2020–21 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2020–21 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represented the University of Iowa during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team was led by 11th-year head coach Fran McCaffery and played their home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena as members of the Big Ten Conference . The Hawkeyes finished the season 22–9, 14–6 in Big Ten play to finish in third place. They defeated Wisconsin in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Illinois in the semifinals. The Hawkeyes received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region. They defeated Grand Canyon in the First Round before losing to Oregon in the Second Round, ending their chances at their first Sweet Sixteen since 1999.
Senior center Luka Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Year [ 1] and a consensus All-American for the second consecutive season. He was also named the consensus National Player of the Year and ended his career with a school-record 2,306 points (7th in Big Ten history). Senior guard Jordan Bohannon ended the season with school-records of 639 assists and 364 3-point field goals (2nd in Big Ten history).
Previous season
The Hawkeyes finished the 2019–20 season 20–11, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in four-way tie for fifth place. Their season ended when postseason tournaments including the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic .[ 2]
Forward Luka Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Year [ 3] and was a consensus All-American .[ 4]
Offseason
Returning players
Junior forward Luke Garza announced on April 10 that he would declare for the NBA draft , but retain his eligibility.[ 5] On August 2, Garza withdrew his name from the draft and announced he would return to Iowa for his senior season.[ 6]
Departures
^ Evelyn was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Valparaiso in 2019.
2020 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Keegan Murray SF
Cedar Rapids, IA
DME Academy
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Oct 21, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A
Kris Murray SF
Cedar Rapids, IA
DME Academy
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Oct 21, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A
Josh Ogundele C
Worcester, MA
Worcester Academy
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
N/A
Nov 13, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports :
Tony Perkins SG
Indianapolis, IN
Lawrence North
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Oct 20, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports :
Ahron Ulis PG
Chicago Heights, IL
Marian Catholic
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Aug 6, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports :
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports : 63
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Roster
2020–21 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
0
Michael Baer (W)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
RS Jr
Bettendorf HS
Bettendorf, IA
G
1
Joe Toussaint
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
So
Cardinal Hayes HS
Bronx, NY
F
2
Jack Nunge
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
RS So
Castle HS
Newburgh, IN
G
3
Jordan Bohannon
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
RS Sr
Linn-Mar HS
Marion, IA
G
4
Ahron Uhlis
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Fr
Marian Catholic HS
Chicago, IL
G
5
CJ Fredrick
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
RS So
Covington Catholic HS
Cincinnati, OH
G/F
10
Joe Wieskamp
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
212 lb (96 kg)
Jr
Muscatine HS
Muscatine, IA
G
11
Tony Perkins
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Fr
Lawrence North HS
Indianapolis, IN
G
13
Austin Ash (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
RS Jr
Mount Vernon HS
Cedar Rapids, IA
F
15
Keegan Murray
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Prairie HS /DME Sports Academy
Cedar Rapids, IA
F
20
Kris Murray
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Prairie HS /DME Sports Academy
Cedar Rapids, IA
F
22
Patrick McCaffery
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
RS Fr
Iowa City West HS
Iowa City, IA
C
23
Josh Ogundele
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
Fr
Worcester Academy
London, EN
G/F
30
Connor McCaffery
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
RS Jr
Iowa City West HS
Iowa City, IA
C
55
Luka Garza
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
265 lb (120 kg)
Sr
Maret School
Washington, D.C.
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that the start of the season would be pushed back to November 25 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .[ 7]
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020 *3:00 p.m., BTN
No. 5
NC Central
W 97–67[ 8]
1–0
26 – Garza
10 – Garza
4 – C. McCaffery
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (535)Iowa City, IA
November 27, 2020 *4:00 p.m., BTN
No. 5
Southern
W 103–76[ 9]
2–0
41 – Garza
9 – Garza
7 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (535)Iowa City, IA
December 3, 2020 *7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 3
Western Illinois
W 99–58[ 10]
3–0
35 – Garza
10 – Garza
6 – C. McCaffery
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (543)Iowa City, IA
December 8, 2020 *6:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 3
No. 16 North Carolina ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 93–80[ 11]
4–0
24 – Bohannon
14 – Garza
6 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (583)Iowa City, IA
December 11, 2020 *8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 3
Iowa State Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
W 105–77[ 12]
5–0
34 – Garza
10 – Nunge
7 – Toussaint
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (560)Iowa City, IA
December 13, 2020 *1:00 p.m., FS1
No. 3
Northern Illinois
W 106–53[ 13]
6–0
23 – Garza
8 – Tied
7 – C. McCaffery
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (546)Iowa City, IA
December 19, 2020 11:00 a.m., CBS
No. 3
vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
L 88–99[ 14]
6–1
30 – Garza
10 – Garza
4 – Wieskamp
Sanford Pentagon (243)Sioux Falls, SD
December 22, 2020 8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 4
Purdue
W 70–55[ 15]
7–1 (1–0)
22 – Garza
9 – Tied
6 – C. McCaffery
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (536)Iowa City, IA
December 25, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 4
at Minnesota
L 95–102 OT[ 16]
7–2 (1–1)
32 – Garza
17 – Garza
6 – C. McCaffery
Williams Arena (0)Minneapolis, MN
December 29, 2020 8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 10
No. 19 Northwestern
W 87–72[ 17]
8–2 (2–1)
24 – Bohannon
6 – Garza
5 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (464)Iowa City, IA
January 2, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 10
at No. 14 Rutgers
W 77–75[ 18]
9–2 (3–1)
25 – Garza
9 – Murray
4 – Tied
Louis Brown Athletic Center (0)Piscataway, NJ
January 7, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5
at Maryland
W 89–67[ 19]
10–2 (4–1)
24 – Garza
7 – Garza
10 – C. McCaffery
Xfinity Center (0)College Park, MD
January 10, 2021 1:30 pm, BTN
No. 5
No. 16 Minnesota
W 86–71[ 20]
11–2 (5–1)
33 – Garza
10 – Nunge
14 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (569)Iowa City, IA
January 17, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS
No. 5
at Northwestern
W 96–73[ 21]
12–2 (6–1)
17 – Garza
10 – Garza
4 – Tied
Welsh-Ryan Arena (0)Evanston, IL
January 21, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 4
Indiana
L 69–81[ 22]
12–3 (6–2)
28 – Garza
12 – Tied
4 – C. McCaffrey
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (566)Iowa City, IA
January 29, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 7
at No. 19 Illinois Rivalry
L 75–80[ 23]
12–4 (6–3)
19 – Tied
8 – Murray
5 – Tied
State Farm Center (190)Champaign, IL
February 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1
No. 8
Michigan State
W 84–78[ 24]
13–4 (7–3)
27 – Garza
12 – Garza
6 – Toussaint
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (557)Iowa City, IA
February 4, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 8
No. 7 Ohio State
L 85–89[ 25]
13–5 (7–4)
18 – Tied
10 – Wieskamp
6 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (503)Iowa City, IA
February 7, 2021 11:00 a.m., FOX
No. 8
at Indiana
L 65–67[ 26]
13–6 (7–5)
18 – Tied
8 – Wieskamp
2 – Bohannon
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (0)Bloomington, IN
February 10, 2021 6:30 p.m., BTN
No. 15
No. 25 Rutgers
W 79–66[ 27]
14–6 (8–5)
26 – Wieskamp
10 – Tied
7 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (560)Iowa City, IA
February 13, 2021 1:30 p.m., FOX
No. 15
at Michigan State
W 88–58[ 28]
15–6 (9–5)
21 – Wieskamp
11 – Nunge
6 – Nunge
Breslin Center (0)East Lansing, MI
February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 11
at No. 21 Wisconsin
W 77–62[ 29]
16–6 (10–5)
30 – Garza
12 – Murray
5 – Bohannon
Kohl Center (0)Madison, WI
February 21, 2021 4:00 p.m., FS1
No. 11
Penn State
W 74–68[ 30]
17–6 (11–5)
23 – Garza
11 – Tied
6 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (566)Iowa City, IA
February 25, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 9
at No. 3 Michigan
L 57–79[ 31]
17–7 (11–6)
16 – Garza
8 – C. McCaffrey
2 – Fredrick
Crisler Center (83)Ann Arbor, MI
February 28, 2021 3:00 p.m., CBS
No. 9
at No. 4 Ohio State
W 73–57[ 32]
18–7 (12–6)
24 – Garza
11 – Garza
7 – Toussaint
Value City Arena (0)Columbus, OH
March 4, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 5
Nebraska
W 102–64[ 33]
19–7 (13–6)
26 – Bohannon
8 – Garza
8 – C. McCaffery
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (549)Iowa City, IA
March 7, 2021 11:30 a.m., FOX
No. 5
No. 25 Wisconsin
W 77–73[ 34]
20–7 (14–6)
21 – Garza
16 – Garza
8 – Bohannon
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (582)Iowa City, IA
Big Ten tournament
March 12, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN
(3) No. 5
vs. (6) Wisconsin Quarterfinals
W 62–57[ 35]
21–7
24 – Garza
9 – Garza
6 – McCaffery
Lucas Oil Stadium (7,735)Indianapolis, IN
March 13, 2021 2:30 p.m., CBS
(3) No. 5
vs. (2) No. 3 Illinois Semifinals/Rivalry
L 71–82[ 36]
21–8
21 – Garza
12 – Garza
6 – Bohannon
Lucas Oil Stadium (8,000)Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021 5:25 p.m., TBS
(2 W) No. 8
vs. (15 W) Grand Canyon First Round
W 86–74[ 37]
22–8
24 – Garza
9 – Wieskamp
5 – Wieskamp
Indiana Farmers Coliseum (986)Indianapolis, IN
March 22, 2021 11:10 a.m., CBS
(2 W) No. 8
vs. (7 W) Oregon Second Round
L 80–95[ 38]
22–9
36 – Garza
9 – Garza
5 – Wieskamp
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (3,565)Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in
Central Time .
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final AP 5 3 3 3 (1) 4 10 5 5 4 7 8 15 11 9 5 5 8 Not released Coaches 6 (1) 6^ (1) 3 (1) 3 (2) 5 11 7 8 4 7 8 16 14 12 8 6 8 13
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
^ "2020-21 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" . Big Ten Conference . March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .
^ Solari, Chris. "March Madness cancellation inevitable, unavoidable: 'Bigger than basketball' " . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" . Big Ten Conference . Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
^ "Garza Is Consensus All-American" . Maven . Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
^ "Iowa's Garza declares for draft, keeps eligibility" . ESPN.com . April 10, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ "Iowa's Luka Garza withdraws from NBA Draft, will return to Hawkeyes for senior season" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ "NCAA: Men's, women's hoops can start Nov. 25" . ESPN.com . September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020 .
^ "Garza, McCaffery Help No. 5 Iowa Rout NC Central In Opener" . Associated Press . November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ "Nearly perfect Garza scores 41, No. 5 Iowa routs Southern" . Associated Press . November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ "Garza, Nunge Lead No. 3 Iowa Past Western Illinois, 99-58" . Associated Press . December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ "Bohannon scores 24, leads No. 3 Iowa past No. 16 UNC 93-80" . Associated Press . December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ "Garza scores 34 in 17 minutes, No. 3 Iowa thumps Iowa State" . Associated Press . December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ "Garza Scores 23, No. 3 Iowa Routs Northern Illinois 106-53" . Associated Press . December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020 .
^ "Suggs Leads Top-Ranked Gonzaga Over No. 3 Iowa 99-88" . Associated Press . December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020 .
^ "Garza Scores 22 Points, No. 4 Iowa Beats Purdue 70-55" . Associated Press . December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020 .
^ "Minnesota Beats No. 4 Iowa 102-95 On Johnson's 3-Point Spree" . Associated Press . December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020 .
^ "No. 10 Iowa Beats No. 16 Northwestern 87-72 In Big Ten Game" . Associated Press . December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020 .
^ "No. 10 Iowa Wins 77-75 As Free Throws Cost No. 14 Rutgers" . Associated Press . January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
^ "Garza scores 24 to help No. 5 Iowa coast past Maryland 89-67" . Associated Press . January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021 .
^ "Garza scores 33, No. 5 Iowa beats No. 16 Minnesota 86-71" . Associated Press . January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021 .
^ "Garza scores 17, No. 5 Iowa routs Northwestern 96-73" . Associated Press . January 17, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Indiana shuts down No. 4 Iowa for 81-69 road upset" . Associated Press . January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Dosunmu, Frazier lead No. 19 Illinois over No. 7 Iowa 80-75" . Associated Press . January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Garza reaches 2,000 points as Iowa tops Michigan State 84-78" . Associated Press . February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Balanced Ohio State rallies past Iowa in Top-10 matchup" . Associated Press . February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Franklin's late shot sends Indiana past No. 8 Iowa 67-65" . Associated Press . February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Wieskamp Leads No. 15 Iowa To 79-66 Win Over No. 25 Rutgers" . Associated Press . February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021 .
^ "Wieskamp-Led No. 15 Iowa Routs Michigan State 88-58" . Associated Press . February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021 .
^ "Garza, Wieskamp help No. 11 Iowa beat No. 21 Wisconsin 77-62" . Associated Press . February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Garza Breaks Iowa Scoring Mark, No. 11 Hawkeyes Beat Penn St" . Associated Press . February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021 .
^ "Dickinson Impresses As No. 3 Michigan Routs No. 9 Iowa 79-57" . Associated Press . February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021 .
^ "Garza, Weiskamp lead No. 9 Iowa over No. 4 Ohio State 73-57" . Associated Press . February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 .
^ "Bohannon, No. 5 Iowa Run Away From Nebraska 102-64" . Associated Press . March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021 .
^ "Garza gets 21 points, No. 5 Iowa tops No. 25 Wisconsin 77-73" . Associated Press . March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021 .
^ "Garza Leads No. 5 Iowa Past Wisconsin In Big Ten Tourney" . Associated Press . March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021 .
^ "No. 3 Illinois Gets Past No. 5 Iowa, Into Big Ten Title Game" . Associated Press . March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021 .
^ "Sharp-shooting Iowa gets 24 from Garza to beat Grand Canyon" . Associated Press . March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021 .
^ "Not Rusty: Oregon Soars Past Iowa 95-80 Into Sweet 16" . Associated Press . March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics