000 rebounds for his collegiate career in the contest.
• Four Leathernecks average double figures in scoring: Carius (17.8), Massner (15.9), Sandage (15.0), and Luka Barisic (12.3). Pearson also averages a team-best seven rebounds. Carrius is the team’s top 3-point threat making 44-of-102 attempts (.431) from distance.
• Western Illinois ranks 11th in the country in total rebounds (526); 14th in 3-pointers made (135); and 15th in free throw attempts (278) and 3-point attempts (367).
• Carius ranks 11th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (3.67) and 14th in 3-point attempts (102).
• Carius averaged 14.7 points per game and was second team All-Summit League and Summit League All-Newcomer Team last season after transferring from Monmouth. Pearson led the team in rebounding and blocks in 2021, while finishing second in scoring (10.4 ppg) after spending two seasons at UAB.
• The Leathernecks are led by Rob Jeter, who is in his second season at Western Illinois. Jeter has 26 years of coaching experience at the Division I level. He was most recently an assistant coach at Minnesota (2019-20), before being on staff at UNLV from 2016-18. From 2005-16, Jeter became UW-Milwaukee’s the all-time winningest coach in the Division I era, winning 185 games.

KEEGAN MURRAY 2X BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Keegan Murray has been named Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season (Dec. 20 and Nov. 22).

Murray powered the Hawkeyes to a convincing 94-75 victory over Utah State on Dec. 18, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Murray exploded for a career-best 35 points. He scored 18 straight Hawkeye points spanning 6:08 in the first half. Murray was six points from the arena record. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also totaled a game-best seven rebounds and had two steals, one block, and an assist. Iowa was +22 when Murray was on the court against the Aggies.

Murray averaged 26.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks in a pair of wins over N.C. Central and Alabama State. He had a historic stat line against N.C. Central, totaling 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, Murray amassed 26 points, six rebounds, and a career-high four assists. He sank two of Iowa’s school-record 20 3-pointers in a 26-point win.

VALUING THE BASKETBALL
The Hawkeyes rank second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.06); third in fewest turnovers per game (8.6); and fourth in turnover margin (7.2).

McCaffery has continued his mastery of limiting turnovers in 2021-22 with 27 assists and only four turnovers, boasting a robust 6.75 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ahron Ulis’ 3.08 ratio is third best in the league and 25th nationally.

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).

At Virginia and versus Illinois, the Hawkeyes committed a season-low four turnovers, tying the third fewest total in a single-game in the Fran McCaffery era. The four turnovers against the Cavaliers are the fourth lowest in any Big Ten/ACC Challenge game.

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 (655), 3-pointers made (394), games played (155), and free throw percentage (.890, 307-345). His 394 triples are the most in Big Ten history and 132 more than any other Hawkeye.

He is three games played from becoming the NCAA all-time leader (157 by Ohio State’s David Lighty, 2007-11). Bohannon ranks sixth in career scoring (1,767) and is only two points from surpassing Greg Stokes (1,768) for fifth.

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.

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.

TWICE AS NICE
Sophomores Keegan and Kris Murray rank first and fourth, respectively, in team scoring. Keegan averages 23.2 points, while Kris averages 10.2 points. Keegan also ranks first on the squad in rebounds per game (8.0), blocks per game (1.9), and free throws made (50), while Kris ranks third on the squad in rebounds per contest (5.1), and first in 3-point accuracy (.471, 16-of-34).

The Murray’s combined for 52 of Iowa’s 94 points versus Utah State. Keegan amassed a career-high 35 points, while Kris matched a personal best with 17 points against the Aggies. The duo also combined for 11 rebounds, four steals, and two blocked shots.

TOUSSAINT RETURNS TO STARTING LINEUP
Junior Joe Toussaint has been a good floor general so far this season. After starting 20 games in 2019, his role changed to coming off the bench last year with a roster filled with upperclassmen.

The native of Bronx, New York, scored the game-winning bucket with eight seconds remaining at Virginia on Nov. 29.

He was all over the floor in the opener versus Longwood tallying nine points, four assists, and four of Iowa’s six steals. Against Alabama State, he totaled a career-high 11 assists and a season-high 11 points.

Toussaint ranks 12th in the Big Ten in assists per game (3.7) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.75). He has already surpassed his 3-point field goals made mark from a year ago through 12 games this season (4).

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.

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
• 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. He is one of three Big Ten players since the 2002-03 season with six consecutive 20-point games to start the season.
• 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).
• The Hawkeyes topped the century mark in three of its first five 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.
• Iowa is 117-27 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.
• 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.
• The Hawkeyes have won seven of their last nine, including four straight, Big Ten/ACC Challenge games.
• Virginia has allowed 75+ points at home only six times under head coach Tony Bennett. Iowa has accounted for two of those six (75 in 2021 and 75 in 2013).
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 or more Big Ten games six of the last seven seasons.
• 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 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.

McCAFFERY CLIMBING WINS CHART
Fran McCaffery and the Hawkeyes have reached 20 wins seven of the last nine seasons. McCaffery and Tom Davis (10) are the only Iowa 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).

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.