MBB Preview -- UMBC

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team returns home to host UMBC on Wednesday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game is set to tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT).
• Tickets range from $15-35 for adults, $5-10 for youth and $5 for students.

FOLLOW LIVE

Radio: Wednesday’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: Wednesday’s game will be televised on BTN with Jason Ross, Jr. (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes return home to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to host the first of two games to close out nonconference play. Iowa is 4-1 at home this season where they average 95.8 points in the five contests.
• Freshman Owen Freeman notched his first career double-double, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in Iowa’s 88-52 victory over Florida A&M on Dec. 16. It was the first double-double by an Iowa freshman since Joe Wieskamp in 2018.
• Freeman was recognized as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for a school-record fourth time on Dec. 18. He is one of 16 players in Big Ten history to earn the league’s freshman of the week honors at least four times.
• The Hawkeyes were +14 on the glass against FAMU (47-33) — its largest rebounding margin of the season.
• Iowa is 5-1 this season when attempting at least 20 free throws and 4-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
• 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 three players averaging in double figures and five players averaging at least 9.8 points. The team has had at least four players reach double digits in seven games this season.
• Krikke, who is leading the team with an 16.7 scoring average, has made a team-high 72 field goals and is shooting 58.1 percent from the floor.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 85.1 points in 11 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in seven games, including 110 points in the season opener against North Dakota.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and 18th nationally, averaging 18.2 assists per game. Iowa is second in the league and 11th nationally with a 1.74 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• McCaffery is five 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 | IOWA 88, FLORIDA A&M 52

The Hawkeyes shot percent from the field and made 10 3-point field goals — the second-most this season — in an 88-52 victory over Florida A&M in the HyVee Hawkeye Showcase in Des Moines. Iowa had three players finish in double figures and 11 players score with Owen Freeman leading the way with his first career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). Iowa’s defense held FAMU to 52 points, the lowest since 2021 — and 30.2 percent shooting, a season low.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 14th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 76.1 possessions per 40 minutes. Iowa is one of three Big Ten teams in the top 14 according to Warren Nolan.
• 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 4-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
• Iowa has held three opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. The team is undefeated in the three contests.
• The Hawkeyes held Florida A&M to 52 points on Dec. 16 in Des Moines — the fewest points allowed since giving up 51 points to Portland State in 2021.
• Freshmen Brock Harding (10) and Ladji Dembele (9) both notched career highs in points against Florida A&M.
• Senior Tony Perkins had a season-high seven assists against the Rattlers — one off his career high.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 72 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 26 makes — second-most in the conference.
• Sandfort has made four 3-point field goals in three games this season. The junior has made two or more 3-pointers in each of his last six games.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 74.6 percent of their attempts this season.
• Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in six games this season. The forward is averaging 6.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have earned five 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, 12/18). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the four honors are a school record.
• Sophomore Dasonte Bowen has 38 assists to eight turnovers this season. His 4.75 assist-to-turnover ratio is leading the Big Ten and ranks fourth 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.

BIG O

Freshman Owen Freeman has been a steady contributor in his first 11 collegiate games. The Illinois native is averaging 9.8 points on a team-best 63.6 percent shooting. He has a team-high 21 blocks to go along with 12 steals.
• Freeman made his first career start on Dec. 10 against Michigan.
• Freeman has reached double digits in five games this season, including scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the win over North Florida. He had five rebounds, five blocks (three in the matter of seconds on a single possession) and three steals in the game. His block effort was the No. 4 play of the day on SportCenter’s Top 10 plays.
• His five blocks were the most for the program since Keegan Murray had five blocks against Longwood in 2021.
• The forward became the first Hawkeye freshman since Joe Wieskamp in 2018 to notch a double-double when he finished with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the victory over Florida A&M on Dec. 16.
• Freeman has three or more blocks in four games this
season and five or more rebounds four times. He is fourth in the Big Ten and 37th nationally with 21 blocks.

3 IS FOR ME

The Hawkeyes have made 77 3-point field goals in 11 games, averaging 7.0 makes per contest. Eleven different players have made at least one 3-pointer.
• Iowa is 4-1 when making at least eight 3-point field goals this season.
• Iowa made a season-high 12 3-point field goals (on 24 attempts) against North Dakota in the season opener and 10 3-balls (on 20 attempts) against Florida A&M in Des Moines.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has a team-leading 26 3-pointerss (in 72 attempts) to lead the team. (He is one of two Hawkeyes with 10 or more 3-point field goals.) The forward has three games with four or more 3-pointers this season and nine such games in his career.
• Sandfort has made at least two three pointers in six consecutive games this season, dating back to Nov. 24 against Seton Hall.