MBB Preview -- HyVee Hawkeye Classic vs. Florida A&M

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team travels to Des Moines for a neutral site game against Florida A&M in the HyVee Hawkeye Showcase on Saturday afternoon inside Wells Fargo Arena. The game will tipoff at 3:37 p.m. (CT) with the Hawkeye women playing the night cap of the doubleheader against Cleveland State at 6 p.m.
• The event is sold out.

FOLLOW LIVE

Radio: Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call. 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 includes a 60-minute pregame show.
TV: Saturday’s game will be televised on BTN with Jake Eisenberg (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes will play their third neutral site game of the season Saturday, traveling to Des Moines to face Florida A&M in the HyVee Hawkeye Showcase at Wells Fargo Arena. It is Iowa’s first game in Des Moines since 2018 against Northern Iowa.
• Iowa has won six of its last seven games in Wells Fargo Arena since 2013.
• The Hawkeyes are 4-1 this season when attempting at least 20 free throws.
• Iowa has altered the starting lineup in back-to-back games. Sophomore Josh Dix made his first career start at Iowa State; freshman Owen Freeman made his first start against Michigan.
• Ahoy 100. Iowa hit the century mark for the second time this season, scoring 103 points in the Nov. 29 victory over North Florida. The Hawkeyes have scored 100+ points 11 times since the start of the 2021-22 season.
• The Hawkeyes have had four different players hit the 20-point mark this season (Ben Krikke, Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery).
• Iowa has four players averaging in double figures. The team has had at least four players reach double digits in six games this season.
• Krikke, who is leading the team with an 17.9 scoring average, has made a team-high 70 field goals and is shooting 58.8 percent from the floor.
• Big O… freshman Owen Freeman scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds, five blocks and three steals in Iowa’s win over UNF on Nov. 29. The five blocks are the most by a Hawkeye since Keegan Murray in 2019. Freeman has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season, tying Aaron White (2011-12) for the most honors in program history.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 84.8 points in 10 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and 26th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in six games, including 110 points in the season opener against North Dakota.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally, averaging 17.8 assists per game. Iowa is second in the league and 10th nationally with a 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• McCaffery is six wins from becoming the winningest coach in Iowa basketball history. Tom Davis has 271 victories as Iowa’s head coach. With his next Big Ten victory, McCaffery will also have the most league wins (127) in program history.
• Iowa is one of 10 teams in the country to make the last four NCAA Tournaments and one of only three Big Ten teams to accomplish the feat (Purdue, Michigan State).

LAST GAME | MICHIGAN 90, IOWA 80

The Wolverines used a 27-5 run over the first eight minutes of the second half to turn a two point deficit into a 90-80 win on Dec. 10 in Iowa City. Graduate Ben Krikke scored a game-high 24 points to lead a trio of Hawkeyes in double figures. The loss was Iowa’s first in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season.

MORE NOTABLES…

• Iowa is 4-1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 18-4 in its last 22 home games.
• Iowa has won 87 of its last 93 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• The Hawkeyes are 3-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
• Iowa has held two opponents under 40 percent shooting this season.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 67 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 24 makes — third-most in the conference.
• Sandfort has made four 3-point field goals in three games this season.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 76.7 percent of their attempts this season. Junior Dasonte Bowen is leading the league with a 92.6 free throw percentage.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in six games this season. The forward is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have earned four Big Ten weekly honors this season — Ben Krikke (Player of the Week – 11/20) and Owen Freeman (Freshman of Week (11/13, 11/20, 12/4). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the three honors tie Aaron White for the most in a single season in program history.
• Sophomore Dasonte Bowen has 36 assists to seven turnovers this season. His 5.14 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.
• The Hawkeyes have placed fifth or better in the Big Ten standings in five straight and 10 of the last 11 years, and the program has won 10 or more Big Ten games in eight of the last nine seasons.
• Iowa led the Big Ten and was 18th nationally in scoring offense (80.1). The Hawkeyes have led the league in scoring in seven of the last 11 seasons, including six straight years.

CONSISTENT KRIKKE

Graduate Ben Krikke has scored in double figures in nine of Iowa’s 10 games this season. The Canada native is leading the team, averaging 17.9 points on 58.8 percent shooting.
• Krikke ranks second in the Big Ten in field goals (70), third in field goal percentage (.588), seventh in free throw attempts (52), eighth in scoring (17.9) and free throws made (38).
• He has shot 60 percent or better from the field in four games and he has two games with 10 or more field goals. He made 8-of-10 field goals (80 percent) in the win over Seton Hall on Nov. 24.
• He has a team-high four 20-point games. He scored 24 points (11-of-18 shooting) at No. 8 Creighton and a season-high 25 points (10-of-14 FG), nine rebounds and four steals in the win over Arkansas State. Against UNF, Krikke scored 21 points (5-of-9) shooting — 17 in the second half — and went 11-for-11 from the free throw line. He netted 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting (8-of-11 FT) against Michigan.
• Krikke is the first Hawkeye to go perfect from the free throw line (at least 10 makes) since Jordan Bohannon (10-for-10) in 2019.

20 POINTERS

The Hawkeyes have had four players account for eight 20-point games during the 2023-24 season — Ben Krikke (24 at Creighton, 25 vs. Arkansas State, 21 vs. UNF, 24 vs. Michigan), Payton Sandfort (21 vs. UND, 22 vs. Seton Hall), Patrick McCaffery (22 vs. Alabama State) and Tony Perkins (21 vs. UNF).