Bohnenkamp: Iowa-Iowa St. Takeaways

Hawkeye Coach Fran McCaffery Secures 500th Career Victory

Connor McCaffery flipped the ball to the official during a substitution timeout and headed to the bench, where he immediately hugged his father.

Patrick McCaffery, already out of the game, followed with his own embrace.

It was a milestone night for Fran McCaffery, and his sons were part of the celebration after being a big part of the win.

Iowa’s 75-56 victory over Iowa State on Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was Fran McCaffery’s 500th win as a head coach.

He downplayed it, of course.

“I don't consider myself having 500 wins,” Fran said. “I'm the coach. My responsibility is to put our guys in a position to win and let them go win the game.

“I've been blessed. I've worked for great people. I've had tremendous coaches on my staff. I've had really good players everywhere I've been.”

Still, he admitted, it meant something to be able to share it with his sons, who were both in the starting lineup for the game.

“It's an interesting journey,” Fran said. “It's a difficult journey at times. But it's something we're built for.”

It was a masterpiece for the McCafferys and the Hawkeyes, who were without leading scorer Kris Murray, out indefinitely with a lower left leg injury.

Iowa (7-2) scored the first 15 points, led 40-20 at halftime, and had a 29-point lead in the second half.

The takeaways from the game:

IT WAS OVER EARLY

Iowa State (7-2), ranked 20th in the Associated Press poll, never had a chance.

It was 15-0 with 14:36 to play in the first half, 20-2 with 12:20 to play, 26-4 with 9:03 left.

Iowa’s defense was too stifling. The Cyclones missed 10 of their first 11 shots, and even though they shot 32.3 percent in the first half, missed all 11 of their 3-point attempts.

“They had great confidence early and it carried over throughout the game,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

“Obviously every game that's your intention, to play defense with that kind of intensity,” Fran McCaffery said.

The Cyclones shot 50 percent in the second half, but had just three 3-pointers. They were never able to get a run going against the Hawkeyes.

A WAKE-UP CALL

Iowa didn’t get back from Tuesday’s loss until 5 a.m. Wednesday. The one day of preparation didn’t seem to bother them.

“It is challenging,” said Filip Rebraca, who led Iowa with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. “We were tired. But who cares? Who cares if we were tired?”

“Well, I think we have a special group,” McCaffery said. “They're very competitive. They were not pleased with how we played the other night. They took responsibility. They were locked in for practice yesterday.

“You're right, they didn't get to bed until 5 a.m. We didn't talk about it. We just prepared for the next one.”

NO MURRAY, NO PROBLEM

Murray had a boot on his left foot, and McCaffery isn’t sure when he’ll return, already ruling him out for Sunday’s game against Wisconsin.

But the Hawkeyes showed plenty of balance. Connor McCaffery, who took Murray’s spot in the starting lineup, had 14 points. Patrick McCaffery had 13 points, 10 in the second half. Tony Perkins had 10 points, including a second-half dunk that brought the crowd of 14,535 to its loudest roar of the night.

“Guys get hurt all the time,” Fran McCaffery said. “That's why you have 13 scholarships. (Murray is) out, Connor steps in, Payton (Sandfort) is ready to go, everybody else is ready to go. Got to get some minutes out of Josh Ogundele. Josh Dix (with two points and a rebound in 10 minutes) was really good tonight. Dasonte (Bowen) had a tough start, but he'll be fine. You don't talk about it. You just move on.”

REBRACA RESPONDS

Rebraca came to Iowa after three seasons at North Dakota with a reputation of being an offensive player, but he was tentative at times last season.

He’s much more confident this season. He is averaging 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, and those numbers are consistent.

“I felt like I went out there and made plays,” Rebraca said. “I was always comfortable (at North Dakota) doing these things. Coach needed me to step up, and I’m here to do it.”

“He did this every night over there,” McCaffery said. “We talked about it before, but last year he comes in, he's a starter, he was an integral part of a Big Ten (Tournament) championship team, but everything is new. You don't treat him as a freshman because he's not, but terminology is different, how we scout is different, how we travel is different, who we're playing is an upgrade from what he saw before.

“It stands to reason that in year two with the experience that he's gotten, he would be ready. But at the end of the day, with Filip Rebraca, he's a gamer. He will fight you, and he takes full responsibility. He was pretty good the other night (against Duke), but he missed a couple shots that he normally makes, and he was really upset about that. But he's going to keep coming. Boy, was he impressive tonight.”

Rebraca was 9-of-11 from the field, adding four assists and three blocks.

“I felt like he was the more physical guy,” Otzelberger said. “He had great intent with how he played.”