McCaffery ejected on ’em otional’ night for Iowa

Mar 13, 2025, 10:32 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS– Iowa coach Fran McCaffery would have chosen to bid goodbye to his seniors in front of the crowd Thursday night.Instead, his second-half ejection required that scene to play out in the privacy of the Hawkeyes ‘locker room.McCaffery drew two technical fouls for arguing with the refs with 13:33 remaining in a 106-94 second-round Big Ten tournament loss to No. 24 Illinois– a scene he hopes will not be his last as the Hawkeyes’ coach. “Definitely,” he said when asked whether he missed out on having a possibility to thank senior forward Payton Sandfort, particularly, in front of the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.”But you know, I’m always going to advocate for my guys. That’s my job, and we had some extremely emotional moments in the locker space. “Editor’s Picks 1 Related Indeed, it was an emotional night.Sandfort matched his profession high with 30 points on a night he made eight 3-pointers, connecting the single-game tourney record done twice previously

. However McCaffery missed out on that moment, too, having actually already made his walk through the tunnel long before his players and assistants.When Sandfort departed the game for the last time, he break into tears, something Illinois coach Brad Underwood applauded, saying it showed Sandfort’s passion

and dedication to the game.Whether that will be the final time Hawkeyes fans see Sandfort or McCaffery still isn’t clear. An NIT appearance stays a possibility, however the bigger question is McCaffery’s future after 15 seasons in Iowa City.”I do,”McCaffery stated calmly when asked whether he expects to return next season after posting his worst record, 17-16, in 7 seasons.But for a couple of moments on the court, the fiery McCaffery could not contain his temper.After Tre White made 2 complimentary throws to offer the Battling Illini a 69-60 lead, the Hawkeyes were setting up their offense when McCaffery left the coach’s box and stated something to the routing ref, drawing the first technical. A few moments later, he was struck with the second.McCaffery didn’t

think the first was warranted. “I believe I might have mentioned the nasty inconsistency, I believe it was 5 to one,”McCaffery stated.”I didn’t believe that was that outright.” He wasn’t inquired about the 2nd technical.Iowa’s players gathered on the court as McCaffery walked to the team’s locker room, and Kasparas Jakucionis responded by making all 4 free throws to offer the Illini a

73-60 lead. The Hawkeyes pulled themselves together, briefly regaining some momentum, before losing it again after McCaffery’s departure.