MBB Notes -- Northwestern

 

OPPONENT	Northwestern at Iowa
DATE	Sunday, Feb. 8
LOCATION	Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena
KICKOFF	2 p.m. (CT)
TV	FS1
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: Sunday’s game will be televised on FS1 with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Steve Prohm (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP
• The Hawkeyes return home to face Northwestern on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City.  Iowa is 11-1 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season.
• Iowa has won five straight Big Ten games for the first time since the 2021-22 season.  The team has won three straight league road games for the first time since that same season.
• The Hawkeyes haven’t won six straight Big Ten Conference games since the 2015-16 season (seven straight wins to open league play).
• Iowa has 17 wins, including seven in Big Ten play, matching the 2024-25 totals.  The team is 17-5 overall, the team’s best start through 22 games since the 2018-19 campaign.
• The Hawkeyes are one of nine teams nationally to rank in the top 21 in KenPom's offensive and defensive efficiency rankings along with Arizona, Michigan, Duke, Iowa State, Illinois, Houston, Florida and Vanderbilt.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz has scored 20+ points in five straight games (12 times this season).  He 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, the reigning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week,  passed the 2,000 career point mark on Feb. 1 in Eugene. He is No. 8 among active scorers nationally.
• 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 three straight games in wins over USC, Oregon and Washington. Iowa is 11-0 this season when the forward reaches double digits.
• Stirtz is averaging 21.7 points, 4.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals in Big Ten play with a .506/.385/.810 shooting clip. He has seven 20-point contests in league play.
• Iowa ranks eighth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 51.2 percent.  The team also is 12th in effective field goal percentage (.589).
• The Hawkeyes are allowing 63.5 points per game -- the fewest in the Big Ten and seventh-fewest nationally. Iowa has held six opponents under 60 points this season.
• Iowa is 21st 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 (2,040) and assists (541) and he is one of six to have 1,500 points and 350 assists. 

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
• The Wildcats have dropped two straight and eight of their last 10 games to fall to 10-13 overall and 2-10 in Big Ten play.  Northwestern’s two league wins have come at USC and against Penn State.
• During the current two game skid, Northwestern lost at home to Washington (76-62) and at Illinois (84-44).  In the game in Champaign, the Wildcats scored a season-low 44 points and didn’t have any players finish in double figures.
• Three NU players are averaging in double figures with Nick Martinelli leading the team in scoring (22.8), rebounds (6.5) and 3-point field goals (30).  The forward has taken 134 more shots than anyone else on the Wildcat roster.
• Martinelli, who has 18 20-point games and four 30-point contests, leads the Big Ten in scoring and ranks sixth nationally.  His 176 field goals are No. 6 nationally and he is shooting 79.5 percent from the free throw line, making 120-of-151 attempts.
• Arrinten Page (11.3) and Jayden Reid (10.3) also average in double figures.  Reid has a team-high 120 assists and 19 steals, while Page leads the squad with 25 blocks.
• NU averages 75.2 points per game, but gives up 72.5.  The Wildcats shoot 46 percent from the floor and 31.1 percent from 3-point range, averaging 6.3 3-point makes per game.
• The Wildcats are -3.0 on the glass, but the team commits just 8.2 turnovers per game, which are the fewest in the nation.  NU also has a 2.15 assist-to-turnover ratio -- No. 2 nationally.

SERIES HISTORY
• Sunday’s game is the 189th meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Northwestern, dating back to 1905 -- a 24-23 Wildcat victory in Evanston.
• The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 126-62.  
• Iowa is 72-19 all-time against the Wildcats in Iowa City.  The Hawkeyes have won the last 10 games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to the 2012-13 season.  
• Northwestern’s last win in Iowa City came on March 3, 2012.
• The Wildcats have won twice in the last four meetings, including posting a 68-57 victory last season in Evanston.  

 

LAST GAME: IOWA 84, WASHINGTON 74
Iowa rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to win its fifth straight game, downing Washington, 84-74, on Wednesday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.  The victory was Iowa’s third straight road win and second Quad 1 win this season.
• After giving up 48 first-half points on 76.9 percent shooting, Iowa held Washington to 26 second-half points on 36 percent shooting.  
• Senior Bennett Stirtz scored 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting with four 3-pointers to notch his fifth straight 20-point game.  Alvaro Folgueiras scored 16 (12 in first half), while Cooper Koch and Tavion Banks add 11 apiece.
• The Hawkeyes turned 12 turnovers into 22 points, while committing a season-low four turnovers.

IOWA'S BENNETT STIRTZ IS...
• eighth among active players (all levels) with 2,040 career points.  He eclipsed the 2,000-point mark on Feb. 1 at Oregon.
• one of three players nationally with 420+ points, 105+ assists, 50+ 3s, 50+ rebounds and 30+ steals.
• the only player in the Big Ten (one of five nationally) with 420+ points, 105+ assists, 30+ steals and 50+ rebounds.
• the only player in the Big Ten (and one of two power conference players) with 420+ points and 105+ assists (one of 10 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... 
• 15-1 when scoring 70+ points this season.  The lone loss was at No. 5 Purdue.
• 14-1 when allowing fewer than 69 points this season.
• 13-0 when shooting more free throws than its opponents.
• 13-0 when leading with 10 minutes to play.
• 14-1 when having a higher field goal percentage.
• 12-2 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• 14-2 when leading at halftime.
• 11-0 when junior Alvaro Folgueiras scores in double figures.

SUCCESS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
During Iowa’s 2-0 road trip to the Pacific Northwest, the Hawkeyes shot 59.3 percent (64-of-108) from the field and 46.3 percent (19-of-41) from 3-point range in wins over Oregon and Washington.  Iowa scored 84 points and won by double digits in both games.  
• Iowa had 28 assists against only nine turnovers in the two games.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz scored 54 points in the two contests, making 20-of-28 field goals with12 assists to just one turnover.

MOST WINS BY A FIRST-YEAR HAWKEYE
Through 22 games, Iowa’ Ben McCollum has the third-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history with 17 victories.

Dr. Tom Davis (1986-87) - 30
Bucky O’Connor (1951-52) - 19
Ben McCollum (2025-26) - 17