The Iowa Hawkeyes take on Clemson tonight in the Big Ten/ACC challenge at Carver-Hawkeye arena. Iowa is 4-2 and has seen starters Bryce Cartwright and Melsahn Basabe struggle recently. Coach Fran McCaffery says it is a worry.
He says it’s always a concern when guys are not playing as well as you think they are capable of playing. McCaffery says Cartwright has taken a step forward recently and Basabe has been trying to get into better shape. He says Basabe put on some weight to bulk up a little more after his freshman season.
McCaffery says it seemed like Basabe was in great shape, but adding extra weight “requires a different level of conditioning that hasn’t worked for him.” Iowa started out strong with three straight wins, then suffered a lopsided loss the Creighton and lost after that to Campbell. McCaffery says they haven’t lost their confidence, but need to realize they’re playing some tough teams.
McCaffery says they are not at the point yet where they can just show up and drill someone on their schedule, and they may hurt their confidence, but he says they play some really good teams and have to try and continue to get better. The game is set for 8:20 tonight.