Iowa coach Fran McCaffery would have preferred to bid farewell to his seniors in front of the crowd Thursday night. Instead, his second-half ejection forced that scene to play out in the privacy of the Hawkeyes' locker room.

If that was the end, Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery went out with a bang. McCaffery was ejected in the second half of Iowa's 106-94 loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. The ejection and subsequent defeat came amid widespread speculation that the 2024-25 season may be the Hawkeyes' last with McCaffrey at the helm.

McCaffery earned two quick technicals and an ejection after disagreeing with a call midway through the second half