Tuesday evening was a historic night in program history as the Hawkeyes capped off Jersey Retirement Night with a dominating 86-60 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Recognition of Hawkeye greats Roy Marble, Chuck Darling, and Murray Wier set the scene, as they officially had their jerseys hung in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena rafters shortly before tipoff. Michigan State won the tip and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead off of a hookshot from leading rebounder, Marcus Bingham Jr. This would end up being Michigan State’s only lead of the game as Iowa’s offense came out hot, led by none other than Keegan Murray. Keegan led all scorers with 28 points on 10-12 shooting. Jordan Bohannon and Kris Murray were the two other Hawkeyes that got in double figures, both with 11 points. Iowa hit twelve three-pointers, seven of which came in the first half. This is an impressive feat considering Michigan State is the No. 1 ranked three-point defense in the country. 

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The 2021 National Player of the Year, Iowa legend, and current Detroit Piston, Luka Garza, had his moment of celebration during halftime in front of his first crowd in Carver since before COVID, as #55 was retired forever. Watch the unveiling of #55 here.

Iowa continued the festivities through their performance in the second half. Keegan had a monster and-1, and gave a rare nod of emotion towards Garza sitting court-side. His twin Kris Murray’s third straight three-pointer in a span of 2:12 lifted the roof off Carver-Hawkeye. 

One of Tom Izzo’s first comments when he entered the postgame conference was a compliment for the packed Carver crowd, saying how “It felt like an ambush. [The] place was hopping.” With many in the public voicing their concerns about what the University needs to do to make Carver a better home environment, it is encouraging that Hawkeye fans showed up on Tuesday when the team needed it most. Izzo lauded Keegan Murray and Fran’s work with this team after losing players like Garza, Wieskamp, and Nunge, saying “he’s as good as any player [he’s] seen in a while… you start talking about the National Player and Coach of the Year–I think it might reside in Iowa City.” This is a huge endorsement from a veteran coach who has seen and coached talents such as Draymond Green and Denzel Valentine. Izzo also emphasized how impressed he was with  players such as Joe Toussaint, Tony Perkins, Ahron Uhlis, etc. as sub-guards, giving them the title of “MVPs of the team.” Even though they are not the highest scoring players on the court, their intensity and ability to pass, rebound, get steals, etc. are vital to the teams success. 

As much as Iowa’s offense shined, this was one of the most gritty defensive games of the season. Iowa forced 12 turnovers and held Michigan State’s starting five to 19 total points. When the Murray twins were asked what they felt has changed about the teams demeanor and intensity the past few games, Keegan said they have been “better at executing in the first half,” and have a higher “commitment to rebounding.” The last half of the season has not been kind to Iowa schedule-wise, but this team is playing their best basketball at the right time. If the Hawkeyes continue this full 40 minute effort on both sides of the ball, they are destined to make a deep run in March. ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi, currently rates Iowa as a seven-seed in the NCAA tournament, while others rate the Hawks anywhere from a five to a ten-seed.  Iowa travels to Nebraska on Friday in hopes of a season sweep over the Huskers.

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Iowa capped off its regular season home slate with an 82-61 win over Northwestern. It was also Senior Night for Jordan Bohannon, Austin Ash, and Connor McCaffery. Yes, this was Jordan Bohannons actual last game in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Over the last six years, Bohannon has become the all time Big Ten 3-point leader and holder of several Iowa records including total 3-pointers made, 3-pointers in a game, FT%, assists, and total games played. Bohannon, who has inspired young generations that haven’t even been alive long enough to know Iowa basketball without him, finished the night with 18 points and four assists. 

While his career in Carver may be done, JBO says “There’s a lot more games left to be played, a lot more memories to be made.” The sixth year senior is determined to “take this team places that no one thought [they] could be in,” and he will have that opportunity in a few weeks as he plays in his fourth NCAA tournament. 

Senior counterpart, Connor McCaffery, continued his hot streak from behind the arc going 5-9 with 17 total points. McCaffery has battled through several injuries during his time at Iowa, but his leadership and basketball IQ is second to none. Connor has never been known for his shooting abilities or athleticism, but he plays every possession like his last and leaves it all on the floor, which is just as important when building a successful program. Hopefully Connor keeps this confidence and continues to shoot, as it is just the right time for another hot hand to arise on offense with tournament play right around the corner. 

Senior sharpshooter Austin Ash came in late in the second half and got his final three points in Carver off of a routine deep logo three. The crowd was practically begging him to shoot it, and when it splashed in everyone was up on their feet. It was the final hurrah of what has been an exciting end of the season for this team and has completely silenced the annual “Fran Fade” crowd. Even though Ash got a Senior Day last season, it was without his parents on the court or fans, so this time around for him “..was really surreal. It was a really cool moment.” Ash will not only be missed as a weapon from downtown, but as an ideal teammate who has always provided energy regardless of active contributions on the court. 

Senior manager, Jack Devlin, also had a night of his own as he hit a half court shot during a timeout in the second half. The whole arena exploded, along with the players who made sure to run over and swarm around Devlin, making the moment even more special and heartwarming. Jack has been an integral part of the team since 2018 and the relationships he has formed with both the players and coaches will last long after his time at Iowa. 

Watch Jack Devlins half court shot here.

He may not be a senior, but Keegan Murray continued to strengthen his case for NPOY, leading all scorers with 26 points and 18 rebounds. That marks Keegans eighth double-double of the season as he broke into the top ten of Iowa’s all-time scoring list on Monday night.

Once again, Iowa’s defensive intensity was there from the tip. Iowa held Northwestern to a season low 17 points at half on 22% shooting. Tony Perkins, who had a career high shooting night at Nebraska, showed off his defensive strengths coming away with five steals. Northwestern head coach, Chris Collins, said that the team has been dealing with flu issues, which goes to show why Boo Bouie (14.6ppg, 30.6 min) only played six minutes before having to head to the locker room. This slow start proved too much to overcome with the Hawkeyes leading by 19 at the break and as much as 30 in the final minutes. 

Iowa has all the momentum going into two tough road games against Michigan and Illinois, who have both beat the Hawkeyes once this season. Iowa will face off against the Wolverines this Thursday at 8pm. They will then close out the regular season on Sunday in Champaign at 6:30pm. Both games will be televised on FS1.

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Head Coach Rick Heller and the Iowa Hawkeyes opened their season this past Friday with a 12-2 win down in Charleston, South Carolina against the Air Force Falcons. Air Force is predicted to finish third in the Mountain West, after securing their first ever winning season in conference play last season. 

South Dakota State transfer and redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur started on the bump for the Hawks. After giving up a solo shot in the bottom of the first, Mazur went six innings with nine strikeouts, retiring the final 16 batters he faced. Mazur had a breakout season last summer in the Cape Cod League after an inconsistent first 2 seasons with the Jack Rabbits. He recorded a 1.55 ERA while chalking up 34 strikeouts in 29 innings during this time. Despite racking up attention from schools such as Alabama and Purdue, Mazur stayed certain Iowa was the right fit for him. Mazur is rated as the no. 89 player on MLB.com’s top 100 draft prospects while being the no. 2 prospect in the Big Ten. Hawkeye fans, stay on the lookout for #33 as expectations are high for Mazur this season. He has become a crucial piece in the pitching rotation, with Saturday’s performance showing exactly why. 

 LHP Cam Baumann, a returning weekend starter, came in for relief and got five more strikeouts in two innings. Baumann is a seasoned veteran whose experience will be valuable in the success of the team, whether he is a consistent weekend starter or not. West Des Moines Valley alum, Benjamin Detaeye, made his first collegiate career appearance when he entered in the ninth inning. Things didn’t go smoothly for Detaeye, who recorded only one out and loaded the bases before redshirt sophomore Jacob Henderson came in to finish the deal. Even with a few opening day jitters, there’s not much else you could ask for as a fan or coach as the Iowa pitching staff combined for a one hitter.

Offensively, Iowa produced 15 hits including two, two-run home runs in the ninth from freshman Sam Petersen and first baseman Peyton Williams. After battling injuries throughout last season, Williams led the way on Friday with four hits and three RBIs, plating two runs himself. Iowa’s other eight runs came in the fourth and sixth innings with RBIs from pinch-hitter Anthony Mangano, shortstop Michael Seegers, center fielder Kyle Huckstorf, and left fielder Brayden Frazier. 

Saturday

The Hawkeyes clinched their second win at the Swig & Swine Classic, defeating Ball State 11-1 after another strong team performance.  Ball State finished runner-up last season in the Mid-American league and is projected to finish there this season as well. Starting on the mound was right-handed graduate transfer Connor Schultz, who went 2-5 at Butler last season. As key pitchers Drew Irvine and Trent Wallace were selected in the most recent MLB Draft, Schultz looks to fill the role of “next man up” this season. After missing fall practice due to the same hip surgery as Hawkeyes Jordan Bohannon and Connor McCaffery, Schultz had a solid first outing. He went four innings with nine strikeouts while surrendering one run off two hits. 

True freshman Brody Brecht out of Ankeny, Iowa, had his collegiate debut when he came in at the start of the fifth inning. Brecht, who just recently hit 100.7 mph and is rated as the no. 1 MLB prospect in the B1G 2024 class, was absolutely lights out. Brecht recorded seven strikeouts propelling him to his first win of the season in just four innings. Brecht showed no signs of regression Saturday morning despite being a two-sport Iowa athlete and it seems he is just as untouchable as he was in high school. 

To close out the game, Michigan State transfer and redshirt sophomore Will Christophersen came in and recorded a rare four strikeout inning. Christophersen had a solid year out of the bullpen with the Spartans last season, registering a 2.45 ERA with 39 strikeouts. He will be a huge arm moving forward for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa had another strong offensive performance as right fielder Keaton Anthony led the way with four hits (two of which were homers!) and five RBIs. Brayden Frazier also had a great game at the plate going 3-5 with two RBIs and scoring two runs himself. 

Sunday

The last day in Charleston came with a matchup against Bucknell, who is projected to finish fifth out of the Patriot League. The Hawkeyes edged the Bisons 3-0, completing an opening weekend sweep. True freshman and Iowa City native, Marcus Morgan, started on the hill for Iowa. By the time Morgan finished his senior year, he had Division-1 offers in baseball, basketball, and football. But, the 2021 Gazette Athlete of the Year chose to pursue baseball at Iowa and has already amped up his fastball velocity to a consistent 93-94mph since the fall. Morgan, who is the first true freshman to win a spot in the starting rotation this early in the season under Heller, looked confident in his Hawkeye debut. Morgan went four innings with six strikeouts, yielding one hit.  It will be exciting to see his progression throughout the season as he works to maintain his weekend starting spot. 

Sophomore Ty Langenberg out of Urbandale, Iowa, came in at the start of the fifth inning. Langenberg totaled four strikeouts before he got into a little trouble late in the eighth, as Bucknell had the tying run up to bat with two outs. No harm was done though, as closer Dylan Nedvad came in to finish off the Bison, retiring their last four batters. Nedvad played both infield and outfield last season, but has switched to a permanent bullpen guy after leading the team with nine saves. We could definitely see Langenberg try out a mid-week starting position at some point this season, as Heller is exploring all options for the most efficient rotation. The resiliency of the pitching staff was nothing but encouraging this weekend, and it looks like the young newcomers are fitting right in.

Iowa had a slower day offensively, but third baseman Sam Honjar had a solid day going 3-4 and plating one run. With the offense struggling early, it allowed Iowa’s pitching staff to battle in a tight game, which will only make them better. Brendan Sher also had a strong day at the plate, going 2-3 with two RBIs, with the last RBI coming from catcher, Brett Mcleary. 

The Hawkeyes will be in Corpus Christi, Texas next weekend for the Kleberg Bank Classic where they will face off against Pepperdine, Texas A&M CC, and Wichita State. 

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