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Illinois' Brad Underwood Reacts to Firings of Fran McCaffery, Ben Johnson

Iowa booted McCaffery after a 106-94 loss to the Illini in the Big Ten Tournament, while Ben Johnson is out at Minnesota

Steven Greenberg

Mar 13, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery gestures towards a referee during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. McCaffery would receive his second technical foul and be ejected. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Mar 13, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery gestures towards a referee during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. McCaffery would receive his second technical foul and be ejected. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
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INDIANAPOLIS – Illinois coach Brad Underwood probably wasn't in the mood for niceties Friday after getting blasted out of the Big Ten Tournament by Maryland, but he made exceptions on the subjects of Fran McCaffery and Ben Johnson, the coaches kicked to the curb by Iowa and Minnesota, respectively, following their own teams' exits.

The final game for McCaffery was a 106-94 loss to the Illini on Thursday. Illinois fans' favorite rival coach ended a 15-year run poetically, getting tossed from the game while his squad was playing defense with the intensity of a weary gas-station clerk on a late-night smoke break.

"I don't know what goes into all those decisions internally," Underwood said. "I know as a basketball coach that you hate to see your counterparts – I saw Fran in the hallway [after the game], and you could tell he was emotional with [senior star] Payton [Sandfort]. You've got 15 years in a place, at an institution, and nothing's easy."

Underwood got the better of McCaffery in recent years, but the rivalry was intense. Fans felt it, no doubt.

"You go back and you start thinking of the battles that we've had, and they've been epic," he said. "There's been some incredible battles competing for championships. You always remember those.

"The other side of that, for me, is I know Fran personally. I know his family very well. I know how good a person he is and what a great human being."

Underwood doesn't know Johnson as well but said his teams were "always well-coached, disciplined, played hard." He texted Johnson to offer support.

"Just a tremendous amount of respect for those two guys. In Fran's case, he's had an unbelievable run, unbelievable career. And I'm sure Ben will get another opportunity."

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Face-Plants Against Maryland in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal

Social Media Sounds Off as Maryland Drubs Illinois in Big Ten Tournament

3 Key Numbers From Illinois' Loss to Maryland at the Big Ten Tournament

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Steven Greenberg
STEVEN GREENBERG

Greenberg is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has written about college sports since the early 1990s. He covered University of Wisconsin football and basketball in the early 1990s before spending nearly 20 years as a magazine editor and writer. A former managing editor, features writer and college football columnist for The Sporting News, he has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Bleacher Report and joined the Sun-Times in 2013.

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