Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/125275
"I walk out on the floor at Madison Square Garden and you hear the 'Let's go Hawks' cheer, and you look around and it's all black-and-gold in New York City," McCaffery said. "To me, that's the pride in having the Hawkeye on your chest, knowing that wherever we go we're going to have support." While McCaffery has taken the Hawkeyes from point A to point B, the test now is to go from point NIT to point NCAA. A look at the 2012-13 season proves there isn't a lot of difference between the two postseason events. "The reality is, we have to get in (to the NCAA Tournament)," McCaffery said. "Once we get in, we could win the same amount of games. There isn't anybody we can't beat. Not to be cocky in any way, but it's a function of the league we play in." Iowa was 9-9 in the Big Ten Conference, winning six of its final eight league games. Two teams with 8-10 conference records were selected to the NCAA Tournament. 36 "You get in, you win a game, and all of the sudden you're one game from the Sweet 16," McCaffery said. It could be argued that in 2013, a Final Four run in the NIT is just as impressive as a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA. In the first round of the NIT, the Hawkeyes defeated Indiana State, a team that defeated Wichita State by 13 points in Wichita, Kan. The Shockers advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. In the second round of the NIT, Iowa defeated a Stony Brook team that won a Division I-leading 13 games on the road. Before they could advance to NIT Final Four, the Hawkeyes needed to defeat Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. The Cavaliers had won 19 consecutive home games, including victories against Duke and North Carolina.