Hawkeyes hope to take show on the road the second time around

IOWA CITY — It would have been easy for Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery to outwardly celebrate the first Big Ten win of the season. Especially given that the Hawkeyes had led, then trailed, then rallied back to beat Michigan in overtime, there's a lot on which to hang one's hat.

Yet one of the first things McCaffery said after that game was his team now has to 'go do it on the road.'

They understand better the challenge facing them, but there's also the matter of what to do about it. With a trip to Nebraska on the horizon, Iowa is about to find out if its group can take the show on the road — at least a better show than what showed up at Purdue.

'Obviously you have to be really tough-minded and you have to be more consistent than at any other time,' McCaffery said. 'You can't turn the ball over. You can't get pounded on the glass. You can't give up multiple (open) 3s. You have to execute your offense. That doesn't mean you're going to score every time. It means you execute and you get a good shot. That gives you an opportunity to get your defense back, which may limit their easy baskets.

'It's the grind that's necessary, whether you're behind or you're ahead, because if you're ahead and you're on the road, typically the run is coming at some point.'

Iowa can take cues from its next opponent in that regard, too.

Nebraska, which was just 6-6 in non-conference play — including losses to No. 6 UCLA, Clemson, No. 10 Creighton and No. 2 Kansas — has started Big Ten play 2-0, and both wins came on the road. The Huskers shocked most everyone by going into Assembly Hall in their conference opener to beat then-No. 16 Indiana, and backed that up by going to Maryland and leaving with a two-point win.

Coach Tim Miles has turned 'Nebrasketball' from a punch line into something that can't be overlooked, and McCaffery is well-aware of that. McCaffery said in a teleconference Tuesday he didn't pay much attention to the Huskers before their Big Ten days, but acknowledged he can see the program's level raising with their new arena and practice facility.

Behind scoring leader Tai Webster (17.4 points per game), Glynn Watson Jr. (13.9) and rebounding leader Ed Morrow Jr. (10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds per game), the Huskers have those certifiable wins. They got real, viable experience playing true road games at Clemson and at Allen Fieldhouse before they got to conference play. Iowa couldn't say that, and it showed on Dec. 28.

'They played a very difficult schedule, which I think has really helped them,' McCaffery said. 'It's made them tougher. They've gone on the road; they've been all over playing really good teams. I think it's helped their younger guys get ready.'

Looking at overall team stats, Nebraska doesn't look all that formidable. The Huskers rank 13th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (70.3 ppg), 14th in scoring margin (plus-1.7), 13th in field goal percentage (42 percent), 13th in 3-point shooting (31 percent), 13th in 3-point defense (37.3 percent), 14th in assists per game (11.4) and 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8).

Considering who they've played and where, some of that gets qualified a bit.

And while McCaffery highlighted the issue Iowa could have defensively with Nebraska's guards and how capable they are in dribble penetration, he also pointed out the Huskers' biggest strength offensively: rebounding. Nebraska ranks third in the Big Ten in total offensive rebounds at 13.3 per game and fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 34.6 percent.

Given Iowa had issues with offensive rebounding in its first two games, that's more than just a red flag. Couple that with facing a team that is coming home after doing what Iowa wasn't able to do, and the Hawkeyes' trip to Lincoln, Neb., isn't all that much easier than what they faced a week ago.

'Everybody knows it's going to be more difficult when you're on the road,' McCaffery said. 'There's typically runs that take place — how do you handle the run when it comes? Obviously we didn't do a good job of that the other night down at Purdue. You learn from that experience. How do you handle the run? You grind a little more offensively; you don't quick-shoot the ball offensively because that leads to a bigger run. Hopefully having been through that experience, we'll be better. It doesn't mean we'll be perfect, but I think we should be better.'

Iowa and Nebraska tip off at 8 p.m. on Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The game can be seen on BTN.

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