A Historic Night For Kris Murray In Iowa Win [WATCH]

In the final year of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Kris Murray made sure people would remember his performance.

Murray became the first Iowa Hawkeye player since Bruce King in 1977 to score 30 or more points and pull down at least 20 rebounds in the same game. Murray went off for 31 points and 20 rebounds in Iowa's 81-65 win over Georgia Tech Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that both totals are career highs for Murray. The night was also special to head coach Fran McCaffery who got career win number 499.

The Press-Citizen reports that Murray was looking to rebound from two of his worst shooting performances of the year against Clemson, and in Iowa's loss to TCU. Battling on the boards was also a priority. TCU outrebounded Iowa by 13. Last night, the Hawkeyes outrebounded Georgia Tech by a margin of 29-17, including 14 offensive rebounds. Connor McCaffery also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Filip Rebraca scored 13 points and pulled down 7 boards. The Hawkeyes won on a night they didn't shoot lights out. The Press-Citizen reports Iowa shot just 35% from three and only 58% from the free throw line.

Iowa improves to 6-1 on the year and will now have a six-day break before their showdown against Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York City next Tuesday. The game is part of this year's Jimmy V Classic. After the Blue Devils, Iowa then has matchups against Iowa State and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes will have to be at their best if they want to notch some quality wins on their NCAA Tournament resume.

Get our free mobile app