Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery is hoping for a better start Friday night when the Hawkeyes host Penn State. The Hawkeyes have dropped three straight games and have been slow out of the gate in each of them as their Big Ten record has slumped to 3-5.

McCaffery says there are times the Hawkeyes need more patience on offense.

Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. averages nearly 15 points and eight assists per game. He leads a balanced Nittany Lion attack that features six players averaging in double figures.

Penn State is also 3-5 in the Big Ten and will be in search of its first road win in conference play.