By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa senior forward Payton Sandfort only has two more chances to win a Big Ten game in the month of December before he uses up his eligibility.

Iowa is 0-8 in conference play since Payton Sandfort joined the team in 2021, and of course, that doesn’t sit well with the 6-foot-7 Waukee native.

The first of two chances to end the dubious streak will be against Northwestern in the Big Ten opener on Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa will then play at Michigan on Saturday before returning to nonconference play for the rest of December,

“Tough would be an understatement,” Payton Sandfort said Monday when reminded by a member of the media about his team’s struggles in December conference play. “I’m yet to win a December (Big Ten) game in my career.

“So, it would, obviously, be a great start. It’s not something we need, but it would definitely feel better going in to the January portion of it if we got off to a better start.”

Iowa is just 4-10 in Big Ten openers under head coach Fran McCaffery.

The Hawkeyes (6-1) have battled back to win at least 10 games in Big Ten play in a record six straight seasons despite starting 0-3 in conference play in 2018-19, 2022-23, 2023- 24, and 0-2 in 2021-22.

However, the current team is also battling with injuries and with illnesses.

Fran McCaffery said Monday that freshman forward Cooper Koch will not play against Northwestern on Tuesday, while the playing status of sophomore forward Seydour Traore will be a game-time decision.

Traore suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Iowa’s 110-77 victory over USC Upstate last Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Payton Sandfort and junior guard Josh Dix also have been hampered by nagging wrist injuries.

“It just feels super unlucky kind of with what’s going on with everybody,” Payton Sandfort said of the injury situation.

Northwestern will enter Tuesday’s conference opener with a 6-2 record under head coach Chris Collins.

The Wildcats lost to Butler 71-69 in the Arizona Tip-Off on Thanksgiving Day in Tempe, Arizona.

Fran McCaffery watched the game in person as he had an interest in both teams; Northwestern from a scouting standpoint and Butler from a family standpoint with his son, Patrick McCaffery, a graduate forward for the Bulldogs, and another son, Connor McCaffery a Butler assistant coach.

Patrick McCaffery and Connor McCaffery both played for their father at Iowa.

“Northwestern has a veteran club with a really good coach,” Fran McCaffery said. “They play the style that they play very well.”

Northwestern returns a bulk of its starting lineup from last season’s NCAA team, but there is one notable absence, which is former All-Big Ten point guard Boo Buie, who used up his eligibility last season, much to the delight of Payton Sandfort.

“I’m not going to miss playing him, that’s for sure,” Sandford said of Buie, who now plays in the NBA G-League. “But they still have a lot of really good players. And coach Collins has done an excellent job there. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. They’ve been playing good basketball,. They’ve been in a lot of close gems already this year.

“So, they’re battled tested and it’ll be a good start to the Big Ten season for sure.

The Hawkeyes have won nine straight over the Northwestern inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Northwestern’s last win in Iowa City came in 2012, a 70-66 triumph.

Monday’s game will be the first Big Ten conference game for Iowa graduate point guard Drew Thelwell, who played his first four seasons for Morehead State where he is the program’s all-time winningest player.

“I’m ready to go tomorrow,” Thelwell said. “We all are.”

Thelwell played against four Big Ten teams last season, including Illinois in the NCAA Tournament, and there was a common theme with all four Big Ten opponents.

“I’ve had a taste of the Big Ten already, so I kind of know what to expect,” Thelwell said.

Asked what he expects from Big Ten teams, Thelwell said:

“It’s going to be really physical. The opponents will probably be larger. But as long as we stick to our game plan, I think we’ll be fine.”

Tuesday’s game will start at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on Peacock.

All-time series

The Hawkeyes are 125-61 all-time against Northwestern, including winning 10 of the last 11 meetings.
• Iowa won nine straight in the series from 2018-23 and has won 17 of the last 21 overall.
• The Hawkeyes have won nine straight over the Wildcats inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Northwestern’s last win in Iowa City came in 2012, a 70-66 triumph.
• Iowa has won the last three meetings in Iowa City by an average of 17.3 points (16, 21, 15).
• The Hawkeyes went on the road to win the most recent meeting, winning 87-80 last March in Evanston.
• Head coach Fran McCaffery is 17-8 all-time against Northwestern.