Iowa basketball head coach Fran McCaffery rips Big Ten Tournament setup

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After a stretch of success in the early 2020s, things have gone awry for the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team and head coach Fran McCaffery. Poised to miss the NCAA Tournament this year, barring an unlikely run in the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa will end the year disappointed.

That said, Iowa must qualify for the Big Ten Tournament this year, rather than receive automatic qualification as in past years. With the expanded conference, only the top 15 of 18 teams will make the bracket, with three sent home. The Hawkeyes are on the cut line right now, trying to make the conference tournament.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery was asked about the new bracket and tournament structure, and he was rather clear in his displeasure with it.

“I don’t understand the reasoning for it. There are so many factors that happen throughout the course of the season that would impact your ability to potentially make the tournament or not. Let’s say, for example, you’ve got some injured guys and they become healthy again. You lose some games and then you get it turned around but you don’t have enough,” McCaffery said in displeasure about towards the Big Ten.

Fran McCaffery on the Big Ten Tournament only including 15 of 18 teams: “I don’t understand the reasoning for it. There are so many factors that happen throughout the course of the season that would impact your ability to potentially make the tournament or not. Let’s say, for…

— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) February 27, 2025

“I think everybody that signs to play in the Big Ten should have an opportunity to play in the Big Ten Tournament. It’s not that much more money. It’s not that much more planning. I just don’t understand the reasoning behind it. It makes no sense,” McCaffery continued.

Iowa currently sits dangerously close to missing the Big Ten Tournament. At this moment, they are 6-11 in conference play, which is in a four-way tie for the first spot to be left out of the field with Northwestern, USC, and Minnesota.

The…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/iowa-basketball-head-coach-fran-173323233.html

Author : Hawkeyes Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-27 17:33:00

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