# 2021–22 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represented the University of Iowa during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 12th-year head coach Fran McCaffery and played its home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. The 26 wins were the most wins in a season for Iowa since the Elite Eight team in 1986–87 earned 30 wins. As the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Northwestern, Rutgers, Indiana, and Purdue to win the tournament championship. As a result, the Hawkeyes received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and drew the No. 5 seed in the Midwest region. Despite winning 9 of its previous 10 games and boasting the second-best efficiency margin in Division 1 between February 1 and the start of the tournament, the Hawkeyes were upset by No. 12-seeded Richmond in the first round.
Sophomore forward Keegan Murray earned consensus First-team All-American honors, and established a new school record for points in a season. It was the third consecutive season that an Iowa player was selected a consensus First-team All-American and set a new school record for points in a season (Luka Garza, 2019–20 and 2020–21).

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawkeyes finished the 2020–21 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. Iowa spent all but two weeks of the season ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll and ended with a No. 8 ranking.
Senior center Luka Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Year 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 (seventh in Big Ten history). After his last home game in a Hawkeye uniform, it was announced that his No. 55 jersey would be retired. Senior guard Jordan Bohannon ended the season with school-records of 639 assists and 364 three-point field goals (second in Big Ten history).

## Offseason
### Returning players

Senior guard Jordan Bohannon announced on April 26 that he would return to Iowa taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility from the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Michael Baer | 0 | F | 6'7" | 215 | RS Junior | Bettendorf, IA | Graduated |
| CJ Fredrick | 5 | G | 6'3" | 195 | RS Sophomore | Cincinnati, OH | Transferred to Kentucky |
| Luka Garza | 55 | C | 6'11" | 265 | Senior | Washington, D.C. | Graduated, NBA draft |
| Jack Nunge | 2 | F | 6'11" | 245 | RS Sophomore | Newburgh, IN | Transferred to Xavier |
| Joe Wieskamp | 10 | G/F | 6'6" | 212 | Junior | Muscatine, IA | Declared for NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Filip Rebrača | 0 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Senior | Sombor, Serbia | Transferred from North Dakota. Will be eligible to play immediately. |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Riley Mulvey C | Rotterdam, NY | St. Thomas More | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Apr 21, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Payton Sandfort PF | Waukee, IA | Waukee | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 1, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 68 ||||||
| 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: "2021 Iowa Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2021. "ESPN – Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2021. "Iowa 2021 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2021. ||||||

## Roster

Source

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Filip Rebrača | Josh Ogundele | Riley Mulvey |
| PF | Keegan Murray | Kris Murray | |
| SF | Patrick McCaffrey | Payton Sandfort | |
| SG | Tony Perkins | Joe Toussaint | Austin Ash |
| PG | Jordan Bohannon | Connor McCaffrey | Ahron Uhlis |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Slippery Rock | W 99–47 | 0–0 | 18 – P. McCaffery | 8 – P. McCaffery | 5 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (10,789) Iowa City, IA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 9:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Longwood | W 106–73 | 1–0 | 24 – Ke. Murray | 7 – Tied | 5 – Ulis | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,259) Iowa City, IA |
| November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Kansas City | W 89–57 | 2–0 | 25 – Ke. Murray | 13 – Rebrača | 6 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,133) Iowa City, IA |
| November 16, 2021* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | North Carolina Central | W 86–69 | 3–0 | 27 – Ke. Murray | 21 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Ulis | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,132) Iowa City, IA |
| November 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., BTN | | Alabama State | W 108–82 | 4–0 | 26 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Tied | 11 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,957) Iowa City, IA |
| November 22, 2021* 8:30 p.m., BTN | | Western Michigan | W 109–61 | 5–0 | 29 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Kr. Murray | 8 – Ulis | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (10,044) Iowa City, IA |
| November 26, 2021* 6:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Portland State | W 85–51 | 6–0 | 24 – Ke. Murray | 9 – Ke. Murray | 7 – C. McCaffery | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,756) Iowa City, IA |
| November 29, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Virginia Big Ten–ACC Challenge | W 75–74 | 7–0 | 20 – Bohannon | 9 – Ke. Murray | 3 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,542) Charlottesville, VA |
| December 3, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 2 Purdue | L 70–77 | 7–1 (0–1) | 15 – P. McCaffery | 5 – Tied | 4 – Toussaint | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| December 6, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | Illinois Rivalry | L 83–87 | 7–2 (0–2) | 19 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Rebrača | 7 – Ulis | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,072) Iowa City, IA |
| December 9, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 17 Iowa State Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series | L 53–73 | 7–3 | 17 – Bohannon | 7 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Ulis | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| December 18, 2021 8:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Utah State Sanford Pentagon Showcase | W 94–75 | 8–3 | 35 – Ke. Murray | 7 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Tied | Sanford Pentagon (3,250) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Southeastern Louisiana | W 93–62 | 9–3 | 20 – Ke. Murray | 10 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (10,891) Iowa City, IA |
| December 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Western Illinois | W 92–71 | 10–3 | 29 – Ke. Murray | 10 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Ulis | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056) Iowa City, IA |
| January 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Maryland | W 80–75 | 11–3 (1–2) | 35 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Tied | 9 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (10,327) Iowa City, IA |
| January 6, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 23 Wisconsin | L 78–87 | 11–4 (1–3) | 27 – Ke. Murray | 7 – P. McCaffery | 4 – Toussaint | Kohl Center (15,212) Madison, WI |
| January 13, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Indiana | W 83–74 | 12–4 (2–3) | 29 – Kr. Murray | 11 – Kr. Murray | 2 – Tied | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,246) Iowa City, IA |
| January 16, 2022 1:00 p.m,, BTN | | at Minnesota | W 81–71 | 13–4 (3–3) | 25 – Ke. Murray | 12 – Rebrača | 7 – Toussaint | Williams Arena (10,925) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 19, 2022 7:30 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | L 46–48 | 13–5 (3–4) | 13 – Ke. Murray | 13 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Toussaint | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 22, 2022 3:30 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 68–51 | 14–5 (4–4) | 15 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Tied | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056) Iowa City, IA |
| January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 6 Purdue | L 73–83 | 14–6 (4–5) | 23 – Kr. Murray | 9 – Ke. Murray | 3 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,723) Iowa City, IA |
| January 31, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State | L 86–90 $^{2OT}$ | 14–7 (4–6) | 21 – Ke. Murray | 7 – P. McCaffery | 5 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (7,977) University Park, PA |
| February 6, 2022 3:30 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 71–59 | 15–7 (5–6) | 24 – Ke. Murray | 15 – Ke. Murray | 3 – Ke. Murray | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,558) Iowa City, IA |
| February 10, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Maryland | W 110–87 | 16–7 (6–6) | 30 – Tied | 7 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Bohannon | Xfinity Center (12,649) College Park, MD |
| February 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1 | | Nebraska | W 98–75 | 17–7 (7–6) | 37 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Sandfort | 4 – McCaffrey | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,772) Iowa City, IA |
| February 17, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN | | Michigan | L 79–84 | 17–8 (7–7) | 23 – Ke. Murray | 7 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Perkins | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,048) Iowa City, IA |
| February 19, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX | | at No. 18 Ohio State Rescheduled from February 3 | W 75–62 | 18–8 (8–7) | 24 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Kr. Murray | 2 – Tied | Value City Arena (15,876) Columbus, OH |
| February 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 25 | Michigan State | W 86–60 | 19–8 (9–7) | 28 – Ke. Murray | 7 – Rebrača | 4 – Toussaint | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,634) Iowa City, IA |
| February 25, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 25 | at Nebraska | W 88–78 | 20–8 (10–7) | 20 – Perkins | 11 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Bohannon | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,960) Lincoln, NE |
| February 28, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | Northwestern | W 82–61 | 21–8 (11–7) | 26 – Ke. Murray | 18 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Bohannon | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,231) Iowa City, IA |
| March 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | at Michigan | W 82–71 | 22–8 (12–7) | 23 – Ke. Murray | 7 – Ke. Murray | 3 – Ke. Murray | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| March 6, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | at No. 20 Illinois Rivalry | L 72–74 | 22–9 (12–8) | 22 – Ke. Murray | 12 – Perkins | 5 – Perkins | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 1:15 p.m., BTN | (5) No. 24 | vs. (12) Northwestern Second round | W 112–76 | 23–9 | 26 – Ke. Murray | 9 – Rebrača | 6 – Perkins | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (14,856) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 11, 2022 1:20 p.m., BTN | (5) No. 24 | vs. (4) Rutgers Quarterfinals | W 84–74 | 24–9 | 26 – Ke. Murray | 8 – Ke. Murray | 5 – C. McCaffery | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (15,848) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 12, 2022 12:00 p.m., CBS | (5) No. 24 | vs. (9) Indiana Semifinals | W 80–77 | 25–9 | 32 – Ke. Murray | 9 – Ke. Murray | 5 – Perkins | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,762) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 13, 2022 2:30 p.m., CBS | (5) No. 24 | vs. (3) No. 9 Purdue Championship | W 75–66 | 26–9 | 19 – Ke. Murray | 11 – Ke. Murray | 4 – Perkins | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,732) Indianapolis, IN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 2:10 p.m., truTV | (5 MW) No. 16 | vs. (12 MW) Richmond First Round | L 63–67 | 26–10 | 21 – Ke. Murray | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | KeyBank Center (16,017) Buffalo, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | 24 | 16 | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV^ | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | 25т | 23 | 19 | 21 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.