MBB Notes -- at No. 5 Purdue

 

OPPONENT	RV/#23 Iowa at #5/5 Purdue
DATE	Wednesday, Jan. 14
LOCATION	West Lafayette, Ind. | Mackey Arena
KICKOFF	5:30 p.m. (CT)
TV	BTN
RADIO	Hawkeye Radio Network

 

ON THE AIR
Radio: Games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call.  The network includes1 more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and includes 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), Jordan Taylor (color) and Andy Katz (sideline) on the call.

OPENING TIP
• The Hawkeyes head to West Lafayette looking to snap a six-game losing streak inside Mackey Arena.  Iowa’s last road win in the series came during the 2015-16 campaign.
• Iowa is playing its second straight ranked foe after falling 75-69 at home against No. 16 Illinois on Sunday in Iowa City.  It is the team’s third game against a top-seven  ranked opponent on the road this season.  
• Hey roomie... Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Purdue’s Braden Smith were roommates this summer during the 2025 CP3 Elite Guard Camp in Las Vegas.
• Stirtz has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 25 Midseason Watch List.  He is one of six Big Ten players on the list.
• Senior Tavion Banks finished with a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals against No. 16 Illinois on Jan. 11.  Banks played through remnants of the flu -- a bout that led him to losing 8-10 pounds and forced him to miss two days of practice.
• Stirtz is the only player in the Big Ten Conference this season to have 280+ points and 80+ assists and he is one of two players nationally with 280+ points, 80+ assists, 35+ 3s, 35+ rebounds and 25+ steals.
• Stirtz is averaging 19.8 points, 3.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in Big Ten play, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.
• Iowa ranks17th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 51 percent.
• The Hawkeyes are allowing 61.7 points per game -- the fewest in the Big Ten and fourth-fewest nationally. Iowa has held five opponents under 60 points this season; the past three seasons the team held opponents under 60 points five times combined.
• Amongst active players, Stirtz is the only player nationally ranked in the top 10 in points (1,900) and assists (513) and he is one of six to have 1,500 points and 350 assists. 

SCOUTING PURDUE
• The Boilermakers are riding a seven-game winning streak that dates back to Dec. 10, pushing the team’s record to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten play.
• Purdue opened the season with eight straight wins before suffering its lone loss -- an 81-58 home setback against Iowa State on Dec. 6. The Boilermakers are 9-1 inside Mackey Arena this season.
• Purdue has high major wins over Alabama, Texas Tech, Marquette and Auburn in nonconference play.
• The Boilermakers have four players averaging in double figures and six players scoring at least 8.4 points per game. 
• Guard Braden Smith leads the team, averaging 14.1 points and an NCAA-leading 9.8 assists per game, while also recording 30 steals.  He is shooting 48 percent from the floor and 40.6 from long range.
• Fletcher Lloyer averages 14 points with a team-high 43 3-pointers, Trey Kaufman-Renn has seven double-doubles and averages 13.3 points and 10 rebounds, while Oscar Cluff averages 11.9 points and 8.6 boards, including 3.9 offensive boards per game. 
• Purdue averages 86.4 points per game, while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3-point range.
• The team ranks in the top 15 nationally in assists (second), 3-point field goal percentage (10th), effective field goal percentage (11th), field goal percentage (13th), rebounding margin (13th) and scoring margin (16th).
• Purdue is No. 1 in the nation in points per possession (1.269) and is the top offensive efficient team nationally (129.5).
• The Boilermakers are +9.9 on the glass, pulling in 38.8 rebounds per game, including 12.8 per game on the offensive  boards.

SERIES HISTORY
• Wednesday’s game is the 177th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1908.  Purdue leads the series, 98-78.
• The Boilermakers have won four straight and 10 of the last 12 meetings in the series dating back to 2017-18 campaign. 
• Iowa’s last win over Purdue came in the Big Ten Tournament title game -- a 75-66 Hawkeye victory in Indianapolis. 
• Purdue has won six straight over Iowa inside Mackey Arena.  The Hawkeyes’ last win in West Lafayette came on Jan. 2, 2016 -- a 70-63 triumph.
• The Boilermakers are 65-22 all-time at home against Iowa.

 

LAST GAME: ILLINOIS 75, IOWA 69
The Hawkeyes’ closed an 18-point deficit to four points late in the second half before ultimately falling, 75-69, to No. 16 Illinois on Sunday afternoon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The loss was Iowa’s first at home this season.
• Illinois’ 75 points were the most Iowa’s defense has allowed in 16 games this season.  The Illini opened the game on a 21-5 run and led by as many as 18 points 13 minutes into the contest.
• Senior Tavion Banks led a group of four Hawkeyes in double figures, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while battling the flu.  Freshman Tate Sage tied a career-high with 13 points in a season-high 29 minutes.

MORE NOTABLES
• Freshman guard Peyton McCollum suffered a foot injury in practice on Jan. 8 that will require him to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.   
• The Hawkeyes climbed as high as No. 19 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Polls on Jan. 5.  It was Iowa’s highest ranking since being 16th in the final poll during the 2021-22 season.
• Iowa made its debut in the AP poll in Week 8.  It was the program’s first time in the AP poll since Nov. 21, 2022 (No. 25 ranking). 
• The Hawkeyes have been in the Coaches’ Poll in each of the last seven weeks.
• Iowa used its third starting lineup of the season, inserting Alvaro Folgueiras into the lineup in place of Tavion Banks on Jan. 11 against Illinois.  It was Folgueiras’ first start as a Hawkeye.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz won his 100th career game on Dec. 14 in the victory over Western Michigan.  During his collegiate career, Stirtz has posted a 103-16 record (.866 winning percentage).
• During the month of December, Iowa was the second-most efficient team in the country based on efficiency data by Torvik (trailing only Michigan).
• The Hawkeyes finished 10-1 in nonconference play -- the best record in non-league play since the 2021-22 season (10-1).
• Senior Bennett Stirtz is the 16th-most valuable player to his team nationally by Evan Miya.  He has been KenPom’s Game MVP nine times this season -- tied for the fifth-most in the nation.
• The Hawkeyes allowed just 39 points -- the fewest since 2013 (vs. UNC Wilmington) -- against Bucknell.   The .597 points allowed per possession was the fewest by the team since 2013.
• Junior Kael Combs finished with a career-high 14 points, making 6-of-10 field goals, in Iowa’s road game at Minnesota.  On Dec. 20 against Bucknell, Combs made 6-of-7 field goals en route to a 13-point outing. 
• Folgueiras scored 13 points in eight minutes in the first half and led the team with 17 points in the win over Bucknell on Dec. 20.  He made 7-of-10 field goals, including three 3-pointers, to lead the team in scoring for the second time this season. 
• Iowa was +20 on the glass in the win over Bucknell, its largest rebounding advantage of the season.  The Hawkeyes, who have won the rebounding battle in 12 games (10-2 record).
• Senior Tavion Banks finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with a season-high two 3-point field goals at Iowa State. He had 16 points and nine rebounds against Bucknell, narrowly missing his second double-double of the season.   
• The Hawkeyes are averaging 34.3 points in the paint this season.  Iowa has scored 50 or more points in the paint in three games, including a season-high 54 points in the win over UMass Lowell on Dec. 29.
• Senior Brendan Hausen scored a season-high 13 points and made a season-best four 3-pointers on Dec. 14 against Western Michigan. Hausen has made 18 field goals this season with 16 coming from long range.  
• The Hawkeyes made a season-high 14 3-point field goals with six different players making at least one in the win over Western Michigan.  Iowa is second in the Big Ten (and ranks 43rd nationally) with a .370 3-point field goal percentage.
• Iowa has made 10 or more 3-pointers in four contests and eight or more 10 times.
• The Hawkeyes attempted 44 free throws (made 36) in the season-opening win over Robert Morris.  Iowa has made 25 or more free throws in three games this season.
• Iowa has attempted more free throws than its opponent in 10 games this season.  The team shot a season-high 91.7 percent (22-of-24) in the win over UMass Lowell on Dec. 29.