It didn't really matter what combination of players that Fran McCaffery put on the floor on Sunday because they were all effective. The Hawkeyes scored 96 points and have five players in double figures and 36 points off the bench in a dominant win over Northwestern.

Following the victory, Fran McCaffery discussed the play of his team. How they went on a run in the late part of the first half and early second half to put the game away, and how his bench continued to be productive, allowing his starters to get more rest.

Q: You have won five in a row and four by double figures. What has impressed you the most in this stretch?

McCAFFERY: I think a couple of things. First, we are getting really good play from our veteran guys, which you would expect, but we are getting great play from our young guys off bench. I think it’s an example of our depth and that is critical in this league on the road. We are playing a really good team, a well coached team that you know is going to compete and you have to execute at both ends. You have to defend, rebound, and take care of the basketball. Regardless of what lineup we had out there, that’s what we did.

Q: During this stretch the defense has stepped up. What caused that?

McCAFFERY: There really wasn’t anything that was changed. We had worked on it, but we had worked on it before. They are playing together and competing and I am trying to keep them rested. The reality is if you don’t play that kind of defense, you are going to have tough time winning in this league.

Q: Five guys in double figure and Murray had eight points. How pleased were you with the balanced attack?

McCAFFERY: Very pleased and again, it’s what has made this team different. Regardless of what lineup is out there, those guys are producing. A lot of times when you go to the bench your guys are effective, but you don’t always get offense off your bench. Jack and Keegan had 20 points. Patrick gets five and Tony Perkins gets four and I think Joe T had five. So, you are able to rest your guys when you need to and play different combinations and lineups. It’s a long season and you need all that.

Q: You guys were tied at 28 and then you went on a 41-14 run to end the first half and into the second half. Was that a strategic change or better execution of the game plan?

McCAFFERY: I think we got consecutive stops. They were executing well and Bo Buie got going, Greer hit some shots, and they were really active in their zone. It’s a hard team to guard the way they run their offense because they have a million counters and back door cuts and they were cooking early. The bottom line is if you are going to win on the road, you have to get some stops in a row and guard them running their man stuff or get active in the zone and not be hopping around and giving them open three’s. I thought our activity and our ability to communicate the action, whether it was man or zone and to be able to get consecutive stops gave us the opportunity to run and drive the ball to get to the free throw line.

Q: How important is it to just play Luka only 24 minutes and the same with some of the other starters because it is a long haul?

McCAFFERY: It’s great to have that opportunity. To be truthful we didn’t play on Thursday, so I would have been ok playing those guys more minutes. The guys that we brought in produced and they played well together, but the veteran guys were huge. I thought in that one stretch with Fredrick and Wieskamp in particular with their shooting and good ball movement by Luka, Connor, and JBo and then we got JBo going. The guys that were coming in, we were already in the bonus, so you are driving the ball and curl cutting and attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. It’s hard to come back when you are getting two shots every time.

Q: Your players talked about being in first place and they seem to enjoy it. How do you look at those type of things?

McCAFFERY: I really don’t play too much attention to the standings. We are about 1/3 of the way through and there are too many good teams and we have some good games coming up and there will be juggling of the schedule like we talked about the other day. At the end of the day, does it matter who is in first place in the middle of January? I don’t think it does. At the same time they have worked for it and earned it and that’s great. I don’t want to diminish it because any time I have the opportunity to praise my guys on their hard work and the sacrifices that they made to get here, I want to emphasize that. But, it’s not something that I would specifically address with them. We are just going to get ready for Indiana.

Q: You guys scored 49 in the first half and Luka had 17. You score 47 and Luka doesn’t score a point in the second half. What does that say about your balanced attack?

McCAFFERY: There was balanced, but Luka didn’t play that much in the second half either. But, the point is that with the bench you have to get him back in regardless of the score because the lead diminishes and the lead never did. Jack was great. Patrick was great. Keegan was great. Joe T was great. So I can rest those guys and not have to worry about foul trouble if I have to put them back in for the stretch run and I don’t have to risk getting them injured.