Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

By DANA BECKER

sports@messengernews.net

IOWA CITY — Fran McCaffery’s basketball career started on the streets of Philadelphia all those years ago.

Now, McCaffery will bring his 23rd-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes to “The Cathedral of College Basketball” when they face No. 21 Penn State on Saturday.

The contest has been moved off the campus of the Nittany Lions to Philadelphia’s famed Palestra. Tip is set for 1 p.m.

“It was pretty straight-forward,” McCaffery said when asked about the decision to move the Big Ten game. “They asked if we would mind playing the game there. I said I had no problem playing there, so it’s their home game, so they kind of play where they want it.”

The McCaffery family has plenty of ties to the arena. His father, Jack, worked there and his brother, Jack Jr., was a sports writer that covered games in the Palestra. The entire crew took in several games as fans, as well.

“I have a lot of family and friends there, grew up with that place being a big part of my life,” McCaffery said. “I had an opportunity — that was our home arena. My college coach is going to be there.

“A lot of those types of things. I’m pretty good at kind of separating that from the task at hand. It’s a big game on our schedule. It’s a ranked opponent, a team I have a lot of respect for. They’re playing extremely well.”

Throughout his career, McCaffery has coached three times in the Palestra, holding wins as the head coach of Lehigh and Siena.

McCaffery compared growing up in high school with that of Iowa prep players.

“As a high school player, you want to get your team to the Palestra,” he said. “Here, it’s kind of we want to get to the state tournament. We want to get to Wells Fargo Arena. There, you want to get to the Palestra. That’s where you want to go.”

The Hawkeyes (10-3 overall, 1-1 in league) have won four consecutive games and are 2-1 on the road this year. They are also 2-1 in neutral site games.

Penn State (11-2, 1-1) are 11-0 this season when they hold opponents under 71 points.