| OPPONENT | Omaha (1-3) at Iowa (3-0) |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) |
| DATE | Monday, Nov. 21 |
| TIP-OFF | 7:01 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Sports Network |
| TV | BTN |
The Setting
Iowa (3-0) returns home on Monday hosting Omaha (1-3). Tipoff is slated for 7:01 p.m. on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
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 game will be televised nationally on BTN. Kevin Kugler and Brian Butch will call the action.
GAME #4 STORYLINES
- Fran McCaffery is in his 27th season as a head coach and is four wins from 500.
- Iowa has won 79 of its last 84 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
- Monday will be the fourth meeting between Iowa and Omaha, with all three previous contests taking place in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won in 1981 (71-58) and 2013 (83-75), while the Mavericks won in 2016 (98-89).
- Tony Perkins has done a phenomenal job directing the Hawkeye offense this season. The junior has 16 assists to only three turnovers, while averaging 13.3 points per game.
- Iowa has won its first game away from home four of the last five seasons.
- Three Hawkeyes have made six or more 3-pointers this season: Kris Murray (7), Payton Sandfort (6), and Patrick McCaffery (6).
- Three Hawkeyes are shooting 55 percent or better from the field: Tony Perkins (.571), Kris Murray (.564), and Filip Rebraca (.550).
- Iowa won 68 games combined over the last three seasons (20 in 2020; 22 in 2021; 26 in 2022). The 68 victories are the fourth most over a three-year stretch in program history and most since winning 77 contests from 1987-89.
- Iowa won four games in four days to capture the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship, its third tournament title in program history and first since 2006.
- The Hawkeyes have won 42 games over Big Ten teams — including conference tournament contests — over the past three seasons, second most in the league (Illinois, 47).
- Redshirt senior Connor McCaffery and redshirt junior Patrick McCaffery are one of 22 father/coach and son/player duos in Division I in 2022-23. Of the 22 schools, Iowa and Michigan are the only programs with a father/coach and two sons on the roster.
- After his historic season, Keegan Murray was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the highest selection by a Hawkeye in program history.
- Keegan Murray became Iowa’s single-season scoring leader (822 points). After going 117 years without a player scoring 700 points in a single season, the Hawkeyes have had a player score over 700 points in each of the last three seasons: Luka Garza scored 740 in 2020 and 747 in 2021.
- Iowa posted its ninth upper division Big Ten finish in the last 10 seasons. The Hawkeyes have finished fifth or better in the regular season standings six of the last eight 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.
- 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.
- 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.
SCOUTING OMAHA
- Last year, Omaha went 5-25 overall, and posted a 4-14 mark in the Summit League Conference.
- The Mavericks come to Iowa City 1-3 overall, after falling to No. 5 Kansas (89-64), in-state foe Nebraska (75-61), and Ball State (71-61). Omaha beat Idaho (79-72).
- Sophomore guard JJ White led the team in its most recent victory, posting a career-high 15 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists. White ranks 51st in the nation in assists (19). Sophomore forward Marquel Sutton contributed 10 points against Ball State.
- The Mavericks’ shooting averages include 40.7 percent from the field, 28.8 percent from 3-point range, and 76.6 percent from the foul line.
- Omaha returns seven players from last season’s team and welcomes five freshmen and four transfers.
- Chris Crutchfield is in his first season as head coach of Omaha after helping lead Oregon to a 20-15 season and an NIT appearance last year as an assistant coach.
IOWA OVERPOWERS SETON HALL ON THE ROAD IN GAVITT GAMES
Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca each registered double-doubles in an 83-67 Iowa victory over Seton Hall last Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey in the Gavitt Games.
- Iowa scored on 14 of its final 17 possessions, with its final possession resulting in a team turnover dribbling out the clock.
- Kris Murray, who posted his second career double-double, reached 20 points for the fourth time in his career and second straight game. Murray tied career highs in both points (29) and rebounds (11). He netted 12 of Iowa’s first 16 points.
- Filip Rebraca stuffed the stat sheet, posting his second double-double of the year and 27th of his career. Rebraca totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds, and posted season bests in blocks (4) and steals (2).
- Patrick McCaffery tallied 11 points, reaching double digits in all three contests this season and 30 times in his career.
- Tony Perkins scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half. He also led the squad in assists (5) and steals (3). Perkins has dished out 5+ assists in all three games this season.
- Iowa posted season highs in both free throws made (28) and attempted (33). The Hawkeyes were 19-of-21 (.905) from the chairty stripe in the second half, including making 9-of-10 over the final six minutes of the game.
- The Hawkeyes had scoring spurts of 12-0 and 10-0 in the first half, their sixth and seventh scoring runs of 10-0 or better through three games.
- Iowa held Seton Hall to 22 first-half points, the fewest points scored by an Iowa opponent this year.
- Iowa improved to 2-2 in Gavitt Games contests, winning both games on the road (Marquette in 2015).
MAKING THE FREEBIES
Junior Kris Murray has made 15 consecutive free throws, dating back to Iowa’s final game on the 2021-22 season. Murray is a perfect 14-of-14 from the foul line through three contests this year. Senior Filip Rebraca is 11-of-12 (.917) from the foul line through three games.
LEADER OF THE PACK
Connor McCaffery is Iowa’s career leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, amassing a 3.45 ratio in 137 career games (414 assists; 120 turnovers), nearly 1.0 above second-place Andre Banks (2.53). His assist-to-turnover ratio last year was 5.0, while he ranked fourth nationally in 2021 with a 3.73 ratio. In 202, he led the country with a 4.6 ratio.
MURRAY NAMED TO PRESEASON LISTS
Junior Kris Murray has been named to the Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team, the Wooden Award Top 50, and the Karl Malone Award.
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 is averaging a team-best 18 points per game this season, he has made all eight free throw attempts, and ranks second on the squad averaging 7.5 rebounds per outing.
He 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). His 31 blocks and 43 triples rank seventh and eighth, respectively, by a Hawkeye sophomore.
IOWA SCHEDULE NOTES
- 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.
McCaffery is averaging 5.3 points and two rebounds per game, and has made 4-of-6 (.667) from 3-point range through three contests.
FRAN MCCAFFERY CONTINUES TO WIN
- 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 netted double figures in scoring 11 of the last 18 games played last season.
He made at least one 3-pointer in 12 of the last 18 games, including sinking multiple triples in six contests during that stretch.
McCaffery has carried that momentum over to his junior season, netting double figures and making multiple triples in each of Iowa’s first two games of the season. McCaffery’s 21 points scored against North Carolina A&T last Friday is a new personal best.
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).