MBB Preview -- Rutgers

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team returns home to host Rutgers on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It is the first of back-to-back Big Ten home games.
• Saturday’s game is the annual Letterwinners Game.
• Tickets are available and range fro $30-85 for adults and $15-20 for youth.

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 Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Shon Morris (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes return home for the first of back-to-back home games, hosting Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at 11 a.m. (CT) in Iowa City. Iowa is 6-1 at home this season where it is averaging 97.9 points.
• Freshman Owen Freeman posted his second double-double, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Wisconsin. The two double-doubles are the most by a Hawkeye freshman since Luka Garza.
• Senior Tony Perkins scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Badgers. The 25 point output is tied for a season high by a Hawkeye this season.
• Freshman Brock Harding finished with a career-high 12 assists against NIU on Dec. 29 — the most by a freshman since Jordan Bohannon’s 13 in 2017.
• Iowa had a different freshman post double-doubles in consecutive games (Owen Freeman/Brock Harding) for the first time since the 2016-17 season (Tyler Cook/Jordan Bohannon).
• Iowa is 5-1 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 6-1 when shooting 50+ percent from the field and 5-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
• Ahoy 100. Iowa hit the century mark for the second straight game and fourth time this season, scoring 103 points against NIU on Dec. 29. The Hawkeyes have scored 100+ points 13 times since the start of the 2021-22 season.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 86.7 points in 14 games. The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in nine games, averaging 97.3 points in wins and 72.7 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally, averaging 19.2 assists per game. Iowa is leading the league and is fifth nationally with a 1.92 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• McCaffery is three 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 | NO. 21 WISCONSIN 83, IOWA 72

No. 21 Wisconsin used an 11-3 run midway through the second half to build a double-digit lead en route to an 83-72 win over Iowa on Tuesday in Madison. The Badgers shot 58.3 percent in the second half and went 20-of-26 from the free throw line.
• Senior Tony Perkins paced Iowa with a season-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Freshman Owen Freeman notched his second double-double, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a career-high 36 minutes.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 16th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 77.1 possessions per 40 minutes.
• Iowa has had four different players hit the 20-point mark this season (Ben Krikke, Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery).
• Iowa has had at least four players reach double digits in nine games this season.
• Iowa is 6-1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 20-4 in its last 24 home games.
• Iowa has won 89 of its last 95 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• The Hawkeyes are 6-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
• Iowa had a season-high 15 steals and nine blocks in the win over NIU. The Hawkeyes turned the 15 thefts into a season-best 38 fastbreak points.
• 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.
• Senior Tony Perkins has 24 assists to five turnovers over Iowa’s last four games and he tied a career high with eight assists against NIU on Dec. 29. He is leading the team with 50 assists this season.
• Freshman Owen 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.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 92 3-point field goals — the second-most in the Big Ten. He has 35 makes — second-most in the conference.
• Sandfort has made four 3-point field goals in four games this season. The junior has made two or more 3-pointers in each of his last nine 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 6.8 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 single season school record.
• Sophomore Dasonte Bowen has 42 assists to 10 turnovers this season. His 4.20 assist-to-turnover ratio is third in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. Iowa has three players ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• 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.

BEEN HERE BEFORE

The Hawkeyes are 0-3 in the Big Ten for a second straight season. Iowa responded a season ago with four consecutive wins (three coming in Carver) and victories in seven of nine games during a one month span. The Hawkeyes finished the 2022-23 season with an 11-9 Big Ten record.

APPROACHING 1K

Senior Patrick McCaffery has scored 905 points, while senior Tony Perkins sits at 897 career points.
• The duo will be the 52nd and 53rd members of Iowa’s 1,000 career point club.

FREEMAN: BLOCK-A-THON

In 14 career games, freshman Owen Freeman already sits in the top 10 in Iowa history in blocks by a Hawkeye freshman.
• Freeman has 28 blocks, averaging 2.0 per game, which are the ninth most by a Hawkeye freshman in program history.
• Iowa’s freshman top 10 includes: 1) Acie Earl (50); 2) Melsahn Basabe (41); 3) Keegan Murray/Guy Rucker (39); 5) Ryan Bowen (34); 6) Luka Garza (32); 7) Greg Stokes (30); 8) Adam Woodbury (29)