Fran McCaffery 'really proud' of Tony Perkins' play

Fran McCaffery was raving about the play of Iowa basketball guard Tony Perkins following the Hawkeyes’ victory over Maryland over the weekend.

During his post-game press conference, McCaffery couldn’t say enough kind words about Perkins, and how important he was down the stretch against the Terrapins.

“This is a good game for Tony,” started McCaffery. “There’s more space for him. He has an aggressive mindset. That’s what you want. If you’re switching, there’s more space. If they’re pressing, there’s more space. He just, he just went after it. Did a great job finishing. Hit his pull-up jumper. Just really proud of him with that mindset.

“Coming down the stretch the other night, I went with the other group. I had a group that was cooking. Tony and Ahron [Ulis] really didn’t get back in. I said look, you’re our guys. Just be ready for the next one. It was one of those games. Those guys played great. Be ready to step up. They did. Both of them. I thought Ahron was terrific.”

Moreover, Perkins provided a game-high 22 points during Iowa’s victory, while the aforementioned Ulis scored nine. It’s evident both players are essential to McCaffery’s operation, and he made sure to let them know.

The Hawkeyes are in great shape moving forward, and Fran McCaffery is showing his enthusiasm. If he can keep getting games like this weekend’s out of Tony Perkins, Iowa will be dangerous.

Fran McCaffery explains decision to sit Kris Murray, Filip Rebraca in foul trouble

Iowa took care of business against Maryland on Saturday, but it took a little finesse with the handling of his stars by Fran McCaffery.

When Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca found themselves in foul trouble at the beginning of the second half, McCaffery tried to protect them from themselves. However, the Iowa leader didn’t want to let the Terrapins back into the game, and let the dogs loose later in the game. 

Speaking with the media afterwards, the Hawkeyes coach explained his decision-making.

“There might have been have we not extended the lead. Those guys were out there fighting and extended the lead, so there was no need to do it,” explained McCaffery. “If they’re hammering the ball inside. I would’ve likely gone zone in that situation, if they were hurting us inside. 

“We started the second half and it was a disaster. They hit a couple threes. So I told the guys, that’s on me. I was trying to protect those two guys for the first five minutes or so of the second half. I didn’t want them to feel hampered. Think about the last three or four minutes, when we really went to Kris. Needed him then. He just kept scoring. Never felt threatened, because we just would isolate him and he would go score.”

All in all, it worked out in the end for Iowa, as they captured an 81-67 victory over Maryland. Now at 12-6 on the season, the Hawkeyes look forward to a date with Northwestern their next time out.