The Iowa basketball team is enjoying a break from games after going 11-2 to open the season. Coach Fran McCaffery says his team has stayed resilient in the face of a tough early schedule. “You know we had six games in nine days, a trip to Mexico and then we come back and we go right down to Virginia Tech…and then we had the in-state rivalry games. You know a lot of teams play rivalry games, and most of the time it’s one,” McCaffery says. He says multiple rivalry games take an emotional toll.

“That’s very difficult on a team, you get rev’d up to play Iowa State, we have an emotional win and then we have to turn right back around and do it again. I don’t know if anybody realizes how difficult that is, and what an incredible accomplishment that was” McCaffery says. He says he is pleased with their resiliency, their unselfishness, their depth and leadership.

Iowa returns to action New Year’s Eve to open the Big Ten season against Indiana.

(Radio Iowa Sports)