By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – They don’t always play well.

They don’t always play smart.

And they don’t always play under control.

But when Joe Toussaint and Patrick McCaffery play for the Iowa men’s basketball team, they always play hard, and when they play well, especially together, Iowa becomes a different team, a better team on both ends of the floor.

That was the case in Thursday’s 102-64 rout over Nebraska as the 6-foot Toussaint and the 6-9 Patrick McCaffery both had strong performances off the bench.

Toussaint finished with four points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and just one turnover in 16 minutes, while Patrick McCaffery scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time.

Combine them with 6-8 freshman forward Keegan Murray and Iowa has an intriguing young threesome that will be the face of the program, along with junior guard Connor McCaffery and sophomore guard C.J. Fredrick, after Luka Garza and Jordan Bohannon, and possibly Joe Wieskamp, move on after this season.

Freshmen guards Tony Perkins and Ahron Ulis also have had some solid moments this season, while freshman center Josh Ugundele made a rare appearance in Thursday’s game against Nebraska and left his mark with four points, including a rim-rattling dunk after which he celebrated.

Freshman forward Kris Murray, who is Keegan’s twin brother, matched Ogundele with four points in a rare appearance for him.

“I thought it was great,” said Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, who is the father of Connor McCaffery and Patrick McCaffery. “I love that group. They’re really competitive in practice. They’re incredibly positive every day. I’m just excited for them, excited to see them out there. They’re obviously going to get their opportunity.”

Toussaint is like no other player on the Iowa roster, a lightning quick point guard who is built more like a Big Ten strong safety. The Bronx, N.Y., native excels at pressuring the ball on defense, and at getting to the basket on offense.

Toussaint and Bohannon give Iowa a diverse and talented combination at point guard.

Bohannon is Iowa’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made with 352, and he made eight of them against Nebraska and scored 26 points.

Bohannon and Garza, as seniors, will play their final game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday when fifth-ranked Iowa faces Wisconsin in the regular-season finale.

Their careers will then finish in Indianapolis where both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament will be held.

At the most, Iowa could play 10 more games, but only if it advances to the championship game in both postseason tournaments.

Iowa already has secured at least a fourth-place finish in the conference standings, and a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, but would climb to the third spot with a victory over Wisconsin.

And while Garza, Bohannon and Wieskamp will be expected to carry the load in the postseason, Iowa’s younger players also will be counted on to provide a spark off the bench, even more so now with 6-11 fourth-year sophomore forward Jack Nunge  out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Patrick McCaffery is also unlike any other player on the team as a slithery small forward with a scorer’s mentality. Patrick is always looking to attack the basket and use his length to score points. He played that way in high school, and nothing really has changed in college, besides the level of competition, of course.

Patrick and Connor McCaffery are polar opposites when it comes to their playing styles, with 6-5 Connor more of a passer and a facilitator.

And that’s good because teams need both styles to be successful.

Iowa’s younger players still have lots of room for improvement, especially with consistency, but they’re sure fun to watch.

Patrick McCaffery scored in a variety of ways against Nebraska. It was sort of like what he did in high school, a mix of attacking the rim and making jump shots.

“I’ve gotten like that in practice and other times like that,” Patrick McCaffery said after the Nebraska game. “I was talking to (Wieskamp) after the game and he was like, ‘It feels good doesn’t it?’

“Now I know what it feels like to be him every game. It feels really nice to get in the zone like that. Everything I put up out there I thought was going to go in. That’s just the mentally I have to have with every shot whether I’m feeling good or not.”

Patrick McCaffery’s success is also an inspiration, given his background.

In 2014, Patrick had a malignant tumor removed from his thyroid, and it’s been a struggle for him physically, especially in terms of gaining weight.

But Patrick McCaffery has stayed the course and he now gives his father a talented option off the bench.

When Patrick was taken out of the Nebraska game for the last time, he walked past the Iowa bench, leaned over a small trash can and threw up. He then took a drink of water, wrapped a towel around his shoulders and returned to the Iowa bench where he cheered for his teammates on the court.

To see Patrick McCaffery throw up was sort of unsettling, given his medical history, but it’s something he has dealt with since high school.

“Stuff like that has been happening to me ever since high school,” Patrick McCaffery said. “It kind of overwhelms me for a second. In high school I used to go throw up and I wouldn’t even sit back down, I would just walk back into the game.

“Tonight, obviously, I didn’t have to do that. It’s just something I’ve always had to deal with. It happens in practice, stuff like that, too. It’s just something we’re working around and trying to figure out.”

As for Toussaint, he deserves praise for staying positive during what has been a season filled with peaks and valleys. There have been games in which Toussaint has played very little, but he hasn’t let that affect his effort and attitude.

The energy level just seems to pick up a notch when Toussaint and Patrick McCaffery are on the court. But that isn’t always a good thing because, sometimes, they play out of control.

But again, they always play hard.

Toussaint and Patrick McCaffery, as close friends, have a strong connection on and off the court. So maybe it isn’t a coincidence that Patrick McCaffery has been on the receiving end of some of Toussaint’s best assists this season.

Replacing Garza and Bohannon, obviously, won’t be easy because you’re talking about arguably the greatest player in program history in the 6-11 Garza and arguably the best clutch shooter in program history in Bohannon.

But there is a solid nucleus of young players on the Iowa roster who are showing signs that they can be productive at this level.

And again, they’re fun to watch.