Look Back at Iowa Basketball Wins Against AP No. 4

Frank Calsbeek Powers Hawkeyes Against Hoosiers

Frank Calsbeek

The Associated Press college basketball was in its second season of existence in 1949-50 when a lanky center from Hull led Iowa to its first significant victory.

His name was Frank Calsbeek, who had been the Hawkeyes’ fourth-team center as recently as the 1948-49 season. A year later he was the starter, playing alongside a sophomore named Chuck Darling who would go on to become a consensus all-America center in 1952. The 1949-50 season was far from typical. 

Coach Pops Harrison, in his eighth season, was forced to the sidelines because of an illness. He was replaced by Rollie Williams, who had been the Hawkeyes’ head coach for 12 seasons before being replaced by Harrison in 1942-43. 

Harrison returned to the team three weeks later, but dropped out again after two Big Ten games. He was replaced by freshman Coach Bucky O’Connor for the final 11 games. 

Harrison’s final game as coach was Calsbeek’s finest game as a Hawkeye. Calsbeek scored a career-high 32 points as Iowa knocked off No. 4 Indiana, 65-64, before 12,223 fans in Iowa Fieldhouse. It was the Hawkeyes’ first victory over a rated foe.

“He’s a kid who started from scratch,” Harrison said of Calsbeek. ”He and Murray (Wier) rank one-two in my book. Both started on the bench. One of them is an all-American already, and the other will be if he keeps improving.”

Weir, a fiery guard from Muscatine, led the nation in scoring in 1947-48 at 21 points a game and was the program’s first consensus all-American.

Calsbeek’s climb, from benchwarmer to starter in one season, earned praise from Harrison. 

“It’s not due to any coaching job, it has been just diligent work on Frank’s part,” he said. 

Indiana entered the game 10-1 under legendary Coach Branch McCracken. The Hoosiers had suffered their first loss five days earlier, a 69-67 decision at Michigan.

One of Indiana’s starters was Bill Garrett, the first African-American player to for a Big Ten basketball program. Garrett, Indiana’s Mr. Basketball as a senior at Shelbyville, came to Indiana in 1947. That was the same year Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Garrett’s son, Billy, was an assistant coach at Iowa under Steve Alford in 2006-07.

Iowa was 8-2, and coming off a 20-point loss at Michigan a week earlier. Calsbeek, the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer, was blanketed by the Wolverine defense and rarely saw the ball. He was limited to just three field goals and eight points

But Indiana didn’t have an answer for Calsbeek on this night. He accounted for 15 of Iowa’s 28 field goals. The game was tied at halftime, 38-38, but the Hawkeyes built a 62-52 advantage with 5 minutes to play.

Most of that disappeared when Lou Watson, who had four field goals at that point, added four more in a 78-second flurry to cut the Iowa lead to two. Watson would eventually replace McCracken as Indiana’s coach in 1965-66. Watson was succeeded by Bob Knight in 1971-72. 

Later, Garrett’s hook shot got the Hoosiers within 63-62 with under 2 minutes to go. Iowa’s Bob Vollers put the home team in front, 65-62, with :33 on the clock. But it was a 65-64 game when Indiana’s Jerry Stuteville, perfect on four free-throw attempts at the time, went to the line again and missed. Iowa lost the rebound out-of-bounds with :05 hanging on the clock. Indiana got off two potential game winners, but Stuteville missed a jumper and Garrett’s tip attempt fell off the rim.

Harrison said he thought Indiana “closed the door on us” in those final frantic seconds. “But it didn’t go in.”

Iowa needed every one of Calsbeek’s 32 points.

“Frankly, I didn’t know where I was half the time,”Calsbeek said. “I got hit right in the temple in the first half.”

To which one of his teammates responded, “Well, I just hope you don’t come out of that daze.” 

McCracken didn’t have much to say. He was known to be polite but not talkative after games, win or lose. He did say he hadn’t expected Calsbeek to score as much as he did. Iowa added a second upset in late February. Calsbeek scored 20 points as the Hawkeyes knocked off No. 17 Indiana, 59-53, in Bloomington, Ind.

O’Connor had a trick up his sleeve in that one. Three minutes into the game, he switched from man-to-man defense to a zone. It was the first time all season the Hawkeyes had played zone. Indiana struggled to score, but had a 25-23 lead at halftime. Then Calsbeek, limited to one field goal in that first half, responded with six the second half.

Calsbeek was the leading scorer that season, averaging 15.1 points. Iowa finished 15-7 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten play after the unexpected sweep of the Hoosiers.

Iowa’s all-time record vs. No. 4: 9-14

Other victories vs. No. 4

Iowa 78, Indiana 59 (Jan. 12, 1952, Iowa City) - Iowa went on a 20-2 run in the first half and played its best game of the season, according to Coach Bucky O’Connor. 

“This is the first time they’ve played 40 minutes of basketball this season,” O’Connor said after the Hawkeyes won their 10th game in a row and third in as many Big Ten starts. 

Iowa trailed, 19-10, just 6-plus minutes into the game. But when the Hoosiers’ star center, freshman Don Schlundt, went to the bench, Iowa took advantage and went on that 20-2 run over the next 7 minutes. Indiana managed just two free throws.

“They were behind once by 19-10, and the next time I looked at the scoreboard we were ahead, 30-21,” O’Connor said. “That shows that they are fighters.”

Iowa’s lead was 34-31 at halftime, and it stayed close until the home team finished the game with a 25-11 run in the fourth quarter.

Indiana was whistled for 37 fouls, and Iowa made 30 of 41 free throws. Indiana was 13 of 22. Hawkeye center Chuck Darling finished with 27 points, Herb Thompson added 16 and freshman Deacon Davis 14. The Hawkeyes finished second in the Big Ten that season at 11-3, a game behind Illinois.

Iowa 79, West Virginia 76 (Dec. 29, 1956, Raleigh, N.C.) - Iowa limited sharpshooter Hot Rod Hundley to just seven points to win in a consolation game at the Dixie Classic. The Hawkeyes got a big game from 6-2 sophomore Clarence Wordlaw, who started in place of the injured Augie Martel. 

Wordlaw scored 14 straight Iowa points in one stretch of the first half and finished with 21. Tom Payne added 17 points, including a twisting layup in the final 10 seconds to make it a three-point game.

Iowa 64, Tennessee 59 (overtime) (December 28, 1967, Los Angeles, Calif.) - A corner jumper by Chris Philips with 10 seconds remaining forced overtime, then the Hawkeyes opened the extra session on a 10-0 run to upset the Volunteers in the opening round of the Los Angeles Classic.

Dick Jensen opened the overtime with a basket, then Sam Williams added two of his game-high 25 points. Huston Breedlove tipped in a missed free throw by Williams, Ron Norman added a pair of free throws and Jensen had another hoop for a 63-53 advantage.

Iowa pounded Tennessee on the boards, 55-32. Breedlove had 15 of them. 

“They did what we asked of them, keep them off the boards,” Iowa Coach Ralph Miller said. “They had us outmanned in almost every spot.”

Iowa 76, Davidson 61 (Feb. 1, 1969, Chicago, Ill.) - Coming off a two-week break for semester exams, the Hawkeyes opened the game at Chicago Stadium with a 17-2 run against a team that was 15-1 on the season. That lead disappeared in a hurry, and the Wildcats took a 34-32 lead into halftime.

But Iowa opened the second half with a 9-0 spurt and never trailed again. Glenn Vidnovic led Iowa with 23 points. He entered the game with 18 straight made free throws, and increased that to 29 before he missed the last of his 12 attempts. John Johnson added 18 points. 

Iowa 80, Indiana 79 (overtime) (Feb. 21, 1991, Bloomington, Ind.) - A tip-in by James Moses with a second remaining ended the Hawkeyes’ five-game losing streak in Assembly Hall. Indiana led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but the cushion wasn’t big enough. 

“We just couldn’t put them away,” Indiana Coach Bob Knight said. “Iowa wouldn’t let us.” 

Acie Earl and Val Barnes scored 19 points apiece for Iowa. Moses added 16 and freshman Chris Street had a career-best 13 rebounds. The last rebound set up Moses to be the hero. 

During a timeout with :08 remaining, Iowa Coach Tom Davis set up a play. Street in-bounded the ball to Earl, and the play broke down. Earl was forced to take a 15-footer that bounced off the right side of the rim and right into Street’s hands. He missed the point-blank opportunity but Moses was there to tip it back in.

“It was one of those situations where I was in the right spot,” Moses said. 

Iowa 56, Purdue 52 (March 9, 1996, Iowa City) - Playing in his final career game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Kenyon Murray’s dunk clinched Iowa’s upset and ended a streak of five straight losses to the Boilermakers.

Purdue had already clinched a third straight Big Ten title, but was playing to maintain its lofty NCAA seed. Iowa was playing to improve its seed.

“Iowa was playing to prove they deserved a higher seed, and they do,” said Purdue Coach Gene Keady after seeing his team’s 11-game winning streak snapped.

Iowa had a 54-52 lead when Jess Settles, who led the Hawkeyes with 18 points, tied up Porter Roberts. Iowa got the ball on the alternate possession. Keady called a timeout, but only four Boilermakers returned to the floor. Keady discovered what happened, grabbed Brandon Brantley and sent him into the game as the ball crossed half court. 

It ended up in the hands of Murray, who said goodbye to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in rim-rattling style. Point guard Andre Woolridge backed up Settles with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

“What a great way to go to the tournament and have some momentum, knowing we beat a Top Five team,” Iowa Coach Tom Davis said.

Iowa 76, Michigan State 59 (Jan. 14, 2016, East Lansing, Mich.) - Iowa entered the season with nine straight losses to the Spartans, and 14 in the last 15 meetings. But the Hawkeyes completed a season sweep with a sharp performance in the Breslin Center where victories are rare. This one snapped a streak of 18 straight losses at the Breslin, covering 23 years.

“We didn’t back down at any point,’ said Jarrod Uthoff, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the 16th-ranked Hawkeyes. “We knew we were the better team from the get-go. We wanted to go out and prove it, and we did.”

Peter Jok led Iowa with 23 points. His dunk, after the Spartans’ 14th turnover of the first half, gave the Hawkeyes a 47-25 lead at the break.

“I just think they played harder,” Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said.

Iowa had defeated the top-ranked Spartans 17 days earlier at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 83-70. Michigan State didn’t have top scorer Denzel Valentine for the one. He played in the rematch, but Iowa still prevailed. 

Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons, a native of Lansing, Mich., added 13 points in his homecoming.

Iowa 73, Ohio State 57 (Feb. 28, 2021, Columbus, Ohio) - Iowa defeated eight ranked teams in 2020-21, which tied for the second-most in the country. This one might have been the most impressive because the Buckeyes entered the late-season matchup projected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa was coming off a humbling 22-point loss at Michigan. 

“To beat a team like this on their home floor, it’s impressive for us,” Iowa center and Big Ten player of the year Luka Garza said after a 24-point, 11-rebound performance. 

Joe Wieskamp added 19 points, including five 3-pointers. One of them came on an assist from point guard Jordan Bohannon. That was the 613th assist of Bohannon’s career, letting him pass Jeff Horner as the program’s all-time leader.