| OPPONENT | Iowa (13-9, 5-6) at Penn State (11-11, 5-6) |
| LOCATION | Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. |
| DATE | Thursday, Feb. 8 |
| TIP-OFF | 6 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Radio Network |
| TV | BTN |
THE SETTING
The University of Iowa men’s basketball team hits the road, traveling to University Park to face Penn State on Thursday at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Bryce Jordan Center.
FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Thursday’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: Thursday’s game will be televised on BTN with Jason Horowitz (play-by-play) and Shon Morris (color) on the call.
OPENING TIP
- Iowa travels to Happy Valley to face Penn State on Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Hawkeyes have won two of their last three road contests dating back to mid-January.
- Senior Tony Perkins has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games — a first by a Hawkeye since Keegan Murray in the 2021-22 season. Perkins is the first Iowa guard to accomplish the feat since Fred Brown in 1971; he is averaging 22 points, four assists, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals, while committing just six turnovers in the five-game stretch. He is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 86.1 percent from the free throw stripe.
- Perkins became the 52nd player in Iowa history to surpass the 1,000 career points mark in the victory at Michigan on Jan. 27.
- In Big Ten play, Perkins is sixth in the league in scoring (18.6), sixth in steals (2.1) and ninth in assists (4.3).
- Perkins is currently the only player in the Big Ten (and one of six nationally) with 340+ points, 90+ assists, 90+ rebounds and 40+ steals. He is the only player among the six with fewer than 35 turnovers.
- Junior Payton Sandfort scored back-to-back 20+ point games in consecutive road games at Michigan and at Indiana. He tied his career-high, scoring 26 points in the two games. Sandfort made 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 274 career games, including 131 Big Ten victories.
- Freeman earned his seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 29 after averaging 14.5 points and nine rebounds in games against Maryland and Michigan. The seven honors are tied for the second-most 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 84.2 points in 22 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and rank 16th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 13 games, averaging 93.2 points in wins and 71.2 points in losses.
- The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and rank eighth nationally, averaging 18.3 assists per game. Iowa is leading the Big Ten and rank third nationally with a 1.87 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 PENN STATE
- The Nittany Lions have won two straight Big Ten road games, downing Rutgers (61-46) and Indiana (85-71) to improve to 11-11 overall and 5-6 in league play.
- Penn State is 9-3 at home this season, which includes an 87-73 victory over Wisconsin on Jan. 16.
- Two Nittany Lions are averaging in double figures with Kanye Clancy leading the way with an 18.4 average. Guard Ace Baldwin, Jr., averages 13.6 points, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Baldwin is leading the league in steals (62) and is fourth in assists (115).
- Big man Qudus Wahab chips in 9.5 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds and 30 blocks.
- The Nittany Lions force an average of 15.7 turnovers per game, which is tops in the Big Ten and 15th nationally. PSU averages nine steals per contest.
- Penn State shoots just 31.5 percent from 3-point range and has a -5.4 rebounding margin — worst in the league.
- Mike Rhoades is in his first year at Penn State and his 20th season as a college coach. Rhoades was head coach at Randolph-Macon College, Rice and most recently at VCU. He has led his teams to seven NCAA Tournament appearances as head coach and 12 in his coaching career.
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday’s meeting is the 54th in the all-time series that began in 1955. Iowa leads, 33-20.
- The Nittany Lions have won two straight in the series, both in Happy Valley. Penn State won 83-79 last season and 90-86 in double overtime during the 2021-22 campaign.
- Iowa’s last win at Penn State came on Jan. 16, 2019 — an 89-82 victory. The Hawkeyes are 1-4 in their last five games at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The two teams have split the past 10 meetings dating back to 2017.
LAST GAME | IOWA 79, OHIO STATE 77
In a game that featured 15 ties and 10 lead changes, the Hawkeyes posted a 79-77 victory over Ohio State on Feb. 2 in Iowa City. Iowa shot 54.7 percent from the floor and attempted a season-low 10 3-pointers. Senior Tony Perkins finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists and junior Payton Sandfort (15 points), sophomore Josh Dix (15 points) and senior Patrick McCaffery (10 points) joined him in double figures.
MORE NOTABLES…
- The Hawkeyes are 34th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 74.9 possessions per 40 minutes.
- Iowa is 0-6 in Quad 1 games, 5-1 in Quad 2, 1-2 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4 games this season.
- Senior Tony Perkins has started 69 consecutive games dating back to the 2021-22 season.
- Iowa has played three games decided by seven or fewer points this season (1-2 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 16 in the Big Ten in scoring — Perkins (11th), Sandfort (15th) and Krikke (14th), Sandfort (14th).
- Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 65.3 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 7-1 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 10-1 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 13 games this season.
- The Hawkeyes are 9-3 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 23-6 in its last 29 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 and seven games with at least five assists. He is leading the team with 90 assists against 32 turnovers.
- Junior Payton Sandfort has attempted 158 3-point field goals — the most in the Big Ten. He has 62 makes — second-most in the conference.
- The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, making 77.3 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 6.7 rebounds per game, which ranks 13th in the Big Ten.
- The Hawkeyes have earned eight 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). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the seven honors are a single season school record and tied for the second-most in league history.
B1G TONY
Senior Tony Perkins is averaging a team-best 18.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in Big Ten play. The guard is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 84.4 percent from the charity stripe.
• Over his last five games, Perkins is averaging 22 points, four assists, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals, while committing just six turnovers in the five-game stretch. He is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 86.1 percent from the free throw stripe.
• He has 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 downtown Freddie Brown in 1971. Matt Gatens had four straight 20-point games in 2012 and Adam Haluska did it seven times in an eight-game stretch in 2006.
• The Indianapolis native has scored in double figures in every Big Ten game with six 20-point contests and eight 15+ games. He has six games with three or more steals against league opponents.
• In league play, Perkins is sixth in scoring (18.6), sixth in steals (2.1) and ninth in assists (4.3).
• Overall, Perkins has been in double figures in 13 straight games and in 20 of 22 games this season.
PAYTON CATCHES FIRE
After scoring a season-low six points in the home loss to Maryland on Jan. 24, junior Payton Sandfort responded with back-to-back 20-point games in road games at Michigan and at Indiana.
• The Waukee, Iowa, native matched a career-high, scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He went 6-of-8 from 3-point range, tying a career-high with six makes.
• In the second half, Sandfort was deadly. He made eight of his 10 field goal attempts, including 5-of-6 3-pointers. He played all 20 minutes.
• Against Indiana, Sandfort again matched his career-best with 26 points, making 7-of-16 field goals, including five 3-pointers. His 11 3-pointers over the two-game stretch is a career best performance.
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 1,046 points as a Hawkeye.
• Senior Patrick McCaffery has scored 935 career points. He needs 65 points to become Iowa’s 53rd member of the 1,000 point club.
• Graduate Ben Krikke has scored 1,919 points during his collegiate career. He is 81 points shy of reaching 2,000.