IOWA CITY – The Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face Arkansas State in their third home game of the season on Friday. Iowa put up a valiant effort before falling, 92-84, at No. 8 Creighton in its first road contest on Tuesday.
Iowa is again one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 97.3 points in its first three games. The Hawkeyes are tops in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in scoring average. The team scored 110 points in the season opener against North Dakota — the most in an opener under head coach Fran McCaffery (sixth most in McCaffery era.)
Three Hawkeyes — Payton Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery and Ben Krikke — have all netted 20-point games this season.
Junior Payton Sandfort is averaging 16.3 points and a team-best nine rebounds in three games. The Waukee native notched his first career double-double (17 points/12 rebounds) in the win over Alabama State.
Iowa is “spreading the wealth” in terms of scoring. The Hawkeyes have had at least four players reach double digits in all three games, including six in double figures against North Dakota in the season opener.
Iowa’s newcomers have accounted for 127 points (43.5 percent of scoring) in the first three games. Valpo transfer Ben Krikke is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points on 58.5 percent shooting. Krikke scored 24 points — the most by a Hawkeye this season — in the road game at No. 8 Creighton.
Share & Take Care: Iowa has 73 assists to 20 turnovers in the first three games of the season, assisting on 65.4 percent of its field goals.
Iowa has won 85 of its last 91 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
McCaffery is nine wins from becoming the winningest coach in Iowa basketball history. Tom Davis has 271 victories as Iowa’s head coach. • 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 placed fifth or better in the Big Ten standings in five straight and 10 of the last 11 years.
Iowa has won 10 or more Big Ten games in eight of the last nine seasons.
The Hawkeyes led the Big Ten and was 18th nationally in scoring offense (80.1). Iowa has led the league in scoring in seven of the last 11 seasons, including six straight years.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE
• The Red Wolves are 1-2 overall heading into Friday’s game. Arkansas State won the first game of the Bryan Hodgson era on Tuesday, downing Alcorn State, 100-86. • Arkansas State made 19 3-point field goals — four players with three or more makes — in the win.
• Hodgson is in his first season as head coach after spending 15+ years as an assistant coach at six differ- ent stops. He was an assistant at Alabama under Nate Oats the past four seasons.
• Four players are averaging in double digits with Taryn Todd leading the way with 17.7 points on 46.7 percent shooting. Dyondre Dominguez is averaging 14.3 points and nine rebounds.
• Arkansas State lost its season opener to Big Ten foe Wisconsin, falling 105-76 in Madison on Nov. 6.
