MBB Preview — at Maryland

 

OPPONENT	Iowa (14-10, 6-7) at Maryland (13-11, 5-8)
LOCATION	Xfinity Center | College Park, Md.
DATE	Wednesday, Feb. 14
TIP-OFF	7:30 p.m. (CT)
RADIO	Hawkeye Radio Network
TV	BTN

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team heads to the East Coast to face Maryland on Wednesday at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The Valentine’s Day contest is set to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. (CT).

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 Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes hit the road, traveling to College Park to face Maryland on Feb. 14.
• Iowa has won its last two games at Maryland by a combined 55 points.
• The Hawkeyes rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit — the largest comeback win since 1987 — to defeat Minnesota, 90-85, on Feb. 11 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes trailed 62-42 with 16:11 to play.
• Freshman Owen Freeman finished with 17 points, career-highs in rebounds (14) and assists (4) and four blocks against the Gophers. It was his fourth career double-double, matching Luka Garza’s freshman total from the 2017-18 season.
• Senior Patrick McCaffery scored 21 points — one off a season high — against Minnesota. It was his third straight game in double figures and his highest point production since the second game of the season. McCaffery is 33 points shy of becoming Iowa’s 53rd 1,000 point scorer.
• Senior Tony Perkins scored 20+ points in five consecutive games — a first by a Hawkeye since Keegan Murray in the 2021-22 season. Perkins was the first Iowa guard to accomplish the feat since Devyn Marble in 2014.
• Perkins is currently the only player in the Big Ten (and one of six nationally) with 375+ points, 100+ assists, 100+ rebounds and 40+ steals.
• Junior Payton Sandfort scored back-to-back 20+ point games in consecutive road games at Michigan and at Indiana and he has three 20-point games over his last five contests. The forward tied his career-high, scoring 26 points against UM and IU, making a combined 11 3-pointers — the most in a two-game stretch in his career.
• Iowa tied a single game free throw percentage school record by making 18-of-18 free throw attempts at Michigan.
• Head coach Fran McCaffery is the winningest coach in program history, winning 275 career games, including 132 Big Ten victories.
• Freeman earned his eighth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 12 after averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds against Penn State and Minnesota. The eight honors are the second-most in league history, trailing only Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 84.2 points in 24 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and rank 15th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 14 games, averaging 92.9 points in wins and 72 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and rank ninth nationally, averaging 18 assists per game. Iowa is leading the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally with a 1.80 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 MARYLAND

• The Terrapins have dropped three straight games to fall to 13-11 overall and 5-8 in Big Ten play. Maryland lost 79-75 in overtime on Feb. 10 at Ohio State.
• Maryland is 10-3 at home overall, but just 3-3 in Big Ten play at the Xfinity Center. The Terps lost 56-53 in their last home game against Rutgers on Feb. 6.
• Three Terrapin players are averaging in double figures. Guard Jahmir Young leads the team, averaging 20.9 points per game. He leads the team in 3-pointers (48), free throws (134), assists (92) and steals (32).
• Forward Julian Reese averages 13.3 points and 10 rebounds, while Donta Scott adds 11.3 points per contest.
• The Terps have the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big Ten, surrendering 63.7 points per game. Maryland is also 13th in the league, scoring 63.7 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Wednesday’s game is the 17th meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Maryland. The series is tied at eight.
• The Hawkeyes have won four of the last five meetings and five of the last seven. Maryland snapped a four-game losing streak with a 69-67 victory in Iowa City on Jan. 24.
• Iowa has won the last two meetings in College Park by a combined 55 points, winning 89-67 in 2021 and 110-87 last season.
• The Hawkeyes are 3-3 at the Xfinity Center since the Terps joined the Big Ten Conference.

 

FIRST MEETING | 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.

LAST GAME | IOWA 90, MINNESOTA 85

The Hawkeyes rallied from 20 points down in the second half to post a 90-85 victory over Minnesota on Feb. 11 in Iowa City. It was the sixth straight win over the Gophers. Iowa trailed 62-42 with 16:11 to play before using a 16-0 run to take a 81-77 lead with 4:05 remaining. Iowa closed out the game on a 37-15 run over the final 11:43.
• Junior Payton Sandfort and senior Patrick McCaffery paced the team, scoring 21 points apiece, and freshman Owen Freeman finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and four assists for his fourth career double-double.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 36th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 74.7 possessions per 40 minutes.
• Iowa is 0-6 in Quad 1 games, 5-2 in Quad 2, 2-2 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4 games this season.
• Senior Tony Perkins has started 71 consecutive games dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• The Hawkeyes have shot 50 percent or better from the field in three of the last five games. Iowa is 10-2 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
• Iowa has played four games decided by seven or fewer points this season (2-2 record).
• 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).
• Iowa has three players ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring — Perkins (11th, 15.6), Sandfort (14th, 15.0), Krikke (15th, 14.6).
• Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against
  Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 65.2 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 8-1 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 10-2 when shooting 50+ percent from the field and 7-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
• Iowa has had at least four players reach double digits in 14 games this season.
• The Hawkeyes are 10-3 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 24-6 in its last 30 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 five games with seven or more assists this season and eight games with at least five assists. He is leading the team with 102 assists against 39 turnovers.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 173 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 66 makes, which lead the league.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank 15th nationally in free throw percentage, making 77.9 percent of their attempts this season. The team tied a single game free throw percentage (min. 13 makes) school record, making all 18 of its free throw attempts at Michigan on Jan. 27.
• Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in nine games this season. The forward is averaging a career-best 6.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 13th in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have earned nine 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, 1/29, 2/12). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the eight honors are a single season school record and the second-most in league history.
• 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.

ALL EVERYTHING HAWKEYE

Senior Tony Perkins is an all-around guard, leading the team in points, assists and steals. The Indianapolis native is also an all-time Hawkeyes as he is one of eight players all-time to have 1,000+ points, 350+ rebounds, 265+ assists and 125+ steals.
• Perkins is among a group that includes: Roy Marble, Jordan Bohannon, Devyn Marble, Matt Gatens, Jess Settles, Dean Oliver and Jeff Horner.
• Perkins is currently leading the Hawkeyes in points, assists and steals. He would be the first player since Oliver in 2000 to lead the team in all three categories.

A HEALTHY P-MAC

Senior Patrick McCaffery is playing his best basketball of the season and is fully healthy after suffering an ankle injury on Jan. 12 against Nebraska. Over his last three games, the forward is averaging 14 points on 59.1 percent shooting.
• McCaffery has reached double figures in all three games, including a 21-point output in Iowa’s come-from-behind win over Minnesota. He made 7-of-12 field goals in 25 minutes.

B1G TONY

Senior Tony Perkins is averaging a team-best 18 points, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in Big Ten play. The guard is shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 83.1 percent from the charity stripe.
• During a five-game stretch where he scored 20+ points in five straight games, Perkins averaged 22 points, four assists, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals, while committing just six turnovers. He is shot 54.3 percent from the floor and 86.1 percent from the free throw stripe.
• He scored 20+ points in five straight games for the first time in his career. It’s the first by a Hawkeye since Keegan Murray during the 2021-22 season.
• Perkins is the first Hawkeye guard to have five straight 20-point games since Devyn Marble in 2014.
• The Indianapolis native has scored in double figures in every Big Ten game with six 20-point contests and nine 15+ games. He has seven games with three or more steals against league opponents.
• Overall, Perkins has been in double figures in 15 straight games and in 22 of 24 games this season.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Senior Tony Perkins became the 52nd player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points on Jan. 27 at Michigan. Perkins currently has 1,075 points as a Hawkeye, ranking 43rd all-time.
• Senior Patrick McCaffery has scored 967 career points. He needs 33 points to become Iowa’s 53rd member of the 1,000 point club.
• Graduate Ben Krikke has scored 1,947 points during his collegiate career. He is 53 points shy of reaching 2,000.