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AFter a 20-point win over Michigan State, Fran McCaffery has quickly worked to turn his team’s attention to Indiana.
The Hawkeyes handled the Hoosiers 91-77 in Iowa City less than two weeks ago, but McCaffery sees a different Indiana team as he watches tapes of the Hoosiers’ wins at home over rated Illinois and Minnesota and an overtime loss at Michigan State.
“We’re playing a team that is playing as well as anybody in our league right now with the exception of Ohio State,” McCaffery said this morning on a teleconfernce.
“We’ll need to play every bit as well as we played on Wednesday to have a chance over there because Indiana has played at a very high level since our first game.”
Coach Tom Crean has praised his team’s defensive play following its recent home games and McCaffery sees a team that plays with a different energy and intensity at home.
“They’ve played together, played physical and inspired and they’ve done a good job of covering for each other,” McCaffery said. “They mix things up a bit more on defense now. They’ll play some zone, some man, some junk and mix in some pressure to keep you on your toes.”
The return of Verdell Jones III and the injury that has sidelined scoring leader Christian Watford has changed the look of the Hoosiers as well.
McCaffery said big men Tom Pritchard and Derek Elston have stepped up their games in recent outings.
“Those two guys can be hammer guys and rebound and be physical and despite two key injuries, they’ve been scoring the ball better,” McCaffery said. “They’re a team that has been playing with tremendous energy, particularly at home.”
Iowa leaves today for Bloomington with one player under the weather. Forward Andrew Brommer missed Thursday’s practice with an illness, but McCaffery expects him to be able to go on Saturday.

Iowa earned its first victory over Michigan State since 2008 with a collective effort tonight.
From coach Fran McCaffery’s perspective, that effort started in the stands.
Iowa sold 12,158 tickets to the game, but winter weather limited the crowd to around 7,500.
“I was surprised when I walked onto the floor that so many people braved the elements. The people showed up, though, and they impacted this game in a big way. When we made a run, they were there. When they made a run, they were there when we needed them. That makes a big, big difference to our players.”
The defense played by the Hawkeyes made a difference as well.
McCaffery called the most consistent defense Iowa has played from start to finish this season.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called it frustrating.
The Hawkeyes held the Spartans to 33.9-percent shooting, their second-worst shooting effort of the season. Only a 29-percent effort against Texas was worse.
“I’m sick of saying that we practiced well and shot well here in shootaround and then we come out and look like we’re walking in quicksand,” Izzo said.
“It reminded me of the Penn State game and that’s twice in one year and that was very disappointing.”
Izzo paused on several occasions during his postgame comments to praise Iowa, complimenting the Hawkeyes on their ball movement and the effort they showed to earn their biggest win over Michigan State in 15 years.
McCaffery liked his team’s effort as well.
Four Hawkeyes — Matt Gatens with 19 points, Jarryd Cole with 13, Bryce Cartwright with 12 and Eric May with 11 — had a hand in a 57.7-percent shooting performance. Cartwright recorded 10 of the 19 assists Iowa had on 30 field goals and Gatens had four steals that were among the 17 turnovers Iowa forced. The Hawkeyes converted at the other end, outscoring the Spartans 30-13 off of turnovers.
“It was our most complete game of the season without question,” McCaffery said. “You look at the numbers and it bears out that we were good at both ends and we were able to sustain it.’

Big Ten teams have either reached or will reach the midpoint of their Big Ten schedules this week.
That means it is time to hand out some midseason awards and break things down for the rest of the race.
If I had to submit an all-Big Ten ballot today, here is how I would break down the first two teams:
FIRST TEAM
Talor Battle, Penn State
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
SECOND TEAM
William Buford, Ohio State
Demetri McCamey, Illinois
David Lighty, Ohio State
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Josh Gasser, Wisconsin
Jereme Richmond, Illinois
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Player of the year — Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Freshman of the year — Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Defensive player of the year — Al Nolen, Minnesota
Coach of the year — Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

Back to the action, here’s how I break the race down over the second half of the season:
1. Ohio State (22-0, 9-0): The Buckeyes’ run toward becoming the Big Ten’s first undefeated champion since Indiana went 18-0 in 1976 includes four challenging road games. Visits to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue and Penn State will not be easy for a team that thus far has found ways to win.
2. Purdue (18-4, 7-2): Road games at Wisconsin and Illinois await the Boilermakers during the second half. Those games, along with a home game with the Buckeyes, will settle where Purdue finishes in this year’s league race.
3. Wisconsin (15-5, 5-3): The Badgers have reloaded again behind the leadership of Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor. Wins now are important. Wisconsin closes the season with consecutive road games at Indiana and Ohio State
T4. Minnesota (16-5, 5-4): The transfer of Devoe Joseph to Oregon and the foot injury that has Al Nolen on the sidelines have left the Gophers thin on the perimeter.
T4: Michigan State (13-8, 5-4): The Spartans have struggled with consistency issues on defense. Their ability to solve those problems and the continued progress of Kalin Lucas as he works his way back from an Achilles injury will dictate the Spartans’ chances of climbing from their current spot in the standings.
T4. Penn State (12-8, 5-4): The Nittany Lions have been the surprise of the league thus far, knocking off rated Michigan State and Illinois at home. Improved play by Jeff Brooks to complement what coach Ed DeChellis is getting from Talor Battle has helped balance PSU’s attack. Don’t be surprised if the surprises continue.
7. Illinois (14-7, 4-4): Shooting has largely dictated the outcome of Illini games so far in the Big Ten season. A loss last week at Indiana illustrates why Illinois may find itself back on the bubble on selection Sunday.
8. Michigan (13-9, 3-7): Darius Morris is one of the most dynamic sophomores in the Big Ten. Wins over Michigan State and Iowa last week illustrate the potential a team with three freshmen in its line up has. Consistency remains an issue moving forward.
9. Northwestern (13-8, 3-7): The Wildcats’ NCAA tourney dreams have likely ended with a slow start out of the gates in Big Ten play. John Shurna has established himself as one of the league’s top players, but his recent injury has only added to the Wildcats’ woes.
10. Indiana (11-11, 2-7): Christian Watford has elevated his level of play in recent weeks, but injuries to Verdell Jones and Maurice Creek have left the Hoosiers thin in the backcourt.
11. Iowa (8-13, 1-8): There’s a reason the the Hawkeyes were picked 11th in most preseason polls. Melsahn Basabe and Devyn Marble have provided reason to believe that better days are ahead for the Hawkeyes with continued recruiting success, but inconsistent play has limited Iowa’s opportunities to win midway through its Big Ten schedule.