Iowa men’s HC Fran McCaffery explains 1 special feature that sets his Hawkeyes team apart

Iowa men's basketball team coach Fran McCaffery hyped up his lineup ahead of the new season, believing it is the deepest he's ever had, which could set them apart from other teams in the Big Ten Conference.

During an interview with CBS Sports' Matt Norlander on the sidelines of the Big Ten Media Days, McCaffery pointed out that most of his starters are returning, including the Big Ten's 3-points made leader and team's top scorer Payton Sandfort, reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman and the ever-efficient Josh Dix.

"We have essentially three starters back," McCaffery said. "One was a Rookie of the Year in the league, one leads the league in made 3s and the other one led the league in offensive efficiency. So that's a great place to start."

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Aside from the trio, he will have sophomores Brock Harding, Pryce Sandfort and Ladji Dembele back in the mix, along with transfers Seydou Traore, Drew Thelwell and tall freshmen Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo.

"I'm excited about our depth because I haven't even mentioned Evan Brauns, Carter Kingsbury or Riley Mulvey. So probably the deepest team we've had," McCaffery added.

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Iowa coach Fran McCaffery looks forward to interesting matchups following Big Ten expansion

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery also provided a positive take on the effects of the Big Ten expansion, as the conference welcomed former Pac-12 programs USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the mix.

"It's a game changer. Flying to the West Coast. Flying to the East Coast but we're kind of used to that and I think it, if anything, makes it more interesting for the fans to be looking at different matchups," McCaffery said.

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The Iowa coach, who is in his 15th season this year, believes the conference expansion also helps teams prioritize various elements involved in team management, including load management and adjusting to different time zones, scenarios and conditions inside the court.

McCaffery also noted that the new Big Ten Conference schedule could be likened to the NCAA Tournament where they used to cross time zones in the latter part of the season. But this time around, the teams will have it at an earlier time.

Iowa starts its 2024-25 college basketball season with an exhibition game against Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 25 before tipping off its regular season campaign against Texas A&M Commerce on Nov. 4.

How do you think the Iowa Hawkeyes will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.