It's been a difficult season for the Iowa men's basketball program. Entering the season with high hopes and goals of returning to the NCAA Tournament and competing in the Big Ten, both of those objectives are more than likely off the table for the 2024-25 season.
Thanks to their overall record of 15-14 and conference record of 6-12, it's not going to be easy to reach those benchmarks at all.
If Iowa wants to reach either of those goals, they'll not only have to win one of their matchups against No. 8 Michigan State at home or Nebraska on the road before the end of the regular season to get into the conference tournament, where only the top 15 teams in the Big Ten participate. They'll then have to proceed to win five games in five days to reach NCAA Tournament with an automatic qualification as Big Ten Tournament champions.
In other words, it's really, really, really unlikely.
Caught in the cacophony of outside noise that's been ever-present in the midst of a disappointing season is head coach Fran McCaffery. In his 15th year with the program, rumors have swirled since mid-season -- and before -- that he would be out of his job by the end of the year. Whether that meant he was fired, he retired or resigned was TBD, but the assumption by fans was that he'd be gone following Iowa's two final games of the season.
Iowa's head man doesn't appear to be on the same wavelength as the fan base.
"I'm fully committed to the program, to the players," McCaffery told the media on Tuesday afternoon. "I have no intention of moving on."
And, as of now, regular operations remain under way for the Hawkeyes.
"I just came to work today, trying to figure out how we can beat Michigan State," he said. "Had some other conversations, professional conversations of course, on a number of different topics. And I got ready for practice today."
The outside noise traveled as far as East Lansing, Michigan, as Tom Izzo, the Spartans' head coach and legend at the college level, discussed McCaffery's future today as well.
"I would be sad if he decided enough is enough like a lot of coaches are doing, because he's one of the good guys," Izzo said, according to Chris Solari of Detroit Free Press. "Fran ain't going out with a season that isn't superb, in my humble opinion. Nor do I think he should."
Of course, the noise has made its rounds in the Iowa locker room, too. Despite the criticisms and challenges the Hawkeyes have faced this season, one of the Hawkeyes senior leaders has his head coach's back.
"He gets a really bad rap because of his antics on TV, but all that is is just caring for us and wanting the best for his players," Payton Sandfort said on Tuesday. "That's what I've noticed throughout the last four years is just how much he really does care about us and wants to protect us. He does everything that he can to be almost like a father figure to us and just take care of us. I know this year probably hasn't been easy on him, but it's never really shown in the way that he approaches things. I'll always appreciate him for that."
Those fits of rage, or "antics" as Sandfort referred to them, have died down drastically this season, for whatever reason. Some fans have claimed that McCaffery has "checked out" and that "he doesn't care anymore" due to their seemingly random disappearance. Sandfort disagrees.
"It seems like it's a good thing," the Waukee native said. "There's always going to be the criticism. He's a good coach, and I love him to death. He does a good job of just kind of blocking all that stuff out, which can be hard to do. ... "Just know that I'm sure we care a lot more about this than pretty much everybody else."
Looking ahead, McCaffery and his team have a job to do, and while there is little hope to continue the year into the postseason, the Hawkeyes are still pushing forward under their head coach and the leadership of Sandfort.
And like McCaffery's most-experienced player said, McCaffery has metaphorical noise-cancelling headphones when it comes to the rumors around his future in Iowa City.
"I don't really pay any attention to it," McCaffery said. "So, I don't really address it. We're just business as usual."
