The 2019-20 season saw Iowa complete a 9-2 non-conference schedule with notable wins over rival Iowa State (84-68), and #12 ranked Texas Tech (72-61). The Iowa squad was led by standout center Luka Garza, who averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds en route to numerous accolades. Garza would go on to win the Big Ten Player of the Year, Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year, Pete Newell Big Man Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, and consensus All-American honors while leading the Hawkeyes to a 20-11 record that featured conference wins over #12 Maryland (67-49), #19 Michigan (90-83), #24 Rutgers (85-80), #19 Illinois (72-65), #25 Ohio State (85-76), and #16 Penn State (77-68). The 2019-20 season ended abruptly with the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus without a postseason being played. McCaffery's younger son, Patrick, another ESPN four-star recruit, joined the team as a freshmen but took a medical redshirt while recovering from the residual effects thyroid cancer treatment.