Brad Underwood autographs sign mocking Fran McCaffery after Illinois defeated Iowa
The bad blood between Illinois and Iowa doesn’t appear to be reaching a resolution anytime soon. On Sunday night, the two teams were in another heated matchup, a game the Fighting Illini won 78-76 to close out the regular season.
On the floor, there was plenty of scrappy play, words exchanged and intense moments. It mimicked the game that took place earlier this year, when Iowa defeated Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and Hakweyes head coach Fran McCaffery told his players to skip the handshake line due to the behavior of a few Illinois coaches.
There were no such scenarios on Sunday night, but after Illinois defeated Iowa, Illini head caoch Brad Underwood did decide to thank the fans for their support during the game, and throughout the year. One student brought in a “triggered” poster featuring McCaffery and showed it to Underwood.
The head coach was more than happy to autograph it.
Brad Underwood signed a "Triggered" Fran McCaffery poster. #Illini pic.twitter.com/PBn82vS5dL
— Alex Aguilera (@alex13aguilera) March 9, 2020
Just adding a little more juice to this budding rivalry in the B1G.
Underwood was the head coach behind a massive turnaround at Illinois, guiding his team to a 21-10 record this season, which included a 13-7 mark in B1G play. The Illini have earned the No. 4 spot in the B1G Tournament, meaning they earned a double-bye.
Iowa, as the No. 5 seed, won’t play until Thursday and will get the winner of No. 13 Northwestern vs. No. 12 Minnesota. If the Hawkeyes advance to Friday, there will be a Part 3 to the Illinois-Iowa matchup this season.
That would provide plenty of entertainment for everyone in Indianapolis.