Iowa 86, Minnesota 77: Fran is Officially the Man

MINNEAPOLIS -- Iowa defeated Minnesota 86-77 Monday evening for its third consecutive victory. The Hawkeyes improved to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. The win was head coach Fran McCaffery's 272nd win at Iowa, making him the program's new career wins leader.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Just over three minutes into the game, Iowa trailed Minnesota 10-1 with four turnovers. It looked as though the Hawkeyes were in store for another beatdown on the road.

"That's tough on the road," Fran McCaffery said after the game. "They were cooking. They were moving the ball and flying around. They had more energy than we did. They were determined to start the game the way they did."

But these Hawkeyes aren't the Hawkeyes from a month ago, nor the Iowa team that started Big Ten conference play 0-3.

Despite the early nine-point deficit, Iowa clawed back over the ensuing six minutes to gain their first lead of the contest, 20-18. They took a 39-32 lead into the half.

"We knew they were going to come out with a lot of fire, especially after losing their last game on the road [at Indiana] and then being at home," sophomore guard Josh Dix said. "We just had to stay poised -- we knew they were kind of a run team. We just had to take that first run and then bounce back with one of our own."

"It just came down to taking care of the ball and getting good possessions," Ben Krikke added. "When we didn't have live-ball turnovers, we got our defense set and I thought we were pretty solid all night at that. When we get stops we can get into our running game, too."

In the second half, all Iowa did was put out any fires the Gophers were able to create with runs here and there, fending off several attempts by Minnesota to get back into the contest before taking the victory. The final run was stymied by a a series of four open layups by senior guard Tony Perkins, who finished with 13 points.

"He's one of our leaders," Dix said. "He takes over at the end of the games -- we look for him a lot. He had a couple nice moves, and a lot of people are going to overplay him because of his reputation and how good he is. So, he knew they were going to overplay and our bigs found him on back cuts."

"He was making timely plays and vet moves," Krikke added. "There were a couple times where I thought 'Maybe I need to get into my move.' and then he was wide open under the hoop. So, kind of easy plays for me and easy plays for the team to get him the ball."

At the end of the day, McCaffery is seeing what he wanted and expected from his team as the season went along.

"There's no question we're growing," McCaffery said. "We've had some really good wins and we've played well sometimes in our losses. We lost to some really good teams. You'd like to think you'll win at home, but we lost to Michigan. We lost at Purdue and at Wisconsin. A lot of teams are going to lose in those places. So, what you do, is you learn in those games what you did well and what not to do."

The players can see it, too.

"We're just pushing each other in practice," Dix added. "We knew we had to get better. We've been pushing each other. I feel like our team is really connected right now."

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For the second game in a row, Dix recorded a career high in scoring, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting after putting up 16 against Nebraska on Friday.

"He's really good," McCaffery said. "You could see it over the summer, the fall and when we went overseas. You could tell he was turning the corner. It's tough to do -- what he did tonight on the road. They've got some quick, athletic perimeter players that were really trying to guard him closely."

Dix repeatedly was able to create his own shot, especially in the second half. He hit two three-pointerss and a mid-range shot that was pivotal in the Hawkeyes maintaining the lead and taking the victory.

"My teammates and coaches just put a lot of trust in me," Dix said. "That has helped grow my confidence. They just tell me to go out there and be me. [My teammates] find me when I'm open. That's a really good part of our team -- we're all unselfish and find each other when we're open."

Krikke, who led the team in scoring with 25 points, made sure to give Dix the flowers he wouldn't give himself.

"He played great," the Valparaiso transfer said. "He's playing really confident. He kind of took over there for the stretch at the end of the game. We couldn't be happier for him. We know he's hot [right now.] He's a great shooter and he shows that every day in practice. We feed him the ball and let him do his thing."

Over Iowa's last three games, Fran McCaffery has became the all-time leader in Big Ten wins at Iowa, tied Tom Davis' record for wins overall at Iowa, and with the victory over Minnesota, he's now the all-time winningest coach in Iowa history.

He shared a lengthy quote after the game to offer his appreciation for those that he shares the record with in Iowa City:

"It's been a incredible journey. It doesn't seem like 14 years ago that I moved my family to Iowa, but it was. I got to coach two of my boys, and some really special people. One of my first captains is on my staff," said McCaffery.

"When I came here I was very aware of the history, and I was just so proud to be the Hawkeye coach.You never think that 14 years later you're still doing it, and you're being talked about with the other ones -- more specifically Dr. Tom who was someone I knew. Who supported me since I got here.

"It's just an incredibly proud moment for me, my family, the program and all those guys that wore the jersey. One of them was here tonight, Luka Garza. He was responsible for a lot of those wins, I'll tell you that. He made me a better coach."

Though Dix and Krikke have only just become part of McCaffery's long coaching tenure in Iowa City, they have a deep appreciation for what he's been able to do for he program.

"We celebrated a lot in the locker room," Dix said. "He's one of the best coaches in the Big Ten, if not the best. He's really good for us. He helps us a lot on and off the court. I'm just proud he's my coach."

"He's awesome. Big congrats to him," Krikke added. "He's a great coach -- very well respected throughout the NCAA and Big Ten. He's been huge for me, even in just one year with my development and my confidence. He's always giving me constructive feedback, he's always there for his guys and I just really appreciate him as a coach."

So, how did they celebrate?

"We threw a little bit of water on him," Dix said. "I think someone got a video of it, so it might be coming out soon."

Up next, Iowa will take on No. 2 Purdue in Iowa City on Saturday at 1 PM CT. The game will be broadcast on FS1.