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IOWA CITY – If there was a glaring weakness with Iowa’s basketball program last season, it was the team’s lack of overall strength.

In the rugged Big Ten Conference, the Hawkeyes were often overwhelmed and manhandled inside by their opponents.

Coach Todd Lickliter’s team was near the bottom of the league statistics in rebounding, turnover margin and steals.

“Everyone is strong in the Big Ten, and last year strength was an area that really hurt us,” forward Aaron Fuller said. “I know last season I was getting pushed around a lot, but that isn’t going to be the case any more.”

Fuller and the Hawkeyes did something about it in the offseason.

While time will determine if this team can improve upon last year’s 15-17 record, Iowa looks more the part this season.

Fuller has added 20 pounds to his 230-pound frame since last year and is bench pressing 285 pounds. Guard Anthony Tucker has beefed up and forward Jarryd Cole is benching more than 300 pounds.

“Guys don’t even look the same,” said sophomore Matt Gatens, Iowa’s top returning scorer. “Everybody bought in during the offseason. Everybody made the commitment.”

Many of the Hawkeyes attributed the strength gains to the program developed by assistant strength and conditioning coach Rusty Burney, who was hired last February.

Burney, a Pella native, has challenged the players physically and mentally with endurance tests.

Whether it’s running laps around the top of Carver-Hawkeye Arena with 40-pound weights on their ankles or hauling sandbags from one end of the court to the other, Burney has picked up the intensity.

“We call them ‘Rusty’s finishers,’ and they’re tough,” freshman Brennan Cougill said. “You never know what he’s going to come up with, but you know they’re going to test you.

“It’s really hard work, but it will pay off later. We realize that.”

Once the 2008-09 season came to an end, Fuller said the Hawkeyes spent four and sometimes five days a week in the weight room.

As a result, the Hawkeyes – who open the regular season Sunday night at home against Texas-San Antonio – saw the gains but felt the pain.

“It’s been a long offseason in the weight room, but it’ll pay off in the long run,” Gatens said. “The Big Ten is a fierce league and a strong league, so we know we’re going to need it.”

“(Rusty) pushed us a little more and a little further than we were used to,” Tucker said. “I think we all believe it’s going to benefit us this season.”

It took just one exhibition game for Fuller to see the impact.

In Sunday’s win over Marian, Fuller pulled down 15 rebounds – almost more than double of what he had any game last season.

“I’m just more confident now,” he said. “I’m stronger, so I feel I can play better in the post.”

Lickliter believes his team is more equipped to handle the physicality of the league.

“Our guys have gained strength; they’ve gained conditioning,” he said. “They’ve gained confidence from that. So they’ve invested and I think we’ll reap the benefits of that investment.

“You just can’t be too strong. It’s just not possible.”