Fran McCaffery was hoping his team would come out in the second half and impose their will on both ends of the floor. The Hawkeyes did exactly as their head coach wanted and Iowa rode a 7-0 burst to start the second half to the finish line in a 77-68 win over Penn State. Following the victory, Iowa's head coach discussed the return of C.J. Fredrick and how he looked on the floor, the impact that the Iowa bench had on this victory, and how Connor McCaffery continues to be the glue that holds the team together

Q: How important was that first stretch in the second half in this win?

McCAFFERY: I think it was really important because we got a lot of people involved. It gave us a little bit of a cushion and I think it really set up how we played defense in the second half. We were much better and much more connected. We closed out harder and rebounded. This team is really good. Penn State is really good. They have a lot of good players. They fight you on the glass and put heat on the ball and they have a lot of different guys that can score. They are a very difficult team to play against in a lot of different ways. We out rebounded them and had 22 assists on 28 made field goals. Those are some thing we really like to see.

Q: What changed defensively?

McCAFFERY: I think our activity level was better. It might be that we were better offensively. We didn’t quick shoot the ball. We have a few, but we didn’t have many live ball turnovers. They can really kind of get on runs if you shoot a crazy shot and then they are gone and they score or if you turn it over and they will run down and score. You try to make sure you are executing your offense in a way that keeps them on defense and allows you to get your defense back and then you have a chance against their multiple offensive players.

Q: Once again Luka Garza had big numbers, but this game really seemed to be a total team effort.

McCAFFERY: It was great to have him in there because we kept going to him. I mean, 25 and 17 and he got to the free throw line a few times. But, it opens things up for everybody else. You look at it, we had a couple of other double figure scorers, but everyone is scoring. BK had a huge three. Joe Toussaint had one stretch where he was tremendous and had 8 assists. Connor again, four assists and no turns. It was really all eight of our guys contributing in ways that they can.

Q: You seemed to have a seamless flow from moving to seven players to eight players in your rotation. Is there a trick to doing that and to have them continue doing what they were doing?

McCAFFERY: I think it’s a couple of things. They are character guys. Some of them are veterans, like BK, Cordell, and Ryan Kriener. They are veterans coming off the bench. They come into the game knowing what we need and knowing what they can do. They play to their strengths and away from their weaknesses. Nobody is hung up on minutes or who starts. They just want to win and they truly love each other.

Q: Pat Chambers just said that Connor is kind of the glue that holds everyone together. Multiple coaches have said that. What does that mean to you?

McCAFFERY: Well, it’s a great feeling, but I think it’s something we all understand and appreciate. He starts the game guarding Lamar Stevens, one of the best players in the country. He’s giving up 30 pounds and that’s not an easy cover. Then he’s playing point guard against Jamari Wheeler, one of the quickest players in the country and they are running two guys at him. Then we played him at the two a little bit. He’s one of those guys that when things get a little bit sideways, he’s someone we can lean on to make sure we are running the right set or in the right defense and connected on both ends of the floor. He does calm everybody down and I appreciate Pat saying that and it’s an astute observation based on what he does.

Q: It seemed like this was a pretty physical game.

McCAFFERY: I think this year all the games have been really physical. It’s just sort of business as usual, more so than Penn State is a really physical team. They always will be. It’s not like we won’t see a physical team on Tuesday night. We know what Purdue will do. It’s business as usual and you better be able to handle it.

Q: This is the 7th Big Ten team you have beaten at home that will likely be headed to the NCAA Tournament. What has been the key?

McCAFFERY: I don’t know that there is a trick. I think it’s good players who are playing together and locking into the game plan. None of them have been perfect, so if someone makes a mistake, someone has to step up. As I have said before, that is the character that is in the locker room and how they feel about each other to know what is necessary to play through a run. They had a pretty good run in the first half when they were knocking down three’s. Lundy got hot and we did a better job on him in the second half. We did a good job on Myron Jones, who is a terrific player. He didn’t hit any three’s. That is what you have to do.

Q: How much does C.J. Fredrick help all around?

McCAFFERY: I think having another body is really helpful. We were rotating seven guys and like I said to you guys before, we had seven starters that we were rotating to try and keep five fresh bodies out there and not worry about position. I think it built confidence, but I think having that extra body gives you versatility to how you want to sub and what kind of a lineup you want on the floor depending on what they are doing and what we think can work. Plus, C.J. gives you another scorer. He makes plays off the dribble and defends. He was terrific. He didn’t miss a beat coming into the game.

Q: What do you say to Joe Wieskamp, who have been in a bit of a lull recently?

McCAFFERY: I thought Joe really played well. He didn’t shoot it as well and missed some shots he usually makes, but I thought he battled. He made free throws that we needed and battled on the glass. He had 14 points and keep in mind who he was playing against. They are pretty good players and he’s battling for us and doing what we needed him to do.

Q: Toussaint is really emerging as a defensive player. What makes him tough there?

McCAFFERY: He never gets tired, so that helps. He is quick and powerful, so he can fight through screens. He has a pretty keen sense of where they are going to throw the ball on a post feed or on the outside. He can double down and get back and makes it look easy and that is really hard to do. His effectiveness is really good in that area is infectious to everyone else.

Q: You talked about chemistry. Is that different from past year’s teams?

McCAFFERY: I wouldn’t say that. We have had pretty good chemistry. Maybe a couple of years ago we didn’t but other than that we have had good chemistry.

Q: When you look at Fredrick, he kind of changes the dynamic offensively. Going forward, how big of a threat can you guys be with him back in the lineup?

McCAFFERY: He is somebody that the other team is going to have to pay attention to. They have to know where he is. They have to know where Joe is and where Luka is and whoever else is on the floor. Connor is going to find them and he’s also shooting the ball really well right now. Even Bakari, he hits the biggest three of the game and they are screaming under and they went under the screen and he stopped and made the three. You can go under if you want to, but he’s going to make the three and that makes collectively even more dangerous.

Q: To have a guy come back off an injury and go 4-8 from the floor, a lot of times guys struggle that first game back. What does it say about him?

McCAFFERY: That’s just always how he’s been. That’s his character. The thing about him is he never hunts anything. If he’s open he’s going to shoot it and if it’s not, he’s going to move it and make a play. He will drive and kick or get all the way to the rim. He can finish around the rim with either hand.