| OPPONEN | Nebraska (13-3, 3-2) at Iowa (9-6, 1-3) |
| LOCATION | Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa |
| DATE | Friday, Jan. 12 |
| TIP-OFF | 8:37 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Radio Network |
| TV | BTN |
The University of Iowa men’s basketball team is home for its second straight Big Ten game, hosting Nebraska on Friday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will tip off at 8:37 p.m. (CT).
• Tickets are available (Adults – $20-85; Youth – $10-15).
FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Friday’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: Friday’s game will be televised on BTN with Mike Hall (play-by-play) and Brian Butch (color) on the call.
OPENING TIP
- The Hawkeyes host their second straight home game, facing Nebraska on Friday night on Mediacom Court. Iowa has seven victories in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season where it averages 96.4 points per game.
- Head coach Fran McCaffery won his 127th career Big Ten game on Jan. 6, passing Tom Davis for the most league victories in program history. McCaffery is just two wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in school history.
- Owen Freeman earned his fifth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 8 after averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, while shooting 75 percent from the field in games against No. 21 Wisconsin and Rutgers. The five honors are tied for the ninth most in a single season in league history.
- Freeman has two double-doubles this season — the most by a Hawkeye freshman since Luka Garza.
- Junior Payton Sandfort notched his third 20-point game of the season against Rutgers, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. He made 8-of-12 field goals, including a season-high five 3-pointers. Sandfort has 40 3-point field goals this season — third-most in the Big Ten.
- 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.
- Iowa is 6-1 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 15 games. The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank ninth nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 10 games, averaging 97.3 points in wins and 72.7 points in losses.
- The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally, averaging 19.2 assists per game. Iowa is second in the league and is sixth nationally with a 1.86 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- 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).
SCOUTING RUTGERS
- The Huskers enter Friday’s game with a 13-3 overall record and a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play. Nebraska has Big Ten wins over Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue.
- Nebraska made 13 3-point field goals and shot 60.9 percent from long range in an 88-72 win over No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday. It was the program’s fourth win all-time against the No. 1 ranked team and first since 1982.
- The Huskers have four players averaging in double figures with guard Keisei Tominaga leading the way at 14.6 points per game. Tominaga has a team-high 33 3-point field goals.
- Forward Reink Mast averages 13.3 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds, while Brice Williams adds 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. Williams also leads the team with 45 assists.
- Nebraska is +3.4 on the glass and has a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Huskers are leading the Big Ten in field goal makes (9.6) and attempts (26.9) this season.
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday’s game is the 40th game in the all-time series against Nebraska dating back to 1907. The Hawkeyes lead the series, 24-15.
- The Huskers swept the season series in 2022-23, winning 66-50 in Lincoln and 81-77 in Iowa City. It was the first time Nebraska has swept the series against Iowa.
- Iowa is 16-4 against the Huskers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Last season’s Nebraska win was the first for the Huskers since 2012.
- Iowa has never lost three consecutive games against the Huskers.
LAST GAME | IOWA 86, RUTGERS 77
Junior Payton Sandfort scored a season high 24 points and graduate Ben Krikke posted a double-double to lead the Hawkeyes to an 86-77 win over Rutgers on Jan. 6 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 19-5 lead over the first eight minutes and led 41-34 at the half. The win was head coach Fran McCaffery’s 127th Big Ten victory, moving him past Tom Davis for the program record.
MORE NOTABLES…
- The Hawkeyes are 14th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 77.3 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).
- Senior Patrick McCaffery missed the Jan. 6 game against Rutgers because of illness.
- Iowa has had at least four players reach double digits in 10 games this season.
- Iowa is 7-1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 21-4 in its last 25 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 on Dec. 29. The Hawkeyes turned the 15 thefts into a season-best 38 fastbreak points.
- Iowa has held four opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. The team is undefeated in the four contests.
- Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 11 points, eight rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while shooting 64.3 percent from the field.
- 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 26 assists to eight turnovers over Iowa’s last five games and he tied a career high with eight assists against NIU on Dec. 29. He is leading the team with 52 assists this season.
- Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 100 3-point field goals — the second-most in the Big Ten. He has 40 makes — third-most in the conference.
- Sandfort has made four 3-point field goals in five games this season, at least three in 3s in eight games and two or more 3-pointers in each of his last 10 games.
- The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 75.5 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 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks 13th in the Big Ten.
- The Hawkeyes have earned six 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, 1/8). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the five honors are a single season school record.
- 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.
THE B1G’S BEST FROSH
Owen Freeman has been the best freshman in the Big Ten through the first 15 games of the 2023-24 season. The Illinois native leads the conference in points (155), rebounds (85) and blocks (30), while ranking second in steals (17) and field goal percentage (.633).
• Brock Harding’s 48 assists are the most by a freshman in the Big Ten..
APPROACHING 1K
Senior Tony Perkins sits at 912 career points, while senior Patrick McCaffery has scored 905 points.
• The duo will be the 52nd and 53rd members of Iowa’s 1,000 career point club.
FREEMAN: BLOCK-A-THON
In 15 career games, freshman Owen Freeman already sits in the top 10 in Iowa history in blocks by a Hawkeye freshman.
• Freeman has 30 blocks, averaging 1.9 per game, which are tied for the seventh 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).