Iowa men prepare to face No. 10 Purdue without Owen Freeman
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa senior forward Payton Sandfort watched in awe as the Iowa women’s basketball team defeated fourth-ranked USC 76-69 this past Sunday before a sellout crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that included former late night television host David Letterman.
Sandfort wasn’t just impressed with what he saw on the court, but also with what he saw in the arena, which was every seat filled to capacity.
“That was fun to watch,” Payton Sandfort said Monday. “I hope we can get the same level of support. That was such a big impact on the game, especially early and down the stretch at the end.
“I’m proud of those girls. They’ve had their struggles and that’s something they haven’t really had to fight through before. They found their way and it’s only going to get better.”

Unfortunately, for Payton Sandfort, Carver-Hawkeye Arena probably won’t be close to full when the Iowa men’s basketball team faces 10th-ranked Purdue on Tuesday.
The Iowa men have struggled with home attendance for a while now, and it seems to be getting worse this season.
Iowa will also be without sophomore forward Owen Freeman, who will miss the rest of the season due to an injured finger on his right hand that will require season-ending surgery.
“It’ll be tough,” Payton Sandfort said of playing without the 6-foot-10 Freeman, who leads Iowa in scoring (16.7), rebounding (6.7) and blocks (35) while shooting 63.8 percent from the field. “Obviously, he was a big producer and did a lot of good things for this team.
“But we’ve got a lot of guys that are ready and accept the challenge. They’ve been working and preparing for this, and I think they’re really excited for this opportunity. It’s not just going to be one guy that replaces him. It’s going to be a collective effort. It has to be the whole team.”
Freeman is the only the Hawkeye to score in double figures in every game this season.
So, his loss and what it means to Iowa on both ends of the floor can’t be over-stated.
It would have been hard enough to defeat Purdue under any circumstance, but to do it without Owen Freeman, and without a capacity crowd creating a home-court advantage will make it even more challenging.
The Iowa women’s basketball team is used to playing before sellouts crowds at home after having Caitlin Clark on the roster for the past four seasons.
Clark led the Iowa women to NCAA runner-up finishes in each of the past two seasons as a do-everything point guard, and she had her jersey No. 22 retired after the win over USC.
Her presence, coupled with facing a top-five opponent helped to turn Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a hostile environment for the visiting Trojans.
And as Payton Sandfort said, that made a huge difference, whereas the Iowa men will have to make do with however many fans shows up for Tuesday’s game, which starts at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on Peacock.

Iowa has lost four of its last five games, which probably won’t help to draw more fans, while Purdue has won nine of its last 10 games. Purdue defeated Indiana, 81-76, on Friday night in West Lafayette.
Prior to losing 73-70 at home against Ohio State, Purdue had won seven straight games, including four straight on the road.
Purdue has three players averaging in double figures, including forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages 18.4 points 6.2 rebounds per-game, respectively. He is also shooting 60.4 percent from the floor.
Junior point guard Braden Smith, who was named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, averages 15.8 points and 8.8 assists, while leading the team with 47 3-pointers and 56 steals. He also leads the Big Ten in both assists and steals, ranking second and sixth nationally.
Shooting guard Fletcher Loyer averages 14 points and leads the Big Ten with a 46.3 3-point percentage.
The Boilermakers shoot 49.4 from the field and 37.7 from 3-point range, ranking second and third in the league (behind Iowa).
Purdue also has the fourth-best scoring defense in the Big Ten, allowing 67.91 points per game.
What Purdue doesn’t have anymore is 7-4 former All-America center Zach Edey dominating the paint. Edey is now in his rookie season in the NBA as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Any team is going to be different without him” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey. “I think Kaufman-Renn has really taken his game to whole other level. We’ve seen that.
“And you still have the backcourt. Those two (Braden Smith and Loyer) have been starters since the minute they got there. And it’s the preseason player of the year. So, those two guys are special.”
Fran McCaffery said Monday when he met with the media that he hadn’t decided who will replace Freeman in the starting lineup.
Matt Painter has been the Purdue head coach since 2005 and he also played for the Boilermakers under former head coach Gene Keady.
Purdue has consistently ranked among the top teams in the Big Ten under Painter, and this season is no exception.
“Matt always has depth,” Fran McCaffery said. “He’s got a good mix of veterans and young guys and everybody understands and accepts their role and plays it to the best of their abilities.
“They’ve got pieces, and that’s why they’re doing as well as they are.”
Following Tuesday’s game against Purdue, Iowa will face No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa has a chance to get two Quad 1 wins this week, but will have to do it without one of its best players and without the luxury of playing before sellout crowds.
Freshman forward Cooper Koch is also expected to miss the Purdue game due to health reasons, and he could be out for the rest of the season.
Purdue (17-5, 9-2) vs. Iowa (13-8, 4-6)
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV/stream: Peacock
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
All-time series: Purdue has won three straight and nine of the last 11 games in the series dating back to 2018. The Boilermakers have won the last two meetings in Iowa City, winning 84-70 last season and 83-73 during the 2021-22 campaign.
Iowa is 5-4 in the last nine meetings with the Boilermakers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes’ last win over Purdue came in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament title game — a 75-66 victory.