Tag: Hawkeyes Basketball

ESPN College Gameday headed to Iowa City for Iowa versus Indiana on Feb. 26

ESPN College Gameday has announced they are headed to Iowa City on Feb. 26 for the Iowa Hawkeyes versus Indiana Hoosiers women’s game.

The rematch of the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Feb. 26, just got a lot more enticing and exciting. The game is going to be getting ESPN’s College Gameday coming to town prior to tipoff.

The news came from the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball official Twitter account. The game is two of the top teams in the Big Ten and the entire country. The broadcast will run from 10-11 a.m. CT with doors opening at 9 a.m. for fans to pack Carver-Hawkeye Arena and view the live show.

This will be the second time that the Hawkeyes and the Hoosiers take the court this season. Last time saw a sold out crowd at Indiana’s Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, which was a raucous crowd. Indiana took the first round in an 87-78 victory spurred on by Grace Berger’s 26 points and Mackenzie Holmes’ 24 points.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano and others will get their chance to turn things around in what is a sellout crowd inside Carver Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa is one game back of Indiana in Big Ten play currently. Iowa is 21-5 overall with a 13-2 Big Ten record while Indiana is 24-1 overall with a 14-1 conference mark. Should things play out with these two teams winning games they should, this game could include Iowa’s chance at a share of the Big Ten regular season title on the line.

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Sharing is caring! Iowa’s Caitlin Clark ‘assists’ her way into exclusive record book

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark found her way into the Big Ten record books as the first women’s player to be among the best passers and scorers.

Everyone knows Caitlin Clark can score, and, at times, she does it at will when she is feeling it. But, that isn’t all the the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ all-world guard can do. In fact, she is one of the best passers to ever come through Big Ten women’s basketball.

Iowa thumped the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 91-61 which was led by Clark’s 24 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Along the way, she found herself entering a pretty exclusive group.

Caitlin Clark became the very first Big Ten women’s basketball player in history to be among the top 10 in both points scored and assists given. She creates offense in every single way and this record just shows that even more.

Clark is second in the nation in points per game with an average of 27.4 points, second in 3-pointers made (78), and leads the country in free throws made (171). Clark is first in America in total assists (208), tied with Nika Muhl of UConn. She also has 13 double-doubles and leads the country in triple-doubles with three.

Sitting at 21-5 with a 13-2 Big Ten record, the Hawkeyes are eyeing their chances to repeat as regular season and Big Ten Tournament champions and at a deep run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Their next game on the schedule is Saturday, Feb. 18, when they hit the road to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at 1 p.m. CT.

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Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers: TV, stream, broadcast details for Wednesday

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team resumes action tonight as they host the Wisconsin Badgers. How to watch, key players, game notes.

Tonight sees the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team get back in action after their 111-57 drubbing of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last Sunday. Next up for the Hawkeyes is the Wisconsin Badgers who they are welcoming into Carver Hawkeye Arena for a Big Ten matchup.

Iowa is sitting with an overall record of 20-5 and 12-2 in conference play. The Badgers are at 8-18 with a 3-11 Big Ten mark. Both teams are entering this matchup off of a win. Wisconsin will most certainly be looking to make some noise in this contest with an attempt at the massive upset.

The Hawkeyes are currently No. 7 in both the USA TODAY SPORTS Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 Women’s Poll.

Things get underway tonight with a 6:30 p.m. CT tipoff. Here is a guide on how to watch, who the broadcast teams are, they key players for each team, and some quick hitting game notes for this matchup.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark named Preseason Player of the Year by The Athletic

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark continues to grow as a household name. She has been named the Preseason Player of the Year by The Athletic.

Welcome to center stage, Caitlin Clark! Well, actually, welcome back, as you maintained that spot the entire 2021-22 women’s college basketball season and are rather familiar with the spotlight.

In what has been an offseason of expectations growing, hype surrounding the team, and recognition continuing to circulate around Clark, another accolade has found its way to her.

This time we see the leader and guard of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, Caitlin Clark, named the Preseason Player of the Year by the Athletic.

This comes right on the heels of Clark being named a unanimous preseason All-American by the Associated Press. Only Clark and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina were honored with that recognition by the voters.

“We return, in my opinion, the best point guard in the country. Caitlin Clark not only led the United States in points per game, but also led the United States in assists. The first time that’s ever been done in the history of women’s basketball. Obviously, a Naismith finalist, the MVP pre-season and last year’s pick from the Big Ten,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said.

While Clark will certainly be the focal point for the Hawkeyes, they are going to be bringing talent across the board at all positions. One key contributor expected to break out this year is senior guard Gabbie Marshall.

The duo of Clark and Marshall, which could also be a fantastic law firm name and a nickname I will now use all season, can provide great leadership and output for the Hawkeyes as they look to build on a season that saw a Big Ten regular-season championship and a Big Ten conference tournament championship.

The season gets underway Monday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. against Southern University on Big Ten Network Plus.

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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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Iowa Hawkeyes ranked No. 21 in 247Sports’ preseason college basketball rankings

It’s almost time to tip off the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season. According to 247Sports, Iowa starts as the nation’s No. 21 team.

You can tell a season is right around the corner when the market becomes flooded with preseason rankings. Everyone loves a good set of rankings, especially as they try to get a gauge on teams before they step on the court. Nothing boosts your self worth quite like correctly predicting who the top teams will be in advance!

247Sports’ Kevin Flaherty and Isaac Trotter recently took their hand at predicting the field, releasing their college basketball preseason rankings. Coming in as the 21st ranked team in the country is the reigning Big Ten Tournament champion in Iowa.

This could be one of Fran McCaffery’s better defensive teams, and if Kris Murray makes the expected leap to All-Big Ten caliber player, the scoring will be there as well. Patrick McCaffery, Tony Perkins and Payton Sandfort can all put the ball in the basket. – 247Sports.

Iowa is one of only three Big Ten schools featured on the list, Illinois ranked 15th with Indiana a place behind.

The Associated Press also only ranked three Big Ten teams in their initial top 25, notably leaving Iowa on the outside looking in. According to the AP voters, Indiana is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 13, followed by No. 22 Michigan and No. 23 Illinois.

It will once again be a tough competition for the conference crown, but it seems the national media is not expecting a national champion to come from the Big Ten this season.

There is a lot of projection in regards to Iowa this upcoming season, making it understandable why they are a bubble top-25 team heading into the season. Of course, the notable departure is All-American forward Keegan Murray. The fourth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings, Murray would’ve been a National Player of the Year most other seasons.

A lot of pundits are projecting twin brother Kris Murray to fill his brother’s shoes as the star of the team, but, of course, that is still just a projection for now. Murray is following a similar career arc to his brother Keegan, performing really well when given a chance at extended playing time last season. We will have to see if he can handle the limelight as the true No. 1 option for Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery.

The other biggest projection, as Kevin Flaherty breaks down for Hawkeye Insider and 247Sports, is the team’s defense.

Fran McCaffery’s bunch lost All-American Keegan Murray, who likely would have been National Player of the Year in a number of other seasons. But he brings back an experienced roster from a team that appeared to figure things out defensively as the season went on, something that could make this 2022-23 bunch better than its predecessors.

Iowa has not had a top 70 defense in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency since the 2015-16 season, and if the Hawkeyes can find a way to keep the offensive train rolling while buffing up on the defensive end, Iowa could compete for a Big Ten title. Iowa certainly appears to boast plenty of firepower. – Flaherty, 247Sports.

That progression on the defensive side of the court is probably the biggest key for Iowa in 2022. While the team loses Keegan Murray, they still return a lot of experienced players who can put the ball in the hoop. Fourth-year forward Patrick McCaffery averaged a hair over 10 points per game last year, and is getting some breakout buzz in his own right ahead of the season.

Payton Sandfort showed a lot of scoring potential off the bench last year, especially as a shooter hitting 36% of his 3-point attempts. You can go down the roster list and find potential breakout candidates: Kris Murray, Patrick McCaffery, Dasonte Bowen, etcetera.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with this team, but a ton to prove as well. They’ll have plenty of opportunities to show why they’re a top team right away, with Seton Hall, Clemson, and Duke scheduled early in the season.

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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 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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‘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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