MBB Notes -- at Washington

 

OPPONENT	Iowa at Washington
DATE	Wednesday, Feb. 4
LOCATION	Seattle, Wash. | Alaska Airlines Arena
KICKOFF	10 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 Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP
• The Hawkeyes will be making their first trip to the Emerald City since playing single games in back-to-back days during the 1966-67 season.  The game will be a Quad 1 win opportunity.
• Iowa’s 16-5 start through 21 games is the best since the 2018-19 season.
• The Hawkeyes have won four straight in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2022-23 season.  Iowa’s last five-game Big Ten winning streak came during the 2021-22 campaign.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz erupted for a career-high 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting with four 3-pointers, seven assists, two steals and zero turnovers in Iowa’s road win at Oregon.  He is the first player in the StatHead era to have 30+ points, 6+ assists and zero turnovers.
• Stirtz, who has four straight 20-point games for the third time in his career, passed the 2,000-point mark on Feb. 1 in Eugene. He is No. 8 among active scorers nationally.
• Stirtz was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week and to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 10 list on Feb. 2.
• Senior Tavion Banks has made 30 consecutive free throws, dating back to Dec. 20 against Bucknell.  Iowa’s program record is 34 consecutive makes by Chris Street and Jordan Bohannon.
• Four of Iowa’s five losses have come against top 20 opponents and four of the five defeats have come on the road.
• Junior Alvaro Folgueiras has scored in double figures in back-to-back games in wins over USC and Oregon. Iowa is 10-0 this season when Folgueiras reaches double digits.
• Stirtz is averaging 21.7 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in Big Ten play with a .497/.371/.833 shooting clip. He has six 20-point contests in league play.
• Iowa ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 50.8 percent.  The team also is 12th in effective field goal percentage (.585).
• The Hawkeyes are allowing 63 points per game -- the fewest in the Big Ten and fourth-fewest nationally. Iowa has held six opponents under 60 points this season.
• Iowa is 17th in KenPom’s defensive ratings, the program’s highest rating since 2005-06 when it was No. 1 in the nation.  
• Iowa has held every opponent below its team season scoring average on the year.
• Amongst active players, Stirtz is the only player nationally ranked in the top 10 in points (2,020) and assists (536) and he is one of six to have 1,500 points and 350 assists. 

SCOUTING WASHINGTON
• The Huskies have won two of their last three games, but have lost six of their last nine to drop their record to 12-10 overall and 4-7 in Big Ten play.
• Washington went on the road to down Northwestern, 76-62, on Jan. 31.  Hannes Steinback (22), Zoom Diallo (22) and Wesley Yates III (21) combined for 65 of the Huskies’ 75 points.
• The Huskies are 8-3 at home this season, but the team is  2-3 in Big Ten home contests.  Washington has league home losses to Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA.
• Washington is without third-leading scorer Desmond Claude, who averages 13.3 points, because of injury.   
• Steinbach averages a double-double at 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds with .533/.371/.765 shooting splits.  The freshman has 14 double-doubles this season, which are tops in the Big Ten and the third-most nationally.  He leads the league (third-most in the NCAA) in rebounding, while ranking 11th in scoring.
• Diallo averages 15.2 points with a team-best 88 assists, while Yates chips in 13.3 points.  Quimari Peterson averages 8.7 points with a team-high 44 3-pointers and 29 steals, while Franck Kepnang averages 2.36 blocks per game -- 13th-most nationally.
• UW averages 78.3 points per game, while surrendering 72.8.  The Huskies shoot 44.9 percent from the floor, but just 31.8 percent from 3-point range.  The team ranks 21st nationally with a .775 free throw percentage.
• Washington is +5 on the glass (38.4-33.4), as the team ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding.

SERIES HISTORY
• Wednesday’s game is the seventh meeting in the all-time series with both teams winning three times.  The first meeting took place in 1955 in Seattle.
• The Hawkeyes have won three of the last four in the series, including an 85-79 victory last season in Iowa City. 
• Iowa is 1-2 all-time in Seattle. The Hawkeyes are making their first trip to trip to Washington since playing games on back-to-back days in 1966.  

 

LAST GAME: IOWA 84, OREGON 66
The Hawkeyes pushed their winning streak to four games with an 84-66 road win at Oregon on Sunday night. Iowa shot 58.9 percent from the field, including 69.2 percent in the second half en route to the 18-point victory.
• The win was Iowa’s first ever in Eugene and it gave the Hawkeyes their longest Big Ten winning streak since the 2022-23 season.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz led a group of four players in double figures, finishing with a career-high 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting with four 3-pointer, seven assists, two steals and zero turnovers.  
• Junior Alvaro Folgueiras scored 15, Brendan Hausen 11 and Cooper Koch 10.  Iowa made 10 3-pointers and committed just five turnovers in the game.

IOWA'S BENNETT STIRTZ IS...
• eighth among active players (all levels) with 2,020 career points.  He eclipsed the 2,000-point mark on Feb. 1 at Oregon.
• one of four players nationally with 400+ points, 100+ assists, 45+ 3s, 50+ rebounds and 30+ steals.
• the only player in the Big Ten (one of seven nationally) with 365+ points, 95+ assists, 30+ steals and 50+ rebounds.
• the only player in the Big Ten with 400+ points and 100+ assists (one of 14 nationally).
• looking to become the first Hawkeye in 26 years to lead the team in scoring, assists and steals.  Dean Oliver led the team in all three categories during the 1999-00 season. (The last player to lead the team in points and assists was Devyn Marble during the 2012-13 season).

IOWA IS... 
• 14-1 when scoring 70+ points this season.  The lone loss was at No. 5 Purdue.
• 14-1 when allowing fewer than 69 points this season.
• 12-0 when shooting more free throws than its opponents.
• 13-1 when having a higher field goal percentage.
• 12-2 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• 14-2 when leading at halftime.
• 10-0 when junior Alvaro Folgueiras scores in double figures.

T APPROACHES IOWA FREE THROW RECORD
Senior Tavion Banks has made 30 consecutive free throws dating back to the Dec. 20 game against Bucknell.  He made all 10 of his attempts at Indiana on Jan. 17 and went 8-for-8 in the win over USC on Jan. 28.
• Banks is four free throws shy of tying the late Chris Street and Jordan Bohannon for the longest consecutive free throws made streak in program history.  
• Street made 34 consecutive free throws during the 1992-93 season before his 1993 death in a car accident in Iowa City.  His record stood for 25 years until Bohannon tied it in 2018 and then purposely missed the 35th shot to honor Street’s legacy.

MOST WINS BY A FIRST-YEAR HAWKEYE
Through 21 games, Iowa’ Ben McCollum has the third-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history with 16 victories.

Dr. Tom Davis (1986-87) - 30
Bucky O’Connor (1951-52) - 19
Ben McCollum (2025-26) - 16