Iowa cries foul after losing to Minnesota at home for first time since 2015

Minnesota doubled up Iowa at the free-throw line for a very obvious reason.

Jan 21, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Payton Sandfort (20) shoots the ball over Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (2) during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

What if the poles have flipped and the planet has suddenly whipped into another dimension where the Gophers own the Hawkeyes? It cannot be ruled out after Minnesota went into Iowa City and beat the Hawkeyes in men's basketball for the first time since 2015 on Tuesday night.

Minnesota led by 17 points, 63-46, with just over six minutes to play in the second half before Iowa started to eat away at the lead. The lead was still 11 points when there was a lengthy delay for an injured cheerleader with 2:42 to play. From there, the Hawkeyes cut the deficit to three before the Gophers sealed the win at the free-throw line.

Afterward, the Hawkeyes were crying foul.

"You know, I got fouled probably four or five times. I'm pretty upset about that," said Hawkeyes guard Payton Sandfort. "Outside of that, they didn't give us many looks. That's just the way it goes. Sometimes you have nights like that. You gotta find another way to win, which unfortunately we couldn't do. But I'm very confident that we'll get that going again."

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery avoided directly ripping the officials, but he made it clear that he didn't like the way the game was called. "There are some things that I would like to say," McCaffery began, "but unless you're ready to start a GoFundMe, I will refrain."

Both Payton Sandfort and Fran McCaffery upset with the officiating following the 72-67 loss to Minnesota.

“I got fouled 4 or 5 times. I’m pretty upset about that.”

“There are some things that I would like to say. … But unless you’re ready to start a GoFundMe, I will refrain.” pic.twitter.com/05wNVLc0fq

— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) January 22, 2025

There was a significant free-throw disparity in the end, with the Gophers attempting 24 free throws compared to just 12 all night for Iowa. But there's a reason why the Gophers doubled them up at the line: Iowa started intentionally fouling Minnesota (targeting Femi Odukale) with more than four minutes left in the game.

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In the final 4:08, Minnesota attempted 12 free throws. That explains the disparity. Nothing more, nothing less. Iowa simply got beat by a Gophers team that appears to be finding its stride after an 0-6 start in Big Ten play.