Tag: 2022-23 Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball

Hawkeye Heroics: Twitter reacts to Iowa’s miraculous rally over Michigan State

Iowa authored an all-time comeback versus Michigan State, rallying to top the Spartans, 112-106. Here’s the best social media reactions.

How about that for a game folks?!

If you tuned out for the ending of this one, you certainly weren’t the only one. This game felt like such a guaranteed loss that you had fans filing their way out of Carver with basketball still left to be played.

Another team played outstanding against Iowa, a recurring theme all season of opponents just putting it all together whenever against Fran McCaffery’s boys. The Spartans shot out of their mind in this one, over 70% from beyond the arc. That is pure insanity, and only happens against Iowa of course. Tyson Walker had a career game for Michigan State. Again, everyone has their career game against the Hawkeyes.

The one really felt like the final blow on Iowa’s season. Three straight losses in a row where they simply had no answer for their opponents. Iowa couldn’t stop anything on defense, proving to be the complete inverse from the Ferentz-led football squad. Kiss the NCAA Tournnament goodbye folks.

Then everything changed, and it all started with a stare-down. You can question coach Fran McCaffery’s behavior on the court all you want, and many did when they saw him in a deadlock stare with the official. Just another Fran McCaffery melt-down as the team crumbles around him.

They did not crumble though. Iowa just started hitting everything, and they completed a comeback for the ages, winning 112-106 in overtime over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes were down 93-81 with 1:23 left to play, and still down 96-86 with less than a minute remaining. With some extremely hard work on the boards and a little bit of magic, Iowa stormed back and really saved their season.

You saw a dramatic shift from fans on social media during the dying embers of this contest. From pure destitution at the seemingly lost season to pure elation at what quickly became a “where were you when this happened” moment. Here are the best social media reactions through that journey.

Gabbie Marshall on ESPN’s breakout season watch list

Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball sees their guard, Gabbie Marshall, among those on ESPN’s breakout season watch list for 2022-23.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is primed up for another great season. The talent is there. The expectations are there. Everything is in place for the No. 4 ranked team in the AP Poll to be there when the season comes to its end.

To add to the mix of point guard Caitlin Clark running things, ESPN has named senior guard Gabbie Marshall to their breakout season watch list for the 2022-23 season.

Iowa has the luxury of returning all five starters from the previous two seasons, a group headlined by Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano. So where does Marshall come in? Any pressure she can alleviate from Clark needing to produce from the backcourt would be helpful, and she could be a great recipient of Clark’s dimes off her paint penetration. Marshall has been a strong 3-point shooter since arriving to Iowa, but if she can get closer to her clip from her sophomore season (47.1% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game), then Iowa might really be cooking. For Iowa to advance to its first Final Four since 1993, though, the team will need to play better defense; Marshall can help spearhead that effort, as she has led the team in steals each of the last two seasons. – Alexa Philippou, ESPN.

Marshall appeared in 30 games last season and produced at a high level. In her career, she has tallied 135 three pointers, 158 assists, and 129 assists.

After touching on her team’s two biggest stars in Clark and forward Monika Czinano at Big Ten Media Days, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder discussed what Marshall and the rest of the supporting cast brings to the Hawkeyes.

“Not only with those two women, but we have all the people around her. We have Gabbie Marshall, who is lethal from three-point range. We have Kate Martin, who I honestly believe can just contribute in so many areas. She’s a great captain, the glue to our team. We have McKenna Warnock at the power four position. Return all five starters from last year.

“We have some newcomers. I think Molly Davis is somebody that you’re really going to hear a lot about. Molly Davis transferred from Central Michigan. She has two years of eligibility left. She is going to give us depth at the point guard, which we did not have last year. We’re extremely excited to have Molly join our team,” Bluder said.

Iowa opens its season on Monday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. against Southern University on Big Ten Network Plus.

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Andy Katz pegs Iowa forward Kris Murray as top breakout star for 2022-23 season

According to Andy Katz, Iowa once again has the next breakout star in college basketball.

Another breakout star in Iowa City? Yessir, If men’s college basketball analyst Andy Katz is to be believed!

Basketball analyst for NCAA.com and just overall respected basketball mind Andy Katz recently released his list of the Top 15 Men’s College Basketball Breakout Stars, and he is projecting another Iowa Hawkeye to be this year’s big breakout star.

1. Kris Murray, Iowa: His twin brother is with the Sacramento Kings. Kris Murray is the go-to guy now with the Hawkeyes. – Katz, NCAA.com.

Short and to the point, we love it!

Keegan Murray was, of course, the big breakout star in college hoops last year. After a fairly quiet freshman campaign, Murray rose to superstardom in his sophomore year. Leading the Hawkeyes to their third conference tournament championship, Murray averaged 23.5 points per game and was named the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year.

He probably should have won the Big Ten Player of the Year award, but hey, sometimes you have to give it to the player who was inferior in pretty much every statistical category including efficiency! He was a consensus first-team All-American before being drafted fourth overall by the Sacramento Kings in this recent draft.

There were many fears that his twin brother Kris would join him in pursuit of the league this offseason, Murray at one point declaring for the draft. While he did (thankfully) opt to return, it is obvious there is buzz around the junior forward. He showed great flashes, especially against Big Ten competition. He scored over 20 points against Indiana and Purdue, dropping 19 against Michigan as well.

With the success of his brother, there is an increased spotlight on the junior forward to deliver this year. A lot of publications are pegging him as the next breakout player as well. There is a ton of hype around coach Fran McCaffery’s team heading into the year, and the leader spot of this team is open for the taking.

All eyes will be on Murray for 2022-23.

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Iowa Women’s Basketball: Head coach Lisa Bluder embracing high expectations

Coming off of a Big Ten regular season title and Big Ten tournament championship, expectations are high for Iowa’s Women’s Basketball team.

Coming off of a 24-8 season which saw the Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball team win the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten conference championship there is plenty of reason for the expectations to be high heading into the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season.

The Hawkeyes are entering this year as one of, if not the favorite, to win the Big Ten again as they return superstar guard Caitlin Clark and experience. Twelve members of the roster have collegiate experience and that will bode well for Iowa.

Today, at Big Ten Media Day gearing up for basketball season, Iowa’s head coach of the women’s team, Lisa Bluder discussed the upcoming year and taking on high expectations.

“We’re coming off a historic year. First time ever in the history of our program that we won both the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten Tournament. We have every reason to have high expectations for this upcoming season. We have experience, offense, a great schedule, and we have a great fanbase. It’s going to be a fun year for the Iowa Hawkeyes,” Bluder said at Big Ten Media Days.

That schedule gets underway on October 28th as the Hawkeyes host Nebraska-Kearney in an exhibition before getting into their non-conference schedule. The Hawkeyes have 16 games that will be broadcast across Big Ten Network, FOX, FS1, ESPN networks, or ABC.

Their non-conference schedule includes an appearance in the Phil Knight Legacy College Basketball Tournament which includes Iowa, Oregon State, Duke, and Connecticut to round out an extremely talented field.

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2024 Iowa basketball target Donnie Freeman talks upcoming visit to the Hawkeyes

Donnie Freeman, a five-star power forward in the 247Sports composite, caught up with Rutgers Wire to preview his upcoming trip to Iowa City.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are heavily in the mix for one of the best players in the 2024 class. Donnie Freeman, a five-star power forward recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, caught up with Rutgers Wire to review his unofficial visit with the Scarlet Knights and to discuss his upcoming official visit to Iowa in September.

“Coach (Fran) McCaffery is very active with talking to me,” Freeman said of his relationship with Iowa. “He really likes how I can impact the game in many ways and he loves my longterm potential.”

That relationship should only improve after the September visit.

“(It’s) good and getting better,” Freeman said. “I’m building a good relationship with coach (Fran) McCaffery and the staff.”

According to the 247Sports composite, Freeman is the nation’s No. 25 player, the No. 4 power forward and the No. 1 player from Washington, D.C. In the 247Sports ratings, Freeman is a four-star power forward, the No. 33 player nationally, the No. 4 power forward and the top player from D.C.

Meanwhile, ESPN rates Freeman as the No. 20 player overall, the No. 2 power forward and the top player from D.C. Rivals ranks Freeman as the No. 24 player nationally, while On3 lists Freeman as the No. 42 player overall, the No. 10 power forward and the top player from D.C.

Iowa offered Freeman on Aug. 16 and the 6-foot-8, 190 pound power forward out of St. John’s High School is already planning a Sept. 15 visit. In addition to his Iowa offer, Freeman also holds offers from Bryant, George Mason, Georgetown, Marquette, Maryland, Old Dominion, Rutgers, Syracuse, Texas, Virginia Tech and Xavier.

Here’s a look at his full recruiting profile below.

2023 4-star small forward Pryce Sandfort commits to Iowa Hawkeyes basketball

Iowa men’s basketball’s 2023 recruiting class received a jolt, earning a commitment from four-star small forward Pryce Sandfort.

Iowa men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery and his staff landed one of their top targets in the 2023 class. Pryce Sandfort out of Waukee Northwest High School in Iowa committed to the Hawkeyes.

With the Sandfort commitment, Iowa now has three pledges in its 2023 class.

According to On3, the 6-foot-7, 190 pound Sandfort is the nation’s No. 99 player, the No. 22 small forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa in the 2023 class. On3 also has Sandfort ranked as a four-star commit.

Meanwhile, ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all rate Sandfort as a three-star prospect. 247Sports ranks Sandfort as the nation’s No. 135 player, the No. 29 small forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa. Rivals regards Sandfort as the No. 135 player nationally and the No. 37 small forward. Lastly, ESPN has Sandfort as the No. 39 power forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa.

Sandfort chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Clemson, Drake, Davidson, Nebraska, Seton Hall and Washington State. The Waukee native was also receiving interest from Gonzaga, Iowa State and Wake Forest.

Sandfort caught up with HawkeyeReport’s Blair Sanderson of Rivals to share why he committed to Iowa.

“Before my visit, I was talking to my parents and I was telling them there is no way I’ll commit after it. I wanted to take a lot of visits and decide after that. But on the visit, it just felt like home. I didn’t want to be anywhere else or visit anywhere else. I fell in love with the campus and the vision that coach Fran (McCaffery) and coach (Matt) Gatens had for me. Also, I had a great time hanging out with the guys,” Sandfort told Sanderson.

He also liked how the staff envisioned his future in Iowa City.

“They see me fitting in perfectly with how they want to play. Playing fast, shooting a lot of threes, all of that. They see me playing the 1-3 or 4. Fran has told me before, he sees me coming in as a freshman and making 60 threes and having a big role right away. Obviously, it’s all up to me and how hard I work,” Sandfort told Rivals.

It’s a huge get for the Hawkeyes. Sandfort, the younger brother of current Hawkeye Payton Sandfort, joins Owen Freeman and Brock Harding as the third commit in Iowa’s 2023 class.

Here’s a look at Pryce Sandfort’s junior season highlights courtesy of QuadVisual on YouTube.

Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark signs deal with Topps trading cards

Topps signed a deal with star guard Caitlin Clark to produce some of the first officially licensed University of Iowa trading cards.

Trading cards are made to commemorate stitches in time for our favorite sports stars. Topps understands that and it’s why the trading card giant has inked a deal with one of college basketball’s brightest stars in Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.

After a season in which Clark led the nation in both points (27) and assists (8) per game, it makes perfect sense why Topps would want to partner with Clark. The 6-foot native of West Des Moines, Iowa, earned All-American honors last season, finished as a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

“Grew up collecting trading cards… now Topps and I have partnered to officially create my own 🙂 Could not be more grateful and excited 🤍,” Clark tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The official Topps Twitter account wrote, “Her autographs will be some of the first officially licensed University of Iowa cards made by Topps.”

One of the biggest names on Iowa’s campus is the perfect place for Topps to start. During the 2021-22 women’s college basketball season, Clark helped lead the Hawkeyes to a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and helped Iowa win the Big Ten Tournament title as well. Iowa ended its season 24-8 and advanced to the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

With Clark back alongside fellow All-Amerian Monika Czinano and the Hawkeyes’ same starting five, the expectation is this is the year that Iowa can make a deep push in the NCAA Tournament.

One thing is for certain. This group has captured the hearts of Iowa City. During last year’s NCAA Tournament, Iowa fans sold out both contests inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The program has five sellouts in its all-time history and three of those came last season.

Overall, the Iowa women’s basketball team ranked third nationally in attendance for the 2021-22 season. With that in mind, Topps can expect the Iowa fan base to be one that’s eager to collect some Clark memorabilia.

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Iowa women’s basketball slated to take part in Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November

Iowa appears like it’s on an early collision course with Paige Bueckers and Connecticut in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in November.

We might have a game of the year contender in the first week of the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season.

Iowa women’s basketball announced on Monday that they would be participating in the Phil Knight Legacy College Basketball Tournament on Nov. 25. The Hawkeyes will open up their 2022-23 campaign against Pac-12 foe Oregon State. Oregon State finished with a respectable 17-14 record last season.

Not to completely gloss over Oregon State and the opening contest, but the bracket posted for the tournament should widen the eyes of any fan of college women’s hoops. On the other side of the bracket Connecticut faces Duke. The idea of a potential Connecticut-Iowa matchup should have every hoops fan salivating.

Both Uconn and Iowa will surely enter the upcoming season in the top 10. While Iowa unfortunately fell in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament, they certainly have the talent to go way further. Uconn did exactly what they always do, making the Final Four for the 13th consecutive year in a row. Both teams feature arguably the best hooper in the nation.

Paige Bueckers was probably Connecticut’s most hyped-up recruit since superstar Breanna Stewart. She proved that hype was warranted right away, becoming a leader early in her freshman year. Her offensive output declined a bit last year due to an injury, but she’s still clearly one of the nation’s elite.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the nation’s leader in points per game and assists per game. It goes further than just the stat line, though. Clark’s long range shooting has made her one of the biggest stars in all of women’s basketball.

This right here is the matchup every fan, every person involved with women’s basketball should be hoping for. Clark and Bueckers are leading the way for the next generation of women’s basketball stars alongside South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston. They are leading a movement that is getting more and more people interested in women’s hoops.

The last time these two matched up against each other was in the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Uconn got the better of Iowa, winning 92-72, but both looked like potential superstars. Now after both have reached that elite status, a super matchup between two of the biggest stars in the sport would be monumental.

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‘Looking to create my own legacy here at Iowa’: Kris Murray excited to take over for the Hawkeyes

In a conversation with Andy Katz, Iowa’s Kris Murray broke down his excitement for the 2022-23 season and his focus this summer.

Last week, Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery caught up with reporters where he discussed a number of topics about his 2022-23 roster.

Naturally, one of the first questions McCaffery was asked was the importance of star forward Kris Murray’s decision to return to Iowa City.

“Well, first of all, I’m really excited for him. First time in his life that he hasn’t played with his brother. He accepted the challenge of coming back. As I said before, he bet on himself. A lot of guys, if they have a two-way, they take it. He could’ve gone to a two-way if he wanted, but he wanted to come back. He loves his teammates and he wants the responsibility that’s going to be placed on him. And he’s ready for it, he’s worked hard for it and I’m excited for him,” McCaffery said.

Now, it’s Kris Murray’s turn to sound off on some of his thoughts during Iowa’s summer workouts in a recent interview with Andy Katz of the Big Ten Network.

‘He should fit right in with that young core’: NBA scout Michael VandeGarde on Keegan Murray

Former NBA scout Michael VandeGarde says Keegan Murray “should fit right in with that young core” on the Sacramento Kings.

It seems like everyone has nothing but positive things to say about former Iowa Hawkeye and now No. 4 overall draft pick Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings.

Why not, right? After all, Murray just ironed down the NBA 2K23 Summer League’s Most Valuable Player award. In his four games in the NBA 2K23 Summer League, Murray averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals. Murray also shot 50% from the field, and an impressive 40% from 3-point range.

Naturally, his performances picked up plenty of buzz from onlookers across social media. His summer has also caught the attention of a former longtime NBA scout as well.

Michael VandeGarde, who spent 18 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, caught up with Rutgers Wire to discuss where players landed in the 2022 NBA draft.

“I like where Keegan Murray landed. He is a great fit for the Kings although I would have swung for the superstar talent of Ivey. I like how he will fit into the new culture of the Kings. He will do well there,” VandeGarde said.

VandeGarde now works with CoachTube, a digital platform that provides online sports coaching and training from former college and professional coaches as well as players. He elaborated on his thoughts on Murray joining the Kings.

“The Kings need a multi-versatile offensive player who can score with some size next to (Domantas) Sabonis. I like De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell and Sabonis. He should fit right in with that young core. He is an elite worker and has improved immensely in the last few years. He has to continue that trajectory for his first few years in the NBA. I like the direction of the Kings since Monte McNair took over,” VandeGarde said.

Again, it’s more of the rave reviews we’ve seen and heard so far with Murray. Equally important, it seems like Murray is really satisfied with where he’s wound up.

“I, fortunately, in a positive way, fell to the Kings and it’s been a blessing for me. And I’ve just been blessed to be in this position. I think this is one of the best organizations I could have been a part of for my rookie year,” Murray said.

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