Hawkeyes gearing up for multifaceted Gophers

IOWA CITY — Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery has been asked several times, in several ways what he thinks of how competitive the Big Ten is this year. Every time, he's answered with some form of, "I told you all it was going to be before the season, and nobody listened."

The Hawkeyes head north to go into Williams Arena — The Barn — on Wednesday to face a team that is emblematic of the prediction McCaffery made at Big Ten Media Day in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota may have recently suffered a five-game losing streak, but was at one time ranked, and has an RPI of 24. The Gophers have wins against No. 18 Purdue and Northwestern during Big Ten play, and took No. 5 Wisconsin to overtime on Jan. 21.

'The people that didn't expect them to be as good as they are clearly weren't doing their homework,' McCaffery said. 'If you took a minute to analyze who they had, then you wouldn't be surprised. If you just thought, 'Well they weren't good last year,' that's just foolish.'

So who do they have?

Nate Mason, the Gophers point guard, averages 14 points, 5.2 assists (to 1.7 turnovers) and 3.3 rebounds per game. Amir Coffey clocks in at 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.4 percent. Dupree McBrayer, who McCaffery called 'one of the best freshmen in the league last year,' averages 11 points and three rebounds per game. Reggie Lynch, in his first year with Minnesota after transferring from Illinois State, averages 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game — the latter of which leads the Big Ten.

McCaffery acknowledged the losing streak, but stressed looking at Minnesota's body of work in determining how tough the matchup would be — aside from the simple fact that Iowa has had more trouble than success on the road this season.

Mason fits the mold of that quick guard that has haunted the Hawkeyes (14-10, 6-5 Big Ten) at various points this season, and McCaffery pointed out that 'any time you've got a guard who's that quick who can score from 3-point range, they're the toughest ones to guard.' Mason shoots 40.2 percent from 3-point range in addition to his other high-level offensive numbers, and forces teams to not simply sit and wait for his dribble penetration.

Lynch, though, offers a dimension the Gophers (16-7, 4-6) haven't had in a while. His addition has freed other Minnesota players up to play more of their natural position, and offers Mason a large (physically and metaphorically) safety valve.

'He's really an interesting player because a lot of bangers who are shot-blockers can't score. He can score,' McCaffery said. 'He's a physical presence — say when he guards a Tyler Cook or Cordell (Pemsl), but also as our guards are driving the ball to the basket. He's a formidable guy and he makes them better because you have a guy like Murphy, who played out of position some last year at the center position, who can now move to the 4 spot and play on the perimeter. It gives them some flexibility and versatility there. It's going to be a great challenge for our young big guys, no question.'

Cook will have the initial responsibility on Lynch, but it comes at a time where the freshman seems to be returning to his pre-injury form.

The St. Louis native had 13 points and three rebounds against Nebraska despite dealing with foul trouble for much of the night, and McCaffery noted he would've had a bigger offensive impact without the fouls — something Cook still is learning to deal with.

His natural offensive aggressiveness is returning, and at the same time his defensive presence is improving. With Lynch to go up against Wednesday, his improvement is timely.

'When he came back, he was a little tentative reading situations defensively and finding that sort of aggressiveness,' McCaffery said. 'We're asking him to do a lot of things he wasn't asked to do before in high school. That takes time.

'Defensively, on Sunday, compared to what he was when we played at Nebraska, if you watch the film, it was so incredibly encouraging to watch the impact. He has the ability to move his feet laterally and contain dribble penetration with smaller guys. That's what we see a lot. We see ball screens and your big has to be able to contain that penetration and be quick enough to get back to the bigs. That's what he's doing.'

Regardless of whether it's Mason or Lynch, Coffey or McBrayer, the Hawkeyes will have plenty to account for at The Barn for an 8 p.m. tip on BTN.

Iowa has played much better recently, and to ask McCaffery or his players, it's been how they've played collectively on defense as much as the flow on offense. With what the Gophers have to offer, that has to continue if the Hawkeyes are going to get another road win.

'Any time you're trying to slow somebody down, it's got to be a collective effort. The way our team is designed, it's got to be team defense,' McCaffery said. 'In Minnesota's case, it's not one guy you're concerned about. There's a number of different guys who can hurt you. You've got to be connected.'

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