MBB Preview — No. 12 Illinois — Senior Night (2024)

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team hosts No. 12 Illinois on Sunday at 6 p.m. (CT) in its regular season finale on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• The Hawkeyes will honor seniors Jovone Cater, Ben Krikke, Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins on Senior Night prior to the game. Student manager Jackson McLaughlin will also be recognized.
• The game will be a “Gold Out” in CHA as fans are encouraged to wear gold clothing.
• The game is sold out, the second sellout in the last three home contests.

FOLLOW LIVE

Radio: Sunday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (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.
TV: Sunday’s game will be televised on BTN with Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

• The Hawkeyes, winners of four of their last five games, host No. 12 Illinois on Senior Night Sunday in their regular season finale. Iowa will honor Jovone Cater, Ben Krikke, Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins along with student manager Jackson McLaughlin prior to the game.
• Iowa has posted three Quad 1 wins over its last five games — No. 20 Wisconsin, (RV) at Michigan State and (RV) at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes have eight Quad 1 & 2 wins this season.
• With seven games remaining in the entire Big Ten slate, Iowa can finish as high as a No. 3 or as low as No. 7 for the Big Ten Tournament.
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 or more Big Ten games in a school record six consecutive seasons. Iowa has won 10+ Big Ten games in nine of the last 10 seasons under head coach Fran McCaffery. Iowa has 11 Big Ten upper division finishes in the last 12 years.
• Senior Tony Perkins had 14 assists in Iowa’s road win at Northwestern. He is one of two players in the Big Ten this century to record 14+ assists in multiple games, joining Ohio State’s Shannon Scott (2014-15).
• Iowa had four 14+ assist games in its history entering the 2023-24 season; Perkins has two of them since Jan. 12.
• Junior Payton Sandfort posted the first triple-double in program history, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks in a win over Penn State on Feb. 27. It was the first 25-10-10-3 game in regulation since Marquette’s Dwyane Wade did so against top-ranked Kentucky in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
• Iowa is the only Division I school in the last 25 years to have a 25-point triple-double by a women’s player (Caitlin Clark) and men’s player (Sandfort) in the same season.
• Sandfort, who was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and Dick Vitale’s National Player of the Week on March 4, is 10 points shy of becoming the 54th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
• Sophom*ore Josh Dix has posted three straight 20-point games, averaging 21.3 points with a 68.4 field goal percentage and a 61.5 3-point field goal percentage in the three contests.
• Freshman Owen Freeman has five double-doubles this season– the most by a Big Ten freshman and tied for the sixth-most by a freshman nationally. They are the most by a Hawkeye freshman since Melsahn Basabe (6) in 2010-11.
• Perkins is currently one of six players nationally with 425+ points, 130+ rebounds, 135+ assists and 50+ steals. He ranks in the top 15 in the Big Ten in points, assists and steals.
• Sandfort is second in the Big Ten with 78 3-point field goals on a league-high 211 attempts. He also is second in the Big Ten with a 37.0 3-point field goal percentage. The forward has hit two or more 3-pointers in 24 games.
• Freeman earned his ninth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 19 after averaging 12.5 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland and Wisconsin. The nine honors are the second-most in league history, trailing only Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger (12).

SCOUTING NO. 12 ILLINOIS

• The Illini have won three of their last four, five of seven and eight of 11 games. Illinois is 22-8 overall and 13-6 in Big Ten play, sitting second in the league standings.
• Illinois lost at home to No. 3 Purdue, 77-71, on Tuesday. The 71 points were the fewest the team scored since Jan. 27.
• The Illini haven’t lost consecutive games the entire 2023-24 season.
• Illinois is in the top 10 nationally in rebounding (41.07) and rebounding margin (+8.5). The Illini are second in the league in scoring, averaging 84.3 points per game.
• Guard Terrence Shannon, Jr., leads the team, averaging 21.5 points per game with a team-best 55 3-pointers. He is second in the Big Ten in scoring and eighth nationally.
• Marcus Domask averages 16.2 points and has a team-high 104 assists, while Coleman Hawkins (13.3 points) and Quincy Guerrier (10.3 points) also average in double figures. Hawkins has a team-best 46 steals, while Guerrier is the team’s top rebounder (6.5 p/game).

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday’s game is the 169th meeting in the all-time series that began in 1908. Illinois holds a 91-77 advantage.
• Illinois won the most recent meeting, winning 95-85 on Feb. 24 in Champaign.
• Iowa has won three of the last four games in the series in Iowa City, including an 81-79 victory last season. The last three games in Carver have been decided by seven points or less.

FIRST MEETING | NO. 12 ILLINOIS 95, IOWA 85

With the game tied at 75 with 5:53 to play, No. 12 Illinois used an 11-2 run en route to a 95-85 victory on Feb. 24 in Champaign. The Hawkeyes shot 35.3 percent (12-of-34) in the second half and 47.6 percent for the game.
• Sophom*ore Josh Dix paced the team, scoring 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Senior Tony Perkins finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Ben Krikke (15 points) and Payton Sandfort (12 points) were also in double figures.
• Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins led all scorers with 30 points, making 9-of-11 field goals, three 3-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws.

LAST GAME | IOWA 87, NORTHWESTERN 80

The Hawkeyes handed Northwestern its first Big Ten home loss, downing the Wildcats, 87-80, on March 2 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Iowa shot 55 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range with 10 makes and made 11-of-13 free throws to win for the fourth time in five games. The team assisted on 25 of its 33 field goals in the game and committed just five turnovers.
• Sophom*ore Josh Dix scored a career-high 24 points, making 9-of-13 field goals, including four 3-pointers to lead the way. Junior Payton Sandfort scored 23 points with four 3s, graduate Ben Krikke finished with 12 points and senior Tony Perkins recorded a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists.

MORE NOTABLES…

• Sophom*ore Dasonte Bowen will miss the remainder of the season because of injury. The guard will have season-ending knee surgery.
• Saturday’s game is Iowa’s seventh against a ranked opponent this season. The Hawkeyes are 1-6 with an overtime win over No. 20 Wisconsin on Feb. 17.
• Iowa’s current 83.8 scoring average is the highest of the Fran McCaffery era and would be the highest by an Iowa team since 1988-89 (89.6 points per game). (Iowa averaged 83.7 points in 2020-21.)
• The Hawkeyes are 35th nationally in pace of play in 2023-24, averaging 74.1 possessions per 40 minutes. Iowa is leading the Big Ten and 15th in the country, averaging 14.73 fastbreak points per contest.
• Iowa is 3-8 in Quad 1 games, 5-3 in Quad 2, 4-1 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4 games this season.
• The Hawkeyes have led in the second half in seven of their nine Big Ten losses.
• Iowa has played the 20th best strength of schedule in the nation.
• The Hawkeyes have had three different players — Payton Sandfort, Tony Perkins and Brock Harding — record four games with 10+ assists this season.
• The Hawkeyes have the third-best team field goal percentage in the Big Ten at 48.1 percent, which ranks 28th nationally.
• Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 83.8 points in 30 games. The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten and rank 13th nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in 18 games, averaging 91.3 points in wins and 72.6 points in losses.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten and rank eighth nationally, averaging 17.8 assists per game. Iowa is leading the Big Ten and rank second nationally with a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Senior Tony Perkins has started 77 consecutive games dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• Iowa has played seven games decided by seven or fewer points this season (5-2 record).
• Iowa is 12-3 at home this season, marking the sixth straight year the Hawkeyes have won at least 10 games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has won at least 10 home games in 12 of head coach Fran McCaffery’s 14 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes have had six players hit the 20-point mark this season (Ben Krikke, Tony Perkins, Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery, Owen Freeman and Josh Dix).
• Iowa has two players ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring — Sandfort (12th, 16.0) and Perkins (15th, 14.9).
• Since joining the starting lineup on Dec. 10 against Michigan, freshman Owen Freeman is averaging 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 65.1 percent from the field. Iowa is 13-8 with Freeman in the starting lineup.
• Ahoy 100. Iowa has reached the century mark in four games this season. The Hawkeyes have scored 100+ points 13 times since the start of the 2021-22 season.
• The team is 11-2 when attempting at least 20 free throws, 13-2 when shooting 50+ percent from the field and 9-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers.
• Iowa has had at least four players reach double digits in 19 games this season.
• The Hawkeyes are 12-3 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season and 26-6 in its last 32 home games.
• Iowa has won 89 of its last 95 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
• The Hawkeyes have held four opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. The team is undefeated in the four contests.
• Iowa held Florida A&M to 52 points on Dec. 16 in Des Moines — the fewest points allowed since giving up 51 points to Portland State in 2021.
• Senior Tony Perkins has six games with seven or more assists this season and 11 games with at least five assists. He is leading the team with 136 assists against 55 turnovers.
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally in free throw percentage, making 78.7 percent of their attempts this season. The team tied a single game free throw percentage (min. 13 makes) school record, making all 18 of its free throw attempts at Michigan on Jan. 27.
• Sandfort made 18-of-19 free throws against Penn State — the most makes and attempts since Peter Jok (22-of-23) vs. Indiana in 2016-17. Sandfort made 16 consecutive free throws after missing his third attempt in the first half, which are the most consecutive makes in a single game in program history.
• Sandfort, who has made 21 consecutive free throws in his last two games, is leading the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally, making 91.8 percent (89-of-97) of his attempts this season.
• Sandfort has been Iowa’s leading rebounder (or tied for the team lead) in 10 games this season. The forward is averaging a career-best 6.5 rebounds per game, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes have earned 11 Big Ten weekly honors this season — Ben Krikke (Player of the Week – 11/20, Owen Freeman (Freshman of Week (11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 12/18, 1/8, 1/15, 1/29, 2/12, 2/19) and Payton Sandfort (Player of the Week, 3/4). Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the award in consecutive weeks and the nine honors are a single season school record and the second-most in league history.
• Iowa has placed fifth or better in the Big Ten standings in five straight and 10 of the last 11 years, and the program has won 10 or more Big Ten games in eight of the last nine seasons.
• 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).
• The Hawkeyes have led the league in scoring in seven of the last 11 seasons, including six straight years.

MR. ASSIST

Senior Tony Perkins tallied his second points-assists double-double of the season on March 2 at Northwestern, finishing with 10 points and 14 assists.
• Entering the season, Iowa had four 14+ assist games in program history. Perkins now has two of them since Jan. 12. He is one of two Big Ten players this century to have two 14+ assist games, joining Ohio State’s Shannon Scott (2014-15)
• Perkins had a career-high 15 assists to go along with 11 points to notch his first career points-assists double-double against Nebraska on Jan. 12. The 15 assists are tied for the most in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history.
• The 15 assists are tied with B.J. Armstrong for the second-most in a single game in program history, one off the school record.

SANDFORT MAKES TRIPLE-DOUBLE HISTORY

Junior Payton Sandfort grabbed an Ace Baldwin, Jr., missed free throw with 21 seconds remaining to secure his 10th rebound, giving the forward the first triple-double in Iowa men’s basketball history on Feb. 27 against Penn State. He finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks. He made just 3-of-11 field goals (2-of-7 from deep), but went 18-of-19 from the free throw line, including a school-record 16 consecutive makes.
• It is the first triple double in the Big Ten this season and one of 35 nationally.
• The stat line is the first by a Division I player with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks since Dwyane Wade (Marquette) did so against top-ranked Kentucky in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
• Iowa is the only Division I school in the last 25 years to have a 25-point triple-double by a women’s player (Caitlin Clark) and men’s player in the same season.
• The Hawkeyes have had three players post points-assists double-doubles this season (Tony Perkins, Brock Harding). Sandfort’s is the 11th in school history and he’s the 23rd Hawkeye with a 10 assist game.

JD = EN FUEGO

straight games for the first time in his career and 17 or more in four of the last five contests. During the three-game stretch, the Council Bluffs, Iowa, native is averaging 21.3 points with a 68.4 field goal percentage (26-of-38) and a 61.5 mark from 3-point range (8-of-13).
• Dix, who is also Iowa’s best defender, is shooting 57.4 percent from the floor, 46.2 percent from 3-point range and 88.6 percent from the free throw line.
• Dix scored a career-high 24 points, making 9-of-13 field goals, including 4-of-5 3-pointers, in Iowa’s road win at Northwestern.
• He made a career-high nine field goals en route to 20 points in the road game at No. 12 Illinois before scoring 18 of his 20 points in the first half in the win over Penn State on Feb. 27. Dix made his first seven shots to open the game.
• In the win over No. 20/21 Wisconsin, he made 8-of-11 field goal attempts en route to 17 points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Dix scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with five assists, four rebounds and two steals on Jan. 15 at Minnesota. It came on the heels of a 16-point outing against Nebraska, where he made a career-high five 3-point field goals.
• He has scored in double figures nine times this season, including eight times since joining the starting lineup.