Robert Goddin - Imagn Images
Longtime Iowa Hawkeyes basketball coach Fran McCaffery has been known to have a fiery temper. He’s famous for his sideline tirades and constant battles with officials.
McCaffery, who is firmly on the hot seat, led his Hawkeyes in their matchup with Illinois in a must-win Big Ten Tournament game on Thursday. Not only did Iowa lose, but McCaffery’s season, and maybe his career at Iowa, ended in a fury.
At 17-15 heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa probably had to win the entire tournament to make the Big Dance. That was always going to be a tall task as the 15th-seed in the tournament, but they got off to a good start On Wednesday by beating Ohio State to set up a matchup with 7th-seeded Illinois.
Iowa trailed Illinois at the half by four, and were barely hanging around in the second-half, when this happened.
Fran McCaffery is ejected in likely his last game at Iowa 😭
Poetic.
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 14, 2025
Two technical fouls is an ejection, and also four foul shots and possession for the Illini. Iowa would go on to lose, 106-94, and their NCAA Tournament hopes are over.
McCaffery, who, if you count the COVID year when the Hawkeyes would’ve likely made the tournament had it happened, at one time made the NCAA Tournament eight out of nine times from 2014-2015 to 2022-2023. But, they’re going to miss the tournament for the second-straight year this year, and his seat is red-hot. He could retire, as he’s now 65, or he could be fired by Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz. After the game, he stated that he thinks he will be back, but that appears to be the minority opinion among observers.
If there’s one way for a guy with a fiery reputation to go out, this was it.