Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball

Early years

The roots of Iowa basketball lie in 1902, when Ed Rule coached the Hawkeyes to a 10–2 record in their very first season of basketball. Rule coached the Hawkeyes in four non-consecutive seasons from 1902–1908, leading Iowa to a 37–15 record under his watch. Even today, Rule's winning percentage stands as the best among head coaches in Iowa basketball history.

Following Rule's tenure, the Hawkeyes were coached by names such as John Griffith, Walter Stewart, Floyd Thomas, Maury Kent, Edwin Bannick, and James Ashmore. Yet in that stretch of time, the best Iowa had finished in the Big Ten was fifth on three separate occasions. But all that changed when Sam Barry was hired as the Iowa's 10th head coach. In Barry's first season, 1923, Iowa went 13–2 overall and won the Big Ten championship for the first time in school history. The winning did not stop there: the Hawkeyes also tied for the Big Ten championship in 1926, along with Indiana, Michigan, and Purdue. Before Barry continued his Hall of Fame career at the USC in 1929, he authored a handbook on the sport, Basketball: Individual Play and Team Play, featuring Iowa players and facilities.

Depression years

Following Barry in the line of Hawkeye coaches was Rollie Williams, who would coach Iowa on two occasions, from 1930–1942 and in 1951. Although Williams' winning percentage stands at 51.5%, his long tenure at Iowa allowed him to become the winningest coach in Iowa history until Lute Olson and Tom Davis both surpassed him. Perhaps the most interesting event during Williams' tenure, however, occurred in 1929, when Iowa was suspended from participation in the Big Ten for violating conference rules. After a Big Ten investigation uncovered an illegal slush fund and possible recruiting violations, Iowa relented to the Big Ten's demands and was eventually reinstated into the conference on February 1, 1930. Fourteen players, including four on the basketball squad, were declared ineligible as a result of the Big Ten's findings.

The Fabulous Five

Just as the country emerged from the depression, so did Iowa's basketball fortunes. Following a rocky 7–10 season in 1943, Pops Harrison led the Hawkeyes to their third overall Big Ten title (and first unshared title) in 1945. In the following decade, from 1946–1956, the Hawkeyes had but one non-winning season in 1949, Harrison's last full season as head coach.

Following short tenures by both Frank "Bucky" O'Connor in 1950 and Rollie Williams in 1951, O'Connor once again became Iowa's coach and would hold that position until his death on April 22, 1958. Under O'Connor, Iowa would see unparalleled success in what some consider the most successful era in Iowa history. In 1953, Iowa finished second in the Big Ten behind the efforts of a starting lineup fully composed of sophomores. As juniors, the "Fabulous Five" won the Big Ten outright and eventually finished fourth in the nation. In 1956, as seniors, they again won the Big Ten outright and finished second in the nation only to Bill Russell and the undefeated San Francisco Dons.

Despite losing in the championship game, for the only time in school history, the Hawkeyes recorded consecutive Big Ten championships. Sharm Scheuerman, Bill Seaberg, Carl Cain, Bill Schoof, and Bill Logan, all members of the "Fabulous Five", had their jerseys retired in 1980.

Ralph Miller era

Iowa enjoyed 5 years of tremendous success under Ralph Miller from 1965–66 through 1969–70, winning two Big Ten conference titles during that span. Miller joined the Hawks as head coach after completing a successful stint as head coach at Wichita State.

The 1967–68 team tied for the Big Ten Title with Ohio State with a 10–4 conference record, and a 16–9 overall record. This team was led by Sam Williams, a high-scoring forward who led the Big Ten in scoring that year.

The 1969–70 team was arguably the greatest team in Iowa basketball history. Known as the "Six-Pack" (because only 6 players played most of the minutes), this team stormed through the Big Ten with a perfect 14–0 record, one of the few Big Ten teams ever to go undefeated in the conference. The team averaged over 100 points in conference play, highlighted by a 108–107 victory in West Lafayette over Purdue late in the season to clinch the outright title. Rick Mount of Purdue scored 61 points in that game in a losing effort. The Six-Pack team was led by John Johnson and "Downtown" Fred Brown, who both enjoyed long and successful NBA careers after playing for the Hawkeyes. Glenn "the Stick" Vidnovic and Chad Calabria also starred on this team. One amazing statistic about this team is that they averaged almost 80% accuracy as a team from the free throw line for the season.

To the chagrin of many Hawkeye fans, Ralph Miller left Iowa after the 1969–70 season to accept the head coaching job at Oregon State, where he had a long and successful run. Miller's assistant (and Iowa's baseball coach), Dick Schultz, succeeded Miller as head coach. Schultz resigned in 1974, after four second-division finishes in the Big Ten (with an overall winning record in only one of those seasons); Schultz was 41-55 overall during his four-year run as coach.

Lute Olson era

Iowa hired Long Beach State coach Lute Olson to replace Schultz in 1974. After progressive improvements from 1975 to 1977, Olson coached the Hawkeyes to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1979–1983. The 1978–79 squad earned a share the Big Ten Title.

Olson's tenure was highlighted by an appearance in the Final Four in 1980 on a team led by Ronnie Lester, with a supporting cast of Kenny Arnold, Steve Waite, Steve Krafcisin Vince Brookins, Kevin Boyle, Bobby Hanson, and Mark Gannon. Iowa started 7–0 on the season when Lester was injured early in the season at Dayton, not returning until the regular season finale. Nineteen regular season wins earned Iowa a No. 5 seed in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament (then, a 48-team field). In the four tournament wins that took Iowa to the Final Four, All-American Lester dished out 26 assists while committing only seven turnovers along with 51 points. Iowa opened by defeating Virginia Commonwealth 86–72 and No. 4 seed NC State 77–64. In a huge upset, Iowa knocked off No. 1 seed Syracuse 88–77, setting up a matchup in the Elite Eight with No. 3 Georgetown. Iowa earned an improbable Final Four trip to Indianapolis on March 16, 1980 defeating John Thompson's Georgetown squad 81-80. Iowa overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, making 17 of their final 21 shots and going 15–15 from the free-throw line. The winning basket was Steve Waite's three-point play in the closing seconds.

In the semi-final game against Denny Crum's Louisville team, Lester scored the first 10 points for Iowa. But after eight minutes of play he reinjured his knee and exited the game, ending his Iowa career. In Lester's absence, Louisville bested Iowa by only eight points, 80–72 and went on to win the Tournament, defeating UCLA, led by Larry Brown, in the final. Lester's value to his team was evident in the numbers. Not counting the Louisville game, they were 15–1 with Lester and 8–9 without him. Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who played two seasons at Michigan State, once claimed Lester the toughest opponent he ever faced in the Big Ten. Lester was drafted 10th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft, but the knee issues limited him in the NBA. He donated $100,000 to the University of Iowa in 2009.

George Raveling era

When Lute Olson left for Arizona, George Raveling came to Iowa from Washington State. Highly regarded for his ability to recruit, Raveling brought in Michigan high school stars B.J. Armstrong, Bill Jones, and Roy Marble, Springfield, Illinois' Lanphier High School teammates Ed Horton and Kevin Gamble, as well as USC transfer Gerry Wright, and Les Jepsen, all of whom would go on to play in the NBA. During Raveling's three years with the program, the Hawkeyes made two trips to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the First Round on both occasions. Raveling left after the 1985–86 season to take the head coaching position at USC.

Tom Davis era

Dr. Tom Davis took over from George Raveling and coached the Hawkeyes for 13 seasons from 1986–87 to 1998–99. Davis's signature was running the full court press defense for the entire game and using rapid, continuous substitution. In his first season, the Hawkeyes won their first 18 games and obtained the No. 1 ranking in the AP and UPI polls for the first time in school history. That squad won a school-record 30 games and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, losing to UNLV 84–81. Retaining their key stars B.J. Armstrong, Ed Horton, and Roy Marble for the following season, the Hawkeyes began the 1987–88 season ranked in the top five by most polls and publications. Iowa would make it to the Sweet Sixteen, avenging their loss to UNLV in the Second Round, before losing to former coach Lute Olson's Arizona Wildcats. In all, Davis led the Hawkeyes to nine NCAA Tournaments, winning every First Round game in the process. In his final season, Iowa returned to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual National Champion UConn. Under Davis the Hawkeyes also made two appearances in the National Invitational Tournament. He is the all-time winningest coach in Iowa history with 270 wins. The administration chose not to renew Davis's contract upon completion of the 1998–99 season, forcing Davis to retire. He would later come out of retirement to help rebuild the Drake program.

Steve Alford era

Steve Alford, a former Indiana Hoosier and a member of the Olympic gold-winning 1984 United States basketball team, arrived at Iowa with great fanfare. In his first game as coach of the Hawkeyes, Iowa defeated the defending champion and No. 1-ranked Connecticut Huskies in Madison Square Garden. However, his first team finished 14–16. During his second year (2000–01) the Hawkeyes were a highly regarded squad that included Indiana transfer Luke Recker and Reggie Evans, who would lead the Big Ten Conference in rebounds and double-doubles during his two seasons with Iowa, as well as Iowa Mr. basketball 1997 Dean Oliver, who had a career year with the Hawkeyes. However, after a knee injury sidelined Recker, the Hawkeyes dropped six of their last seven conference games, finishing 23–12 for the season season and 7–9 in the Big Ten Conference regular season. Despite the setback, they battled back and won the Big Ten Conference Tournament with four straight wins against Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana. This earned them a #7 seed in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Creighton in the first round but lost to Kentucky in the second round.

The Hawkeyes' conference record dropped to 5–11 during the 2001-02 season, but they defeated Purdue, Wisconsin, and Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Ohio State in the finals. The Hawkeyes played in the National Invitation Tournament that season, but lost to LSU in the first round to finish with a 19–16 record. This was the first of three straight seasons that the Hawkeyes played in the NIT under Alford. They won the first two rounds of the 2003 tournament against Valparaiso and Iowa State before losing to Georgia Tech, finishing with a 17–14 record. In 2004, they returned to the NIT, losing to St. Louis in the first round to complete the season at 16–13. Their 9–7 conference record marked the first winning Big Ten Conference record under Alford.

The Hawkeyes finished 21–12 with a 7–9 conference record in the 2004–05 regular season, but they won their first two Big Ten Tournament games against Purdue and Michigan State before losing the third game to Wisconsin, 59–56. They earned an at-large invitation to the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a #10 seed, where they lost 76–64 to Cincinnati in the first round. During the season, leading scorer Pierre Pierce was dismissed from the team amid charges of sexual abuse; Pierce ultimately served one year in prison.

During the 2005–06 season, the Hawkeyes went undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time in school history and finished in a second-place tie with Illinois with an 11–5 conference record, one game behind Ohio State. However, the Hawkeyes defeated Minnesota, Michigan State, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten Tournament and finish 25–8 going into its third NCAA Tournament under Alford. They were ranked No. 11 nationally and seeded #3 in the Atlanta Regional of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, but lost in a first-round upset to #14 seed Northwestern State 64–63, leaving Alford with only one NCAA Tournament win since taking over at Iowa. The game was lost on a last-second shot, and the Hawkeyes would not return to the Round of 64 in the NCAA tournament until 2014-15.

During the 2006–07 season, Alford led the Hawkeyes to an 8–6 non-conference record (which included a home loss to Drake for the first time in 40 years) and a 9–7 record in the Big Ten Conference. Iowa was not invited to the post-season, marking the first time since the 1976–77 season that a Hawkeye team with a winning record failed to make either the NCAA tournament or the NIT.

At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, Alford resigned from the University of Iowa to accept the coaching position at the University of New Mexico.

Todd Lickliter era

Following Alford's departure, Butler coach and reigning NABC Coach of the Year Todd Lickliter was hired. The graduation of Adam Haluska and the transfer of leading scorer Tyler Smith to Tennessee created a void. The 2007–2008 Hawkeyes would finish 13–19 for the season, including 6–12 in the Big Ten. The 2008-09 Hawkeyes would improve slightly to 15-17. The 2009-10 Hawkeyes dropped to 10-22. After experiencing the worst three-year run in the program's history, Lickliter was fired on March 15, 2010.

Fran McCaffery era

In his first year the University of Iowa head men's basketball coach, Fran McCaffery brought enthusiasm and excitement back to the Hawkeye basketball program. In his 19th season as a head coach, he has posted a record of 347-251 (.580).

Fans flocked to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2011 to watch the Hawkeyes; Iowa's attendance increased by 20 percent from the previous year. McCaffery guided Iowa to two victories over top-50 RPI teams, including sixth-ranked Purdue.

In 2012 the McCaffery lead Hawkeyes were 4-3 against teams ranked in the AP top 25. For the second consecutive year, the Iowa Men’s Basketball program saw a marked uptick in attendance inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s average attendance for all home games for the 2011-12 season was 11,841. More importantly, the conference-only attendance was 13,254 per game. This marks the second consecutive year under Fran McCaffery that attendance has improved. This was an increase of 2,765 a game from the end of the Todd Lickliter era.

During the 2012-2013 season Iowa finished the regular season with a 20-11 record, including an 11-2 non conference and 9-9 conference record. Coach McCaffery also earned his 300th career win as a head coach on March 9, 2013 with a 74-60 win over Nebraska. In postseason play they defeated Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament before falling to the #3 seeded Michigan State Spartans in the second round. The Hawkeyes went on to earn a #3 seed in the 2013 NIT tournament where they would go advance to the championship game for the first time in school history before losing to Baylor (74-54). Iowa's 25 win total was the most by the team since setting the same mark in the 2005-2006 season.

During the 2013-2014 season, Iowa achieved a non-conference record of 11-2, including a runner-up finish in the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and a loss to in-state rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes finished the Big Ten Conference season with a 9-9 record and a regular season record of 20-12. The Hawkeyes were seeded sixth in the Big Ten Conference tournament but lost to No. 11-seeded Northwestern 67-62, a team that the Hawkeyes had twice beaten by 26 points in two conference season games. The Hawkeyes played in the 'first four' during the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, playing Tennessee in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This was their first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2005-2006 season.

The 2014-2015 Hawkeyes finished their non-conference schedule 9–4, with losses to #10 Texas (71–57) and #23 Syracuse (66–63) in the 2K Classic. Additional non-conference losses came at the hands of rivals #14 Iowa State (90–75) and UNI (56–44). McCaffery led Iowa to a 12–6 record in the Big Ten, including memorable wins over #20 Ohio State (71–65) and #17 Maryland (71–55). McCaffrey's Hawkeyes were upset in the second round of the Big Ten tournament by Penn State (67–58), but still finished tied for third in the conference. Iowa earned a 7th seed in the NCAA tournament and beat Davidson (83–52) in the Round of 64 before bowing out to Gonzaga (87–68) in the third round. McCaffery's Hawkeyes finished 22–12 on the year.

During the 2015-16 season, the University of Iowa reached a new peak during the McCaffery era, twice defeating Michigan State during the regular season, attaining a 19-4 overall record and a No. 3 Associated Press rankings. However, the Hawkeyes lost seven of their last 10 games, including a 68-66 loss to 12th-seeded Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, a team the Hawkeyes had defeated handily a month earlier and would not play in the post-season. As a result of the late-season swoon, the Hawkeyes fell to No. 25 in the final Associated Press rankings. Seeded seventh in the NCAA Division I tournament's South regional, the Hawkeyes used a buzzer-beating tip-in to defeat Temple 72-70 in overtime. The Hawkeyes lost to second-seeded Villanova in the second round, 87-68, to end the season 22-11.

NCAA tournament results

The Hawkeyes have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 25 times. Their combined record is 29–27.

*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.

Historical NCAA Tournament seeding

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

NIT results

The Hawkeyes have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 9–7.

Retired numbers

Nine Hawkeye players have had their numbers retired by the University of Iowa:

All-American selections

Each year, numerous publications and organizations release lists of All-America teams, hypothetical rosters of players considered the best in the nation at their respective positions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) uses officially recognized All-America selectors to determine the consensus selections. Over time, the sources used to determine the consensus selections have varied. Currently, the NCAA uses four "major" selectors to determine consensus All-Americans: the Associated Press, The National Association of Basketball Coaches, the United States Basketball Writers Association and Sporting News magazine. Since 1984, the NCAA has applied a standardized point system to those teams designated as "major" All-American teams to determine consensus teams. The point system consists of three points for first team, two points for second team and one point for third team. No honorable mention or fourth team or lower are used in the computation. The top five totals plus ties are first team and the next five plus ties are second team. Many other publications and organization compile their own "minor" All-America teams in addition to the selectors listed here.

Through the 2009 season, 17 Iowa players have earned 24 All-America selections. Of Iowa's 17 All-Americans, 10 players were first-team All-American selections, with Ronnie Lester doing so twice. Iowa has had four consensus first and second team All-American selections; they are listed in bold in the table below.

Big Ten Most Valuable Players

The Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball has been awarded since 1946 by the Chicago Tribune to the college basketball player determined to be the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Conference. Three Hawkeyes have won the Big Ten MVP award:

Since 1998, the Big Ten Conference has held an annual basketball tournament at the end of its regular season. Every year, the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament crowns a tournament MVP, and two Hawkeyes have won the annual honor:

Other annual awards

Coaches and media of the Big Ten also make annual selections for additional individual honors:

All-conference selections

Through the 2010 season, Iowa has had 101 All-Big Ten selections, including 31 first-team selections. 28 players were multiple All-Big Ten selections, and nine players were three-time All-Big Ten selections.

Most Valuable Players

The Iowa Most Valuable Player Award was presented annually to an Iowa player or players from 1946-2007:

Chris Street Award

The Chris Street Award, named in honor of former Hawkeye Chris Street, has been presented annually since 1993 to “a Hawkeye player who best exemplifies the spirit, enthusiasm, and intensity of Chris Street”:

Popular culture

Billy Hoyle, the protagonist of the 1992 sports comedy film White Men Can't Jump is a former Iowa Hawkeyes player. He and his father were claimed to have called each other and shared just tears, no words.

Facilities

Iowa's men's basketball team plays their home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena, a 15,500-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Iowa City, Iowa. It opened in 1983 and is also the home of the university's wrestling, women's basketball, and volleyball teams. Prior to playing in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Hawkeye men's basketball team played in the Iowa Armory from 1905 through 1926 and from 1927 to 1982 at the Iowa Field House, which is still used today by the school's gymnastics teams.