Iowa’s Fran McCaffery Pulled Away by Assistant After Staring Down Official

It's only crazy if it doesn't work.

Even for a coach as mercurial as Iowa's Fran McCaffery and a league as incident-prone as the Big Ten, this was a new one.

With 1:29 left in the Hawkeyes' home game against Michigan State Saturday afternoon, McCaffery left Iowa’s huddle during a timeout and walked over to official Kelly Pfeifer. McCaffery, sitting on a technical foul with his team trailing 91–81, simply stared down Pfeifer, before both men took steps toward each other.

After a profoundly bizarre 10 seconds—during which announcers Kevin Brown and Robbie Hummel both seemed at a loss for words—McCaffery’s assistants herded him back to huddle.

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— Nathan Ford (@NathanTFord) February 25, 2023

The episode was overshadowed by the incredible ending that followed. The Hawkeyes outscored the Spartans 20–10 over the next 89 seconds to force overtime—a sequence that included five Iowa three-pointers—and then put Michigan State away in overtime to seal an unbelievable comeback win.

And to think it all started with one icy, audacious stare.