INDIANAPOLIS -- In the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, 15th-seeded Iowa (17-16, 9-13) fell at the hands of seventh-seeded Illinois (21-11, 13-8), by a final score of 106-94 on Thursday.
Despite a heroic effort from senior Payton Sandfort, the Hawkeyes couldn't overcome the rebounding and scoring of the Illinois, and they'll now wait to see what their future looks like in the remaining postseason tournaments.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Did All He Could
In what may have been the final game of Sandfort's Iowa career, the Waukee native and senior leader put on a shooting clinic, finishing 11-of-20 from the field and 8-of-13 from three to finish with 30 points and tie the single-game Big Ten Tournament record for three-pointers made.
"One of the best leaders I've ever been around in Payton Sandfort," Fran McCaffery said following the loss. "To watch him fight the way he did today and play the way he did -- it really speaks to his character."
Getting praise from his own coach is one thing, but Illinois head man Brad Underwood raved about Sandfort and his career with the Hawkeyes after the game, as well.
"He is what it's all about. He's been there four years. He's grown through the process, now he's at the top of the scouting report. He's unguardable at times," Underwood said of Sandfort, who was emotional after the loss. "I love seeing the tears. That's when you're invested. That's when you believe in your staff and your program, and you love your university. I told him 'Unbelievable job.' Love playing against him. He made us better. [He had] a hell of a career."
Sandfort also shared post-game that "He broke his wrist against Washington State, dislocated his right shoulder against UCLA, and then against Oregon," per Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.
Sandfort also shared his appreciation for the program and his time in Iowa City during postgame interviews.
"It means a lot, man. I grew up in the state," Sandfort said. "I know how much Iowa athletics mean to the state. I remember, as a kid, you walk around your neighborhood and you see everybody's got Iowa flags and they've got Iowa on the backboards.
"It's the greatest honor in my life to be able to represent the black and gold. That's why I gave it everything I did every day. The chance to play for coach and the chance to play with so many great Hawkeyes -- it's the honor of my lifetime. I wish I could repay this place with as much as it gave to me, but, I gave it everything I had."
Possibly the most emotion we saw on the sideline all year came when Sandfort checked out for the final time, sharing a hug with his younger brother, Pryce. After winning a state championship during their high school days together at Waukee, the duo re-united on the court with the Hawkeyes for the last two seasons.
"Getting to play with him, it's one of the coolest things in the world," Payton said. "Getting the chance to watch him grow from just a skinny kid when he got here, who just wanted to play with his brother play for the Hawkeyes and turn it into a really, really good Big Ten player. I think it's one of the coolest things you can see as a big brother. Everybody in the room who has a brother knows how special it is to watch them grow up. I hope he's twice the player that I am. I'm so proud of that kid. I'm so happy for my family and, just knowing that we got the chance to do that is something we're going to remember forever."
Fran's First and Second Technicals
With 13:33 left on the clock in the second half, McCaffery picked up his first technical foul of the season. After arguing the call, he promptly picked up his second, being ejected from the game.
So, what did he say to warrant the first tech?
"Not enough," McCaffery said, clearly still frustrated. "I think I might have pointed out the foul discrepancy. I think I said it was 5-1."
Following the double technical, the Illini made all four free throws, extending their then-nine point lead to 13. The closest it got the rest of the way was nine points.
"I'm always going to advocate for my guys. I mean, that's my job," McCaffery said. "I'm the only one who can do it. So I did it."
By the game's end, Illinois had shot 30 free throws to Iowa's ten.
The two calls on McCaffery certainly didn't decide the night's contest, as Illinois shot 17-of-33 from the field (53.8%), 7-of-13 from three (46.2%) and 24-of-30 from the free throw line (80%).
"They're a very versatile team," Josh Dix, who finished second in scoring for Iowa with 21 points, said. "They go about 10 deep and they've got guys that can play three or four positions. They can all shoot. It makes it tough to guard, especially the way that they move the ball and share the ball. They don't really have selfish players."
Kylan Boswell led Illinois in scoring with 24 points, while Tre White added 22, Will Riley poured on 21 and Tomislav Ivisic chipped in 19.
"They just spread you out so much and they're really well-coached," Payton added. "They've got a bunch of pros on that team. We gave them all they could handle, but they made big-time shots and they got a ton of rebounds. That's going to make them a tough out. If they shoot like that, they can compete with anybody in the country."
Illinois held the advantage on the glass throughout the majority of the contest, ultimately out-rebounding the Hawkeyes, 41-24. Ivisic led the way on the glass, grabbing ten boards and finishing with a double-double.
What's Next?
Now that the Hawkeyes have been eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament, their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament have been dashed with an overall .500 record and a losing mark in the Big Ten.
As McCaffery said on a Zoom call with the media as well as following the Hawkeyes' win over Ohio State on Wednesday, Iowa plans to either participate in the NIT or the College Basketball Crown tournaments.
Due to the lack of quality wins during the 2024-25 season, expectation is that they'll play in The Crown. Regarding the opportunity to play in The Crown tournament, McCaffery sees Iowa's record as plenty good enough to get in.
"Oh yeah, yeah, it's going to happen," he said following the loss.
But what about beyond the 2024-25 postseason? With rumors swirling around McCaffery's future at Iowa, Iowa's head man was asked if he expects to lead the program again next season.
"I do," he responded.
But he'll need a lot of help if he's going to return to Iowa City and win as much as he, and the fan base would like to. Within the NIL landscape, the Hawkeyes aren't within striking distance of other top programs.
"I think the numbers this year -- you probably need six million. We were nowhere near that," McCaffery said. "Those numbers are going to go north of that. Now, when the settlement is completed and the rev share number is what it is, we'll know what that is. But I think it's safe to say the collectives aren't going away, and those are the numbers that exist already so we can only imagine those going up."
McCaffery will likely have to fight off outsiders for the efforts of the players that are already on his roster, assuming he does return next year.
"We have guys that might be offered seven-figure deals, which will challenge their thought process," McCaffery said. "If you were 21 and somebody called you up and said, 'Hey come play for me for a million five,' you might think about it. So we're dealing with that. We will deal with that. But it's a close-knit group. Our coaches have a great relationship with our guys, and I fully anticipate those guys coming back and playing for us."
NEXT: Iowa now waits to see whether they'll play in the NIT or the College Basketball Crown. The Crown will be played March 31-April 6 in Las Vegas, while the NIT starts at school locations and finishes in Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler's campus in Indianapolis. The NIT takes place March 18 through April 3.
