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Fran McCaffery expresses Iowa’s lack of veteran leadership in loss to Eastern Illinois
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Fran McCaffery was not pleased after his team was shockingly upset by the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
In what many assumed would be an easy Hawkeye win, the Panthers shot 60% from the field and walked away with a 92-83 win. After the game, McCaffrey spoke on the disappointing outcome.
“These games always have a different feel to them, the one right before Christmas,” Fran McCaffery said. “You hope your guys are really locked in. It seemed like we were at the beginning. We hit some shots early then went cold.”
Without Kris Murray and Connor McCaffrey, the Hawkeyes were extremely short-handed. Murray is the Hawkeyes’ leading scorer, averaging 19.4 PPG. The 5 starters all had to play almost the entire game. Dasonte Bowen, Josh Dix, and Josh Ogundele were the only reserves available.
“We didn’t have a lot of subs. You try to press and up-tempo the defense,” Fran McCaffery said. “I thought we were a little tired. We could have used Connor’s toughness, his veteran leadership and of course another experienced body.”
The Panthers entered the game with a 3-9 record, including losses of 20+ points to fellow B1G teams Illinois and Ohio State. The loss puts the Hawkeyes at 8-4 on the season, with a tough stretch of conference games upcoming.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Tradition. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.