Iowa men’s basketball hosts Northern Illinois Friday
By Hawkeyesports.com
IOWACITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team closes out nonconference play, hosting Northern Illinois on Friday in the “Holiday Game” on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will tipoff at 6 p.m. (CT).
• Tickets range from $15-35 for adults, $5-10 for youth and $5 for students.
FOLLOW LIVE
Radio: Friday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Jon Swisher (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.
Online: Friday’s game will be streamed on B1G+ with AJ Reisetter (play-by-play) on the call.
OPENING TIP
- The Hawkeyes close out nonconference play and the 2023 calendar year, hosting Northern Illinois on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT). Iowa is 5-1 at home this season where it averages 97 points in six contests.
- Iowa had three players — Payton Sandfort, Ben Krikke and Brock Harding — post double-doubles in the victory over UMBC — a first for the program since 2013. Harding had his first career double-double — the first points-assists double-double since 2021.
- Harding finished the game with a career-high 12 assists — the most by a freshman since Jordan Bohannon’s 13 in 2017.
- Iowa has had a different freshman post double-doubles in consecutive games (Owen Freeman/Brock Harding) for the first time since the 2016-17 season (Tyler Cook/Jordan Bohannon).
- Freeman notched his first career double-double, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in Iowa’s 88-52 victory over Florida A&M on Dec. 16. It was the first double-double by an Iowa freshman since Joe Wieskamp in 2018.
- Freeman was recognized as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for a school-record fourth time on Dec. 18. He is one of 16 players in Big Ten history to earn the league’s freshman of the week honors at least four times.
- Iowa finished with 33 assists — a season-high, the second-most assists in school history and the eighth-most in the nation this season — against UMBC on Dec. 20. The team committed just four turnovers in the game — a season low.
- The Hawkeyes are +25 on the glass in their last two games, including a season-best +14 against FAMU on Dec. 16.
- Iowa is 5-1 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 5-1 when shooting 50+ percent from the field and 4-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
- Ahoy 100. Iowa hit the century mark for the third time this season, scoring 103 points against UMBC on Dec. 20. The Hawkeyes have scored 100+ points 12 times since the start of the 2021-22 season.
- Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 86.6 points in 12 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in eight games, averaging 96.4 points in wins and 72.8 points in losses.
- The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally, averaging 19.4 assists per game. Iowa is second in the league and fourth nationally with a 1.96 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- McCaffery is four wins from becoming the winningest coach in Iowa basketball history. Tom Davis has 271 victories as Iowa’s head coach. With his next Big Ten victory, McCaffery will also have the most league wins (127) in program history.
- 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).