Iowa men face big step up in competition against Seton Hall
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The first two games for the Iowa men’s basketball team were pretty much foregone conclusions as Kris Murray and his cohorts made easy work of Bethune Cookman and North Carolina A&T by margins of 31 and 41 points, respectively, at home.
The circumstances will change significantly in game three with Iowa facing Seton Hall on Wednesday in Newark, New Jersey as part of the Gavitt Games.
Both teams are 2-0 and the Pirates have a new head coach who was one of the top storylines during the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Shaheen Holloway has returned to his alma mater, where he was star guard at Seton Hall from 1996 to 2000, after having led tiny Saint Peters University to the NCAA Elite Eight last March as a No. 15 seed.
It marked the first time that a No. 15 seed had advance to the Elite Eight and the success made Holloway a hot commodity.
He was hired to replace Kevin Willard, who left Seton Hall to be the head coach at Maryland.
“The job he did at Saint Peters was absolutely spectacular as we all know,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Monday of the 46-year old Holloway on a zoom conference. “It’s not an easy job. He did amazing things there and he’s doing a great job at Seton Hall.
“Obviously, he was the guy. I think when Kevin left to go to Maryland, I think everybody knew with Shaheen certainly being one of the all-time greats there, and having such a big name in New Jersey, and really throughout the country.”
Holloway faced his former school in just his second game as the Seton Hall head coach this past Saturday as the Pirates crushed an overmatched Saint Peters squad 80-44 behind a tenacious defense and quality depth.
Ten different Seton Hall players scored, led by Clemson transfer Al-Amir Dawes and Louisville transfer Dre Davis with 13 points apiece, and Holloway had used 10 players less than 8 minutes into last Saturday’s game.
“His teams play hard and they compete,” Fran McCaffery said. “I would say they’re probably a reflection of him. That’s how he was, and that’s what you have to expect when you play his team.”

As for his team, Fran McCaffery said Monday that junior guard Tony Perkins will play in Wednesday’s game.
Perkins was limping at the end of last Friday’s game against North Carolina A&T, but he will have had four days to get ready.
The 6-4 Indianapolis native started the first two games at point guard after having played mostly shooting guard last season.
Perkins is averaging 11.0 points, 5.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds so far this season.
Iowa returns the bulk of its roster from last season’s team that won the Big Ten Tournament and 26 games overall. But there are two giant holes to fill with the loss of consensus All-America forward Keegan Murray to the NBA and stat sheet-stuffing point guard Jordan Bohannon from having exhausted his eligibility after six seasons.
Kris Murray isn’t necessarily being asked to fill his twin brother’s void all by himself, but much is expected from Kris Murray this season as a versatile 6-8 forward.
He scored 22 points in the win over North Carolina A&T, but now the competition will improve significantly.
Kris Murray looks forward to the challenge, both from an individual and team standpoint.
“We’re excited for it,” Kris Murray said. “I feel like we made a lot of strides in these last two games and in our exhibition.
“So, I think that we’re ready for definitely more competition and a really good team.”
Iowa vs. Seton Hall
When: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: South, Orange, New Jersey (Prudential Center)
What: The Gavitt Games
TV: FS1
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
Series: The Hawkeyes and Pirates have previously met twice before. Iowa beat Seton Hall (85-63) on Dec. 29, 1982, in the Rochester Classic in Rochester, New York, while the Pirates defeated the Hawkeyes (91-83) on Nov. 17, 2016, in Iowa City.