In-state series all business for Iowa's Fran McCaffery

DES MOINES - Fran McCaffery just completed his first go-around in the Iowa in-state series as the Hawkeyes' men's basketball coach. He finished 2-1 with an impressive win against Northern Iowa, a road victory at Drake and a tough loss to Iowa State.

To some, the series represents a tip-off in public interest for the basketball season. McCaffery views the series differently.

"I think the fans like them," McCaffery said. "The players like them. I just look at it as the next game on the schedule."

Iowa has played Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake each season since 1988. McCaffery previously coached in rivalry games, such as Siena-Albany. Both schools are located in the same upstate New York capital city. He also had plenty of rivals as coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.

In Iowa, McCaffery recognizes the public interest of the in-state series but doesn't place more importance on them over any other game.

"As I've said before, I look at this as the next game on our schedule," McCaffery said Saturday night. "I don't really look at that; they're not conference games. Do we want to win them? Yeah, we want to win them. But I don't really look at it as anything different than the next game on our schedule."

For the players, however, the in-state series brings excitement. Junior Matt Gatens and freshman Devyn Marble had fathers play in those games. Gatens, who grew up in  Iowa City, really is attached to the games against Iowa State, Drake and UNI.

"I love them. They're a lot of fun," he said. "I grew up watching them play these guys all the years. It means a lot. They're big games."

Marble enjoyed his first experience with the series, although was a little fuzzy with the math on his father's in-state record.

"I think he never lost to any in-state team before," Marble said. "Of course I can't accomplish that in my career now."

Well, Roy Marble was 7-2 in the in-state series from 1985 through 1989. He swept Drake and UNI (the teams played just once), while splitting four games with Iowa State.