So far this season, Iowa has done what it typically does, which is score a bunch of points.
Through three games, Iowa is averaging 94.7 points and hasn’t scored fewer than 80, including its last game when it defeated Seton Hall 83-67 in Newark, N.J.
The Hawkeyes (3-0) will now return to the comforts of home to see if they can rack up some more offensive stats when they clash with Omaha on Monday in Iowa City, Iowa.
It will be a preliminary game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida over Thanksgiving break.
As expected, leading the way for Iowa this season has been junior Kris Murray, who is anticipated to be the team’s leading scorer, taking over a role formerly held by his twin brother, Keegan, who was taken No. 4 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Kris Murray had 29 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall and is averaging 21.7 points per game this year.
“The thing about him is he never rattles,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “He plays. You can get physical with him, you can rotate guys with him, and he’s going to keep doing what he does. He can go off the bounce, he can make threes, he rebounds the ball.”
Omaha comes into Iowa with a 1-3 record and is coming off a home loss to Ball State on Wednesday.
The Mavericks’ only win of the season came on Nov. 13 on their home court when they beat Idaho 79-72.
The Mavericks have been led in scoring so far this season by sophomores Frankie Fidler (13.3 points per game) and Marquel Sutton (12.8 ppg).
The Mavericks will start a stretch of seven straight games away from home.
“We are on a road tour here,” Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield said on Omaha’s radio network. “Our guys have to get locked up because we have to get ready to go on the road and try to win some games. They’ve got to get tougher.”
–Field Level Media