MBB Preview -- No. 2 Purdue

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team returns home to host No. 2 Purdue on Saturday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will tipoff at 1:10 p.m. (CT).
• Saturday’s game is the Black & Gold Stripe Game.
• Tickets are available for $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 Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face No. 2 Purdue on Saturday. Iowa is looking for the season split after falling, 87-68, in the Big Ten opener on Dec. 4 in West Lafayette. The Hawkeyes are 8-1 at home this season.
• Iowa is 6-10 all-time against Associated Press No. 2 ranked teams with its last win coming at No. 2 Missouri in 2001. The Hawkeyes’ last win against a top-two ranked opponent came in 2015 over Michigan State in Iowa City.
• Friday is the 31st anniversary of Chris Street’s death following a car accident on Jan. 19, 1993. Street and Purdue head coach Matt Painter were teammates, playing together on a Big Ten All-Star Team in Europe in 1992.
• Head coach Fran McCaffery won his 272nd career game on Monday at Minnesota to become the winningest coach in program history. McCaffery also has 128 Big Ten victories, the most league wins in the Iowa record books.
• Since losing three straight games in December, the Hawkeyes have won six of their last seven games.
• Sophomore Josh Dix scored a career-high 21 points at Minnesota, becoming the sixth different Hawkeye score 20+ points in a game this season. The guard has posted a career-high in consecutive games.
• Iowa had three players — Tony Perkins, Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort — post double-doubles against Nebraska on Jan. 12. It was the second time this season the team has had three double-doubles in the same game (UMBC).
• Senior Tony Perkins finished with 11 points and a career-high 15 assists in Iowa’s win over the Huskers. The 15 assists are tied with B.J. Armstrong for the second-most in a single game in program history.
• Freeman earned his sixth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 15 after scoring a career-high 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season against Nebraska. The six honors are the ninth most in a single season in league history.
• Freeman has three double-doubles this season — the most by a Hawkeye freshman since Luka Garza.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 87.1 points in 17 games. The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 12 games, averaging 94.9 points in wins and 72.7 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and are third nationally, averaging 19.9 assists per game. Iowa is leading the nation with a 1.98 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).

FIRST MEETING | NO. 4 PURDUE 87, IOWA 68

The Hawkeyes ran into a buzz saw in West Lafayette, falling, 87-68, against the fourth-ranked Boilermakers. Purdue built a 45-24 halftime advantage and led by as many as 35 in the second half. Iowa outscored the Boilermakers, 44-42, in the second 20 minutes. Graduate Ben Krikke led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Tony Perkins was the only other Hawkeye in double figures, scoring 12. Iowa shot 38.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range in the game.

LAST GAME | IOWA 86, MINNESOTA 77

The Hawkeyes posted their first road victory of the season, winning 86-77 on Monday at Minnesota. The Hawkeyes shot 53.8 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle, 37-30. Gradute Ben Krikke tied a season-high, scoring 25 points, while sophomore Josh Dix had a career-high 21, making 7-of-12 field goals. The win was Fran McCaffery’s 272nd as Iowa’s head coach, making him the winningest coach in program history.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 12th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 76.8 possessions per 40 minutes.
• Iowa hasn’t played in a game that has been decided by eight points or less this season.
• Iowa has had six players hit the 20-point mark this season (Ben Krikke, Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery, Owen Freeman and Josh Dix).
• Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 12.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 70.5 percent from the field.
• Ahoy 100. Iowa has reached the century mark in four games this season. The Hawkeyes have scored 100+ points 13 times since the start of the 2021-22 season.
• The team is 6-1 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 8-1 when shooting 50+ percent from the field and 6-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
• Iowa has had at least four players reach double digits in 12 games this season.
• The Hawkeyes are 8-1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 22-4 in its last 26 home games.
• Iowa has won 89 of its last 95 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• The Hawkeyes 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.
• 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 46 assists to 11 turnovers over Iowa’s last seven games. Perkins has four games with seven or more assists. He is leading the team with 72 assists this season.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 118 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 46 makes — second-most in the conference.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 75.4 percent of their attempts this season.
• Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in seven games this season. The forward is averaging a career-best 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have earned seven 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, 1/15). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the six 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.

McCAFFERY: IOWA’S WINNINGEST HEAD COACH

• Head coach Fran McCaffery, who is in his 28th season as a head coach and 14th at Iowa, won his 272nd game as a Hawkeye on Jan. 15 at Minnesota, making him the winningest coach in program history.
• Iowa defeated Rutgers, 86-77, on Jan. 3, giving McCaffery his 127th career Big Ten victory. The victory moved McCaffery past Dr. Tom Davis for the most Big Ten wins in the record books.

DIX STEPPING UP

Sophomore Josh Dix is taking advantage extended playing time during Iowa’s three-game Big Ten winning streak. The guard is averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 3.7 assists in 28.5 minutes.
• Dix has posted a career-high in back-to-back games (and has reached double figures in scoring in consecutive games for the first time in his career).
• He scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with five assists, four rebounds and two steals on Jan. 15 at Minnesota. It came on the heels of a 16-point outing against Nebraska, where he made a career-high five 3-point field goals.

BEEN HERE BEFORE

The Hawkeyes started the Big Ten 0-3 for a second straight season before notching three straight league wins — an 86-77 win over Rutgers on Jan. 6, a 94-76 victory over Nebraska on Jan. 12 and an 86-77 road win at Minnesota on Jan. 15.
• A season ago, Iowa responded from an 0-3 start 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.