MBB Preview -- at Michigan

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team begins a stretch of three games in seven days on Saturday at Michigan. The game will be played at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor beginning at 4:10 p.m. (CT).

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 FS1 with Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Nick Bahe (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes will hit the road for back-to-back games for the first time since early December, beginning with a Saturday afternoon tilt at Michigan. Iowa looks to split the season series against the Wolverines.
• Iowa will play three of its next four and four of its next six games on the road.
• The Hawkeyes’ coaching staff will be wearing suits with their sneakers for Coaches vs. Cancer on Saturday at Michigan.
• Senior Tony Perkins notched his second straight 20-point game, finishing with 20 points against Maryland on Wednesday. The guard went 11-of-11 from the free throw line and made 4-of-9 field goals en route to his fifth 20 point game this season.
• In Big Ten play, Perkins is seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game. He also averages 4.4 assists (ninth in the league), 3.5 rebounds and two steals (sixth in the B1G) per game.
• Perkins, who is currently the only player in the Big Ten (and one of 20 nationally) with 250+ points, 75+ assists, 75+ rebounds and 30+ steals, needs just 20 points to become the 52nd member of the 1,000 point club in program history.
• Freshman Owen Freeman is leading the Big Ten with a 69 percent field goal percentage in league contests.
• Head coach Fran McCaffery won his 272nd career game on Jan. 15 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.
• Perkins finished with 11 points and a career-high 15 assists in Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Jan. 12. 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 85.1 points in 19 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and rank 12th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 12 games, averaging 94.9 points in wins and 71.6 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally, averaging 19.2 assists per game. Iowa is leading the nation with a 1.90 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).

LAST GAME | MARYLAND 69, IOWA 67

Maryland guard Jahmir Young’s layup with two seconds remaining gave the Terrapins a 69-67 come-from-behind victory over Iowa on Jan. 24 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 10 in the first half and by six with 4:43 left before Maryland rallied. It was Iowa’s first loss when leading at the half this season. Senior Tony Perkins led a pair of Hawkeyes in double figures, finishing with 20 points.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 20th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 75.9 possessions per 40 minutes.
• Iowa is 0-6 in Quad 1 games, 3-0 in Quad 2, 1-2 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4 games this season.
• Senior Tony Perkins has started 66 consecutive games dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• Freshman Ladji Dembele missed Iowa’s game against Maryland because of injury.
• The Hawkeyes have 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 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 66.7 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, 8-2 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 8-3 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 22-6 in its last 28 home games.
• Iowa has won 89 of its last 95 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• The Hawkeyes have held four opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. The team is undefeated in the four contests.
• Iowa 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 four games with seven or more assists this season. He is leading the team with 78 assists against 28 turnovers.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 132 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 49 makes — second-most in the conference.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 75.7 percent of their attempts this season.
• Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in eight 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.
• Iowa has 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.
• The Hawkeyes have led the Big Ten and was 18th nationally in scoring offense (80.1). Iowa has 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.

B1G TONY

Senior Tony Perkins is averaging a team-best 17.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and two assists in Big Ten play. The guard is shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 84.4 percent from the charity stripe.
• The Indianapolis native has scored in double figures in every Big Ten game with three 20-point games and five 15+ games. He has four games with three or more steals against league opponents.
• Perkins ranks sixth in league games in steals (2.0), seventh in scoring (17.4), ninth in assists (4.4) and 11th in field goal percentage (.465).