MBB Preview — No. 20/21 Wisconsin

 

OPPONENT	No. 20/21 Wisconsin (17-8, 9-5) at Iowa (14-11, 6-8)
LOCATION	Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa
DATE	Saturday, Feb. 17
TIP-OFF	1:16 p.m. (CT)
RADIO	Hawkeye Radio Network/KRUI
TV	BTN

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team returns home to host No. 20/21 Wisconsin on Saturday at 1:16 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear black clothing to “Black Out” Carver.
• Saturday’s game is sold out.

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 Stephen Bardo (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• • The Hawkeyes return home to host No. 20/21 Wisconsin on Saturday on Mediacom Court. It is Iowa’s fifth game against a ranked opponent this season. The game is sold out.
• Iowa is 10-3 at home this season, marking the sixth straight year the Hawkeyes have won at least 10 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has won at least 10 home games in 12 of head coach Fran McCaffery’s 14 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit — the largest second-half 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 26 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 the only from a Power 6 Conference (and one of five nationally) with 375+ points, 100+ assists, 100+ rebounds and 45+ steals.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has a Big Ten-best 69 3-point field goals on a league-high 182 attempts, while ranking second in the Big Ten with a 37.9 3-point field goal percentage. The forward has hit two or more 3-pointers in 21 games.
• 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 83.5 points in 25 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and rank 17th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 14 games, averaging 92.9 points in wins and 71.5 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and rank ninth nationally, averaging 17.7 assists per game. Iowa is second in the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally with a 1.78 assist-to-turnover ratio.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN

• Prior to Tuesday’s 62-54 home win over Ohio State, Wisconsin had dropped a season-high four consecutive games. The Badgers are 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the Big Ten, currently sitting third in the league standings.
• Guard AJ Storr leads the team with a 16.3 scoring average, shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 83.6 from the free throw line.
• Wisconsin is 3-6 on the road this season and 3-4 in league road games.
• Big men Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl average 11.4 and 10.9 points, respectively. Wahl has a team-high 16 blocks, while Crowl is the leading rebounder at 7.8 per game.
• Guard Chucky Hepburn averages 7.8 points to go along with a team-best 95 assists and 51 steals. He is second in the league in steals and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.06).
• The Badgers are fourth in the Big Ten, allowing 67.8 points per game. Wisconsin is third in the league in rebounding margin at +4.3.

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday’s game is the 175th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1909. Wisconsin leads, 88-86.
• The Badgers have won the last four meetings in the series, including a 78-75 overtime victory in Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season. Wisconsin downed Iowa, 83-72, on Jan. 2 in Madison.
• The last three meetings in Iowa City have all been decided by six points or less.
• Prior to the current four-game losing streak, Iowa had won four straight game and six of eight overall.

 

FIRST MEETING | MARYLAND 69, IOWA 67

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 Jan. 2 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.

LAST GAME | MARYLAND 78, IOWA 66

Iowa led 54-44 with 12:09 remaining before Maryland went on a 21-6 run over an eight-minute stretch to take a 65-50 lead. The Terps outscored the Hawkeyes, 34-12, over the final 12:09 en route to a 78-66 victory to complete the season sweep.
• Junior Payton Sandfort paced the team with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Graduate Ben Krikke added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
• The Terps made 24-of-29 free throws, including 13 from guard Jahmir Young; Iowa attempted 12 in the game.

MORE NOTABLES…

• The Hawkeyes are 37th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 74.4 possessions per 40 minutes. Iowa is tops in the Big Ten and 15th in the country, averaging 15.16 fastbreak points per contest.
• Iowa is 0-7 in Quad 1 games, 5-3 in Quad 2, 2-1 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4 games this season.
• Senior Tony Perkins has started 72 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 six 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 17 in the Big Ten in scoring — Perkins (13th, 15.4), Sandfort (14th, 15.1), Krikke (17th, 14.5).
• Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against
  Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 63.6 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 105 assists against 42 turnovers.
• Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 182 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 69 makes, which lead the league.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank 17th nationally in free throw percentage, making 77.6 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 five games, the forward is averaging 12.3 points — third-most on the team — on 51. percent shooting.
• McCaffery has reached double figures in three of the four 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.

PS3

Junior Payton Sandfort has…
• made at least one 3-point field goal in 22 games this season and 40 games in his career.
• made two or more 3-pointers in 21 of 25 games this season.
• made three or more 3-pointers in 13 games.
• made four or more 3 balls in eight games.
• connected on five or more 3-point field goals in four games, including a career-high six 3-pointers at Michigan.
• made five or more 3-pointers in consecutive games three times in his career (twice this season).
• 37 3-point field goals since the calendar year turned to 2024.
• made 69 3-point field goals this season, which are the sixth most by a junior in program history. He trails only Joe Wieskamp (73), Kent McCausland (74), Jordan Bohannon (79), Peter Jok (80) and Jeff Horner (86).
• attempted 447 3-point field goals in his Hawkeye career, which are the 10th-most all-time.

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 1,084 points as a Hawkeye, ranking 42nd all-time.
• Senior Patrick McCaffery has scored 974 career points. He needs 26 points to become Iowa’s 53rd member of the 1,000 point club.
• Graduate Ben Krikke has scored 1,958 points during his five-year collegiate career. He is 42 points shy of reaching 2,000 career points.