SAN DIEGO – The Iowa Hawkeyes head to San Diego for the Rady Children’s Invitational for Thanksgiving. Iowa is 3-1 overall heading into Thursday’s game against Oklahoma. It is the first meeting against the Sooners since the 1987 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 — a 93-91 Hawkeye victory.
The Hawkeyes open the tourna- ment against Oklahoma on Thursday at 2 p.m. (CT) at LionTree Arena on the campus of UC San Diego. Iowa will face either Seton Hall or No. 23 USC on Friday at 5 p.m.
Iowa vs. Oklahoma \\ Thursday, Nov. 23 \\ 2 p.m. (CT) \\ TV: FS1 \\ Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
LionTree Arena \\ San Diego, Calif. \\ Rady Children’s Invitational
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
• The Sooners, who are receiving votes in the AP Poll, bring a 4-0 record into Thursday’s game, posting home victories over Central Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, Texas State and UTRGV. Oklahoma has won the four contests by an average of 33 points.
• Otega Oweh leads a group of four Sooners in double figures, averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. He is shooting 68.6 percent from the floor.
• The Sooners have attempted 98 free throws in four games (24.5 per game), making 79.6 percent.
• Oklahoma’s scoring defense ranks ninth nationally, as the Sooners allow just 55.5 points per contest.
SERIES HISTORY
• Thursday’s game is the sixth meeting all-time be- tween Iowa and Oklahoma with the Hawkeyes leading the series, 3-2. Iowa has won the last two games, including a 93-91 victory in the 1987 NCAA Tournament in a game played in Seattle.
• The Hawkeyes are 2-1 all-time against Seton Hall. Iowa won 83-67 in New Jersey during the 2022-23 season in a game played as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.
• Iowa is 5-2 all-time against future Big Ten foe USC. The Hawkeyes have won back-to-back games in the series, winning 66-55 in 1982 in Iowa City and 62-61 in 1983 in Los Angeles.
Iowa swept the Big Ten Conference weekly honors on Nov. 20 when Ben Krikke was selected as the Player of the Week and Owen Freeman the Freshman of the Week. It is the first time Iowa has swept the awards since the 2019-20 season, and Freeman is the first Hawkeye freshman to earn the distinction in consecutive weeks.
To no one’s surprise, Iowa is again one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 95 points in its first four games. The Hawkeyes are tops in the Big Ten and eighth nationally. The team has scored at least 84 points in all four games, including 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 (2) — have all netted 20-point games this season. Krikke is averaging a team-high 20 points, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. He is also second in the conference with 34 field goals and third in field goal percentage (.618).
