Northern Iowa (8-1) vs. No. 24 Colorado (7-1)
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colorado; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 24 Colorado looks to give Northern Iowa its fifth straight loss against ranked opponents. Northern Iowa’s last win vs a ranked opponent came against the then-No. 25 Wichita State Shockers 53-50 on Feb. 13, 2016. Colorado lost 72-58 on the road to Kansas on Saturday.
SQUAD LEADERS: The dynamic Tyler Bey has averaged a double-double (12.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals) to lead the charge for the Buffaloes. McKinley Wright IV is also a big contributor, putting up 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The Panthers have been led by AJ Green, who is averaging 14.4 points.ACCURATE AJ: Green has connected on 29.4 percent of the 68 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 8 for 22 over his last three games. He’s also converted 94.1 percent of his foul shots this season.
STREAK STATS: Colorado has won its last four home games, scoring an average of 68.8 points while giving up 53.8.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Buffaloes have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Panthers. Colorado has 26 assists on 60 field goals (43.3 percent) across its previous three matchups while Northern Iowa has assists on 34 of 89 field goals (38.2 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Colorado has attempted the 24th-most free throws in the country at 23.5 per game. Northern Iowa has gotten to the line far less frequently and is averaging only 13.9 foul shots per game (ranked 215th).

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton has been named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after averaging 18.0 points as the Cyclones went 2-0 last week.

Bolton capped his week with 17 points and a career-best eight rebounds in ISU’s win against No. 16 Seton Hall Sunday evening. Earlier in the week, Bolton scored 19 points against Kansas City.

The Petersburg, Virginia native connected on 18-of-21 free throws last week and is shooting 82.4 percent at the line this season.

Bolton and Iowa State return to action Thursday against Iowa in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown at Hilton Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa center Luka Garza has been named Big Ten Player of the Week, it was announced Monday by the conference office.

Garza (6-foot-11, 260 pounds) averaged 33.5 points, shooting 55 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line, and 8.5 rebounds in road games last week at Syracuse and No. 4 Michigan.
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Garza scored a career-high 44 points last Friday in Ann Arbor — the most points scored in a game by an Iowa big man, third most in program history, most by an opposing player in Crisler Center history behind only Rudy Tomjanovich’s 48 points versus Indiana in 1969, and the most points scored by a Hawkeye since guard John Johnson poured in a school-record 49 points against Northwestern in 1970. Garza reached 1,000 career points in Friday’s game.

Garza’s 44 points are believed to be the most in a game by a Big Ten player since Purdue’s Glenn Robinson scored 44 against Kansas on March 24, 1994. Garza made 17 field goals versus Michigan, tying Bruce King (vs. Michigan on Jan. 31, 1976) for third most in a game in Iowa history. His 32 attempts tie three others (Fred Brown, Murray Wier and Charles Darling) for fourth most in a game in Iowa history.

Last Tuesday, Garza led Iowa to a Big Ten/ACC Challenge victory at Syracuse (68-54). The native of Washington, D.C., posted game bests in scoring (23) and rebounding (9).

Garza was twice named Big Ten Freshman of the Week during the 2017-18 season, but this marks his first Big Ten Player of the Week recognition and the first by a Hawkeye since Peter Jok on Dec. 12, 2016.

Garza and the Hawkeyes (6-3, 0-1) return to action tonight, hosting Minnesota (4-4, 0-0) in its Big Ten home opener. Tipoff is set for 7:10 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State sophomore tight end Charlie Kolar was named to the 2019 Academic All-America Division I Football First Team, announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The CoSIDA Academic All-America Football Team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Kolar is the first Cyclone football player to earn Academic All-America accolades since 2002 (Jordan Carstens- first team; Jack Whitver- second team).

A native of Norman, Okla., Kolar is one of the best tight ends in the nation. The sophomore is producing one of the best seasons by a tight end in school history, leading all Big 12 tight ends in receptions (48), receiving yards (675) and receiving touchdowns (7).

His 675 receiving yards is a school record by a tight end.

Kolar’s yards per game average (56.3) and touchdown reception (7) totals rank in the top-five nationally among FBS tight ends.

Kolar, who has five 70+ yard receiving games, has been a key target for Brock Purdy, recording 36 catches for first downs or touchdowns and has three receptions resulting in fourth down conversions.

In the classroom, Kolar is just as stellar. The two-time First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection holds a cumulative 3.98 GPA in mechanical engineering. He won the team GPA Award during the 2018-19 school year with a perfect 4.0 GPA.