| OPPONENT | Iowa vs. Truman State |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) |
| DATE | Monday, Oct. 31 |
| TIP-OFF | 7:01 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Sports Network |
| TV | B1G+ |
The Setting
Iowa will host Truman State (Division II) on Monday, Oct. 31, in an exhibition game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056). Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for youth and UI students.
ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play, along with color commentator Bob Hansen. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network coverage includes a 60-minute pregame show.
Stream: Monday’s exhibition will be streamed on mobile devices at B1G+ ($). Steven Grace and former Hawkeye Jess Settles will call the action.
EXHIBITION STORYLINES
- Kids and fans are encouraged to participate in a trick-or-treat prior to Monday’s exhibition. Student-athletes from various Iowa athletic teams (baseball, men’s wrestling, and track & field) will pass out candy on the concourse from 5:30-7 p.m.
- Six Hawkeyes are Iowa natives, two hail from Illinois, two are international (Serbia and England), and one each from New York, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Indiana. Iowa’s average height is 6-foot-5.
- Iowa returns 52.4 percent of its scoring production from last season, third most among Big Ten teams.
- Junior Ahron Ulis, who wore No. 4 the last two years, will wear No. 1 in 2022-23.
- Redshirt junior Connor McCaffery and redshirt freshman Patrick McCaffery are one of 22 father/coach and son/player duos in Division I in 2022-23. Of the 22 schools, the McCaffery’s are the only program with a father/coach and two sons on the roster.
- Iowa has qualified for six NCAA tournaments over the last eight completed seasons (2014-16, 2019, 2021, 2022) and nine postseason tournaments over the last 10 completed seasons (6 NCAA; 3 NIT). The 2020 postseason was canceled due to COVID-19.
- The Hawkeyes boasted a 15-3 record in home games in 2021-22. Iowa has won 14+ home contests each of the last four years.
- Iowa led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense (83.2). The Hawkeyes have led the league in scoring five of the last nine seasons, including the last four.
- Fran McCaffery has coached a first-team All-Big Ten honoree seven of the last nine years. He has guided Iowa to 20+ wins eight of the last 10 seasons, including four-straight.
- Head Coach Fran McCaffery enters his 27th season as a head coach and is seven wins from his 500th career victory.
- With Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament win last March, McCaffery joined Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, Eddie Sutton and Lefty Driesell as the only Division I coaches to lead teams to conference tournament titles in four or more different leagues.
- Iowa was the only school in the country in 2022 to have both a men’s (Keegan Murray) and women’s (Caitlin Clark) basketball finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year awards.
SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
- Seven of Truman State’s top 10 scorers from a year ago return in 2022-23. The Bulldogs’ top two scorers from last season — Cade McKnight (19.2 ppg) and Masen Miller (14.2 ppg) — both transferred to Indiana State following the season. Redshirt junior Elijah Hazekamp is Truman State’s top returning scorer (12.8) and rebounder (7.1 rpg). Truman State averaged 79.3 points per game and owned a +5.1 rebounding margin in 30 games in 2021-22.
- Truman State posted a 20-10 overall record, including a 13-6 conference mark, a year ago.
- The Bulldogs’ roster of 20 is comprised of mostly underclassmen: 11 freshmen (three redshirt), three sophomores, four juniors, and two seniors.
- Half of Truman State’s roster (10 of 20) hails from the state of Iowa, including two from Cedar Rapids (Hunter Strait and Caleb Schlaak).
- Former Hawkeye Jeff Horner enters his fifth season as head coach of the Bulldogs. The Mason City, Iowa, native led Truman State to the GLVC Tournament Title and a share of the regular season championship in his second season in 2020. Prior to Truman State, Horner spent four seasons at the University of North Dakota (serving as the director of operations for one season before three as an assistant coach). Horner also had coaching stints at Grand View University and West Des Moines Valley High School.
MURRAY VOTED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN, KARL MALONE AWARD CANDIDATE
Junior Kris Murray was named to the 2023 Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team and one of 20 candidates for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the top power forward in college basketball.
It marks the fourth straight season that one or more Hawkeyes have been selected to the preseason all-conference squad, voted upon by a selected panel of media. Joe Wieskamp was selected in 2019 and 2020, Luka Garza was tabbed the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year in 2020, while Kris’ twin brother Keegan was recognized in 2021. Keegan was also the recipient of the 2022 Karl Malone Award.
Murray was Iowa’s leading scorer (9.7) and rebounder (4.3) off the bench last season. He improved his scoring average by 9.1 points and rebounding average by 3.7 per outing. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.397), blocks per game (0.9) and field goals made (124), third in offensive (1.6) and defensive (2.7) rebounds per contest, and fourth in steals (0.8) per game. Murray made at least one 3-pointer in a team-best 17 consecutive games (Jan. 22-March 13). He recorded multiple steals in 10 games and multiple blocks in nine contests. His 31 blocks and 43 triples rank seventh and eighth, respectively, by a Hawkeye sophomore. He shared the team’s Most Improved Player Award with Tony Perkins.
Murray’s best game in 2022 came in leading the Hawkeyes to victory over Indiana on Jan. 13, 2022 (29 points; 11 rebounds; 3 steals; 3 blocks).
JEFF HORNER RETURNS TO IOWA CITY
Jeff Horner was a two-time third team All-Big Ten honoree (2004, 2006) and was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament. He also was recognized as the 2003 Chris Street Award recipient and shared team MVP honors three straight seasons (2004, 2005, 2006). Horner totaled 1,502 points, 612 assists and 563 rebounds as a Hawkeye. He is one of three Hawkeyes to amass four 100-assist seasons (Jordan Bohannon, Dean Oliver). A two-time team captain, Horner ranks second in Iowa career assists (612) and 3-pointers made (262).
IOWA SCHEDULE NOTES
- Iowa will open the regular season with three of four games at home, including two straight.
- The Hawkeyes will play back-to-back conference road games four times.
- Iowa has a stretch of four straight home contests in December (ISU, Wisconsin, SE Missouri State and Eastern Illinois).
- Iowa has seven weekend home contests (three on Saturdays and four on Sundays), including six against Big Ten opponents. The Hawkeyes have home games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on a Saturday or Sunday four of the final six weekends of the regular season.
- The Hawkeyes have a stretch of four of five league home games in early January. Iowa will host Indiana (Jan. 5), Michigan (Jan. 12), Maryland (Jan. 15) and Northwestern (Jan. 18).
- Iowa is scheduled to play at Penn State on New Year’s Day. The Hawkeyes have played on New Year’s Day 10 previous times, most recently in 2017, versus Michigan in Iowa City. Prior to 2017, Iowa’s last New Year’s Day contest was in 1946 versus Saint Louis. The last time the Hawkeyes played a road game on New Year’s Day was at Toledo in 1940.
- Iowa has three trips to the Tri-State Area, traveling to New Jersey twice (Nov. 16 at Seton Hall and Jan. 8 at Rutgers) and New York once (Dec. 6 versus Duke at Madison Square Garden).
- Iowa will play on Super Bowl Sunday for the fourth straight season and sixth time in eight years, playing its only regular season game against Minnesota in Minneapolis on Feb. 12.
- Five of Iowa’s final eight league games will be on the road.
HAWKEYES WELCOME NEWCOMERS
Iowa welcomes four new faces to the 2022-23 roster: Dasonte Bowen, Josh Dix, Dante Eldridge, and Amarion Nimmers.
Bowen and Dix are true freshman, hailing from Boston and Council Bluffs, respectively. Eldridge and Nimmers are non-scholarship student-athletes. Eldridge, a junior, is the son of assistant coach Courtney Eldridge.
ANOTHER SIXTH-YEAR PLAYER
After six seasons and multiple broken records, Jordan Bohannon has exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Bohannon is the program’s career leader in four statistical categories: assists (704), 3-pointers made (455), games played (179), and free throw percentage (.887, 370-417). He sank a school and Xfinity Center record 10 3-pointers at Maryland on Feb. 10, 2022. His 455 triples are the most in Big Ten history and 192 more than any other Hawkeye.
Connor McCaffery decided to utilize his COVID bonus year and return for his sixth season with the Hawkeyes.
FRAN MCCAFFERY CONTINUES TO WIN
- Head Coach Fran McCaffery enters his 27th season as a head coach and is seven wins from his 500th career victory.
- With Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament win last March, McCaffery joined Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, Eddie Sutton and Lefty Driesell as the only Division I coaches to lead teams to conference tournament titles in four or more different leagues.
- Fran McCaffery has guided Iowa to 20 wins or more in eight of the last 10 seasons. He has led Iowa to Big Ten upper division finishes nine of the last 10 years. Iowa, Michigan State, and Wisconsin have each recorded a Big Ten-best nine first division finishes since 2013.
- Fran McCaffery has coached a first-team All-Big Ten honoree seven of the last nine seasons. He has guided Iowa to 20+ wins seven of the last nine seasons and fifth place or better finishes in the Big Ten six of the last eight years.
STAFF CHANGES
Fran McCaffery has a couple changes to his staff following last season. Assistant Coach Kirk Speraw retired and Assistant Coach Billy Taylor left for a head coaching position at Elon. Replacing Speraw and Taylor are Courtney Eldridge and Matt Gatens. Eldridge was on staff the previous six seasons, most recently as director of player development and recruiting director. Gatens is a former Hawkeye and most recently was an assistant coach at Drake.
Tristan Spurlock, who played basketball at UCF, is the new Director of Player Development. Al Seibert’s title changed to Chief of Staff, while Kyle Denning is now the team’s Director of Operations.
PATRICK MCCAFFERY FINISHED LAST SEASON STRONG
Patrick McCaffery, who was Iowa Men’s Basketball’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree in 2022, netted double figures in scoring 11 of the last 18 games played last season.
The forward made at least one 3-pointer in 12 of the last 18 games, including sinking multiple triples in six contests during that stretch.
PROFESSIONAL HAWKEYES
A number of recent Iowa basketball graduates are playing professionally: Keegan Murray (NBA Sacramento Kings), Luka Garza (G League Iowa Wolves), Jordan Bohannon (G League Iowa Wolves), Joe Wieskamp (G League Wisconsin Herd), Jarrod Uthoff (Japan), Devyn Marble (Poland), Tyler Cook (G League Salt Lake City Stars), Anthony Clemmons (Turkey), Gabriel Olaseni (Turkey), Ryan Kriener (Matsuyama), Melsahn Basabe (Nicaragua), and Aaron White (Serbia).