Rivalry renewed for Iowa State, Iowa men

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It?s a new rivalry for Fran McCaffery and an old rivalry for Fred Hoiberg.

Both are new coaches with new systems at Iowa?s highest-profile basketball programs. They know the spotlight shines a bit brighter on them tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

As a player, Hoiberg?s Cyclones beat Iowa three times from 1991-1994. He?s seen the rivalry at its peak when both schools were NCAA Tournament contenders and now takes over when the programs are rebuilding.

McCaffery has yet to experience Iowa-Iowa State but compares it to other rivalry games he?s coached. He doesn?t want to put more emphasis on this match-up, but he doesn?t want to downplay its significance, either.

?I am going through it for the first time,? said McCaffery, whose Hawkeyes are 5-4. ?I haven?t really talked to the players about it. It?s just the next game on the schedule. My approach is as a coach has always been to put a game plan together and get the players to play the next game and not make it any more important than the previous game or the next one after that.

?I think the fact that it?s in-state, I?m not stupid, I know there?s impact with how the fans look at the game and how the media looks at the game. I understand that. As far as we?re concerned, it?s the next game on the schedule and we have to play a very good, very well-coached team. That?s pretty much the only way we?re going to look at this game.?

Hoiberg took over for Greg McDermott, who left Iowa State for Creighton last spring. McCaffery replaced Todd Lickliter, who was fired after coaching Iowa to a 38-58 record in three seasons.It?s natural for some to measure each program?s progress against the other. They?re both Iowa schools competing in top-level conferences with solid ? but fading ? traditions. The new coaches add to the comparisons. McCaffery was quick to eschew the notion that a win will vault one program over the other in the public?s eye.

?I think you evaluate a coach over time. To me that?s the only way to do it,? McCaffery said. ?Anything can happen in one game. To evaluate somebody over time ? I feel confident with my record being what it is. I?m comfortable in my own skin, and I know (Hoiberg) is, too.

?While he hasn?t coached as many games, he?s been exposed to some of the greatest coaches in our profession as a player at the highest level. He was in administration as well. He?s been around. I know there?s no hesitation to go in his direction and he?s proven he?s more than capable and more than ready.?

Each team has played nine games and both have competed against an in-state foe ? Iowa beat Northern Iowa; Iowa State beat Drake and lost to Northern Iowa. The state?s eyes will focus on Iowa City, but the coaches hope to put the game in perspective.

?It?s two programs, both trying to put their philosophies and their systems in,? said Hoiberg, who is 7-2 in his first season at Iowa State. ?Hopefully we?ll both be around a long time and have a lot of these games to play in.?

 

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High-scoring rivalry game upcoming


Two rival programs, two first-year head coaches and one message.

Play fast.

An up-tempo brand of basketball is what both Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg and Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery hope to be able to implement at their respective schools, and this week they'll see which is further along in the process.

Expect a track meet when the Cyclones and Hawkeyes meet up at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday night in a 7:30 p.m. contest that will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

Under McCaffery, the Hawkeyes (5-4) have had their offense liberated from the slow-down ethos espoused by deposed head coach Todd Lickliter, and they have seen their scoring average jump and their record read over .500 for the first time since late in the 2008-09 season as a result.

The Cyclones (7-2), while certainly not on a leash under former head coach Greg McDermott, have made pushing the tempo a priority with a roster whose experience lies primarily with its guards.

As a result, both teams have seen the offense lead the way to early-season success.

"That's one of our advantages this year getting up and down the court," said ISU point guard Diante Garrett, who leads the Cyclones by averaging 17 points and six assists per game, prior to practice Wednesday.

"Us guards have been making the right decisions, playing unselfish and having fun out there.

"If we can do that same transition and playing on Friday we can come out and try to get a 'W.'"

Iowa certainly won't shy away from the running game either. The Hawks are averaging 71.3 points per night after posting 60.5 per tilt last year under Lickliter, despite shooting just 3 percent better from the floor.

UI has spread the wealth between its players with only Eric May (13) and Bryce Cartwright (10) averaging in double figures.

The Hawks are also getting to the free-throw line seven times more often per game this season than last, usually a solid indicator of offensive aggressiveness.

The difference this season between the two rival schools is that McCaffery's squad has shown the ability to grind out victories as well, namely Tuesday's 51-39 win over perennial plodders Northern Iowa.

Iowa attempted just 45 shots against the Panthers. They entered the game averaging 60 attempts per contest.

"We tell the kids it's the anatomy of the game," said McCaffery after the win that gave Iowa a winning record for the first time since Feb. 22, 2009, "every game is going to be different, and they've got to be able to manage the game from one media timeout to the next and one half to the next."

Iowa also earned a 55-47 victory against Alabama earlier this year while Iowa State lost the only game it has played in the 50s, a 60-54 setback to Northern Iowa.

But just because the Hawkeyes have had more success in the occasional slow-down game doesn't mean ISU expects them to put the brakes on in this weekend's rivalry showdown.

"I think obviously an up-tempo game is a lot more fun for the fans to watch, it's a lot more fun for me personally," said ISU's Scott Christopherson. "I think most players would say it's a lot more fun.

"I hope it's an up-tempo game (Friday) not because I think 'Oh, if it's an up-tempo game we'll beat them.' I just think it's a lot more fun to play, and it's the way we'd like to play.

"So if it's an up-tempo game, we're more comfortable playing at that pace."

With both Hoiberg and McCaffery looking to instill a specific offensive culture in their programs, deviating from the message in the season's second month wouldn't seem likely either.

"I think we're both trying to put our systems in play early in the season," said Hoiberg, who participated in four Iowa-Iowa State rivalry games as a member of the Cyclones in the 1990s.

"I know (the Hawkeyes) are getting better. They're a lot better team now then they were their first game of the season, and I feel we're making strides as well.

"It's two programs both trying to put their philosophies and their systems in, and hopefully we'll both be around a long time and have a lot of these games to play in."