Game Day Essentials
Indiana (12-3, 3-2) at Iowa (11-4, 1-3)
- Tip Time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Carver Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
- Television: FS1 (Joe Davis and Bill Raftery)
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Stream: Fox Sports Live
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 5-point underdog
- KenPom Projected Score: Iowa wins, 79-76
- Series: Indiana leads, 106-78. IU won both meetings last year against the Hawkeyes, 81-69 in Iowa City and 67-65 in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have won three straight in the series.
More Game Coverage
- Mike Woodson pre-game Q&A
- Fran McCaffery and Keegan Murray pre-game Q&A
- Iowa presents several unique challenges
- Indiana has identified a new closing-time lineup
Strength against Strength
Does defense win championships in modern college basketball? We’re about to find out.
IU is first in the Big Ten and second in country in field goal percentage defense (35.3%). The Hoosiers also lead the league in scoring defense (60.8). In conference play, IU leads in scoring defense (58.2) and field goal percentage defense (36.7%) and is second in 3-point field goal defense (28.6%).
Iowa is tops in the Big Ten and fourth nationally in scoring offense (86.7). The Hawkeyes have ranked first in the Big Ten in scoring offense the last three seasons. Iowa’s 83.7 points per game average in 2021 is its highest since the 1988-89 season (89.6). The Hawkeyes have led the conference in scoring four of the last eight seasons.
Coach Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery, who recently signed a contract extension through the 2028 season, is in his 12th season as the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa and his 26th year overall as a college head coach. McCaffery has reached the 20-win plateau 10 of the last 14 seasons.
McCaffery spent five seasons (2005-10) as the head coach at Siena, six years at UNC-Greensboro (1999-2005) and three seasons at Lehigh (1985-88) before joining the Hawkeyes. McCaffery has nearly four decades of Division I coaching experience. He is in his 40th season as a collegiate coach, which includes 26 years as a head coach and 14 as an assistant.
McCaffery is one of 14 coaches to lead at least four different Division I teams to the NCAA Tournament. McCaffery, 61, holds a career mark of 478-333 (.589) and guided his teams to 14 postseason appearances (10 NCAA & four NIT). Iowa likely would have competed in another NCAA Tournament in 2020, if not for the NCAA canceling the postseason due to COVID-19.
He is 227-156 (.593) at Iowa; the second winningest coach in program history. McCaffery led Iowa to wins in four of the last six NCAA Tournaments (2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021). Since taking over the Iowa program in 2010, Iowa has earned eight postseason tournament berths (5 NCAA, 3 NIT). McCaffery coached Iowa to 25 victories in 2013, equaling the second-most win total in program history. McCaffery has guided five players to first team All-Big Ten status six of the last eight years, including the 2020 & 2021 National and Big Ten Player of the Year, Luka Garza.
McCaffery has posted upper division finishes in eight of the last nine seasons at Iowa and 20 of 25 seasons as a head coach. He has posted 20 wins or more 10 of the last 14 seasons, including seven of the last nine years at Iowa (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021). Iowa’s 205 victories between 2013-21 are the most over a 10-year span at Iowa since 1987-96 (207).
McCaffery and the Hawkeyes boast a 138-37 (.789) home record the last 10 seasons, which includes a school-record 18 wins in 2014 and 13 consecutive victories in 2019-20. Iowa has won 14 games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena each of the last three seasons (2019, 2020, 2021).
Iowa Notes
- Iowa has limited its turnovers in each of the first 15 games. The Hawkeyes are second in the country in assist-to turnover ratio (2.02); third in fewest turnovers per game (8.7); and 10th in turnover margin (5.7).
- Iowa has one player on its roster who hails from Indiana: Tony Perkins (Indianapolis).
- Keegan Murray is tops in the country in points per game (24.5); 24th in field goal percentage (.595); 42nd in blocks per contest (2.1); and 59th in free throws made (59). Murray is a three-time Big Ten Player of the Week honoree and one of 25 players selected to the Wooden Award Mid-Season Watch List.
- Iowa ranks No. 27 in the NCAA NET, while Indiana is ranked No. 33.
- Kris Murray leads the squad in 3-point accuracy, making 43.9 percent (18-of-41) of his attempts, while Jordan Bohannon ranks second (.402, 35-of-87). Bohannon is one 3-point field goal made from No. 400 and four 3-point attempts from No. 1,000.
- Jordan Bohannon is Iowa’s career leader in assists(662), free throw percentage (.884), games played (158), and 3-pointers (399). Bohannon became the NCAA all-time leader in games played last Thursday, surpassing Ohio State’s David Lighty (2007-11).
- The Hawkeyes have had scoring runs of 10-0 or more a combined 14 times in 15 games.
- Jordan Bohannon (109) and Connor McCaffery (90) rank second and fourth, respectively, in most career wins among active Big Ten players.
- Jordan Bohannon sank his 375th career 3-pointer on Nov. 18, to surpass Ohio State’s Jon Diebler (2008-11) to become the Big Ten’s all-time 3-point leader.
- Iowa has been making the most of its trips to the foul line. The Hawkeyes are shooting 77 percent from the foul line. Iowa is tops in the Big Ten and 28th nationally in free throw accuracy. The Hawkeyes have made (241) nearly more free throws than their opponents have attempted (247). The 241 free throw makes are 12thmostin the NCAA.
- Iowa is the only Division I program with two sets of brothers on the 2021-22 roster, with one being identical twins. Connor and Patrick McCaffery are two years apart, while Keegan and Kris Murray are identical twins. The Murray twins are one of five twins on Division I rosters this season (Arizona State, San Diego State, SIUE, and Wisconsin).
Iowa KenPom Notables
Offense – No. 3
- The combination of No. 26 in effective field goal percentage (54.7 percent) and No. 1 in turnover rate (12.1 percent) means Iowa both turns its possessions into field goal attempts and converts at a high rate.
- They make 55.6 percent of their twos (No. 28) and 35.5 percent of their threes (No. 81).
- Iowa doesn’t excessively rely on the three ball. 37.8 percent of their attempts are from behind-the-arc, No. 180 nationally.
- The Hawkeyes are also No. 1 nationally when it comes to not getting their shots blocked (4.0 percent block rate)
- Nothing in Iowa’s offensive profile ranks worse than No. 111 nationally out of 358 teams.
Defense – No. 154
- The Hawkeyes are allowing a 49.1 percent effective field goal percentage (No. 146), consisting of 49.5 percent from two (No. 182) and 32.3 percent from three (No. 131).
- Offensive rebounds have been a weakness as Iowa as allowed them on 30.6 percent of possessions (No. 260).
- The only thing inside the top-100 in Iowa’s defensive profile is their block rate of 12.2 percent (No. 63).
Tempo – No. 47 (Offense No. 5 / Defense No. 334)
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