Iowa Hawkeyes Win Big Ten Tournament Championship

INDIANAPOLIS – The fifth-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team downed third-seeded Purdue, 75-66, on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to earn the third Big Ten Tournament title in program history.

It was a total team effort from the start, as early foul trouble gave opportunities for 12 Hawkeyes to see the floor in the first half. Despite being out-rebounded, 27-15, and shooting just 3-of-15 (20 percent) from 3-point range in the first half, Iowa never trailed as it carried a 35-32 lead into halftime.

The ninth-ranked Boilermakers would battle back to go up 40-39 with 17:41 on the clock off a pull-up jumper from Eric Hunter, Jr., the first of six lead changes in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

A key turning point came with nine minutes to play, as freshman Payton Sandfort drilled back-to-back triples to give Iowa a six-point advantage, its largest lead of the half to that point. The Hawkeyes were able to build up a 63-55 edge heading into the under-four minute media timeout.

Purdue kept battling, as Trevion Williams hit a pair of free throws coming out of the break, then stole a pass on the ensuing Iowa possession to setup Jaden Ivey for a layup under the basket. Williams stole the ball, again, this time setting up Hunter, Jr., for a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to one.

Head coach Fran McCaffery called a timeout, and if the Hawkeyes were rattled, they didn’t show it when they returned to the floor. Senior Connor McCaffery immediately converted an and-one opportunity off a turnaround jumper to get the lead back up to four.

Senior Filip Rebraca stole the ball on the following possession, then went 1-of-2 at the line to put Iowa up 67- 62. From there, the Hawkeyes got the stops they needed and free throw shooting put Iowa up eight points with one minute to play.

Ivey scored in the paint with 52 seconds remaining, but Connor McCaffery found sophomore Keegan Murray on a full court pass streaking for a dunk to help stave off the Boilermaker advance.

Sixth-year senior Jordan Bohannon and sophomore Keegan Murray knocked down a few more free throws off of Purdue desperation fouls, and that was all she wrote. The Hawkeyes cut down the nets in Indianapolis in celebration of the program’s first Big Ten Tournament title since 2006.

Murray finished with his 10th double-double of the season, leading Iowa with 19 points and 11 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes of action. Sophomore Tony Perkins was next in scoring for Iowa with 11 points, followed by Sandfort’s 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.

“We believe in each other,” said Murray. “This season we had a lot of bumps in the road, especially in January. We just came together, and we knew we were destined for greatness. We changed the history of the Iowa program today and that’s all I can ask for of my guys. I am just so proud of them.”

Ten of the 12 Hawkeyes who competed on Sunday scored. Iowa finished with eight 3-point field goals on 28 attempts (29 percent) and shot 43 percent (26-61) overall, but defensive tenacity is what stood out as Iowa forced 17 Purdue turnovers and held the potent Boilermaker offense to 1.03 points per possession.

QUOTING HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“It is hard to describe, and that’s what everybody says. This team is really special, special to me. Coaching both my boys, and to watch them celebrating with their teammates, their brothers, and to do it together. There is just no better feeling. I think we felt like we had a really good nucleus, but we had to come together at both ends of the floor. We had to identify roles, and sometimes you have to make changes. But this team accepted the roles that we defined for them, and all they do is compete. We beat a really good team today.”

NOTABLES

• Iowa captured its third Big Ten Tournament title and first since 2006 (2001, 2006, 2022).
• Iowa captured its third Big Ten Tournament title and first since 2006 (2001, 2006, 2022).
• The Hawkeyes are the only school to win a Big Ten Tournament title twice by winning four games in four days; Iowa also won the 2001 tournament title as a No. 6 seed.
• Keegan Murray was named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while Murray and Jordan Bohannon were named to the all-tournament team. Murray (2022) joins Reggie Evans (2001) and Jeff Horner (2006) as Hawkeyes voted Most Outstanding Player in Big Ten Tournament history.
• Iowa won its 26th game of the season, its second highest win total in a single season in program history (30 in 1987).
• Keegan Murray broke the record for most points (103) and field goals made (38) in a single Big Ten Tournament, surpassing the previous mark of 92 points and 34 field goals made by Ohio State’s Duane Washington Jr. in 2021.
• Iowa outscored the Boilermakers 12-4 over the final 2:45 to claim the Big Ten Tournament championship.
• The Hawkeyes have won 12 of its last 14 games – winning 10 of the 12 by double figures – dating back to Feb. 6.
• All-American Keegan Murray posted his team-leading 10th double-double of the season (19 points, 11 rebounds).
• Indianapolis native, Tony Perkins, netted 11 points, reaching double figures four of the last six outings.
• Iowa boasted a +11 turnover margin, forcing 17 turnovers and only committing six turnovers.
• Both Iowa’s men’s and women’s basketball teams won the Big Ten Tournament title in the same year for a second time (2001 and 2022).
• Iowa joins Michigan State as the only schools to have their football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball teams compete in the Big Ten Conference Championship all in the same season since the football championship game was introduced (2011-12).
• Iowa improved to 5-0 in neutral site contests this season.
• The Hawkeyes have won eight of their last nine games away from home (Maryland; Ohio State; Nebraska; Michigan; Northwestern; Rutgers; Indiana; Purdue).
• Iowa improved to 4-4 as the No. 5 seed in Big Ten Tournament games.
• The Hawkeyes improved to 2-1 against the No. 3 seed in Big Ten Tournament games.

UP NEXT
No. 24 Iowa (26-9, 12-8) will compete in NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed where it will meet 12th-seeded Richmond on Thursday.  Game times will be released this evening.