<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<p class="uptitle"><span style="font-weight:bold;"> IOWA MEN'S
BASKETBALL</span></p>
<p class="maintitle"><span class="Fid_13"> McCaffery still eyeing
improvement </span></p>
<p class="abody"><span style="font-weight:bold;"> By Scott
Dochterman,</span><span class="Fid_12"> The Gazette</span><span
class="Fid_8"> IOWA CITY - Iowa men's basketball coach Fran
McCaffery saw something different in Tuesday's loss to Indiana
from what he viewed in the Hawkeyes' previous defeats.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> The loss was the No. 15
Hawkeyes' fourth straight and fifth of their last six games. But
within the losses, he sees improvement, which is important with
the postseason starting next week.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> 'Our execution was a lot
better,' said McCaffery on the eve of his team's regular-season
finale at Michigan (20-10, 10-7 Big Ten) today. 'You can still
miss shots. But you've got to get yourselves into a position
where you have those shots and then you have a chance to win. We
did that perfectly in the Indiana game. We didn't do it at all
in the Wisconsin game.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> 'We were pretty good in the
Ohio State game. The last play we ran, we couldn't run any
better and we ran a play before that, we had a shot opportunity.
I feel like we've really improved in that area, which is
critical.' Iowa (20-9, 11-6) has struggled to close out close
games this year. In the five games where the Hawkeyes have an
opportunity to win or tie with shots in the final four seconds,
they are 0 for 6. Against Indiana, the Hawkeyes had two cracks
at tying the game. Anthony Clemmons missed a 3-pointer from near
the top of the key with three seconds left. After an Adam
Woodbury rebound, Peter Jok missed a wide-open 3-pointer from
the corner.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> At Ohio State, the Hawkeyes
trailed by two points with 7.5 </span><br>
<span class="Fid_6">seconds left. Point guard Mike Gesell sprinted
up the floor toward the basket but had his shot blocked. Iowa
missed on three other chances in non-conference play.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_14"> </span><span
style="font-weight:bold;"></span></p>
<img src="cid:part1.05030106.02050302@gmail.com" onload="if
(this.width > 460) {this.height = this.height * 480 / this.width;
this.width = 460;}" height="221" width="234">
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_7"> Indiana forward Max Bielfeldt
(center) is called for traveling as Iowa forwards Dom Uhl (left)
and Nicholas Baer (right) defend</span><span class="Fid_7">
Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> The lack of late-game
execution is part of an ugly trend for Iowa the last three
years. Iowa has played 15 games (4-11 record) with an
opportunity to tie or win in the final 11 seconds. The Hawkeyes
have taken 15 shots and made only two. Both were hit last year
by Jarrod Uthoff, including a game-win</span><span class="Fid_6">
ning jumper at Minnesota and a 3-pointer that sent a game into
overtime at Northwestern.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> McCaffery said the team
practices end-ofgame situations but variables like foul trouble
and opponent defenses are difficult to predict. He also
discussed the mental approach with his team last week after the
Wisconsin loss, and the team made strides afterward.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> 'As a coach, I'm not going to
go in after the game the other night and start ripping
everybody, because they did</span><span class="Fid_6">
everything we asked them to do. The shot didn't go at the end,'
McCaffery said. 'The shot, we ran a set play. Uthoff made a
perfect read, he didn't make the shot (with about 30 seconds
left). He wasn't trying to miss. But if he went the wrong way or
he read it wrong and the play got jammed up and we turn it over
and they go down and dunk it, well that's a problem.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> 'If you execute the play, and
the shot doesn't go in and (Indiana guard) Yogi (Ferrell) pulls
up from</span><span class="Fid_6"> 24 feet and shoots a
contested 3 and makes it, there's nothing we can</span><span
class="Fid_6"> do about that.'</span></p>
</body>
</html>