"Hopefully he reads the room and retires": College hoops fans react to Fran McCaffery's Iowa getting pounded by Michigan State 

The Fran McCaffery-led Iowa Hawkeyes have not had as much success as their female counterparts. The men's team is struggling this season with a 6-13 Big Ten conference record, going 15-15 overall.

Thursday saw the team add its third straight defeat as they lost 91-84 to No. 8 Michigan State. This losing stretch has raised disappointment among Iowa fans.

On Friday, a fan took to the r/CollegeBasketball subreddit to share a photo from the game where Fran McCaffery was seen standing to the side looking a little spaced out, while his team was in a huddle.

Things aren’t going great in Iowa City byu/ExpectedOutcome2 inCollegeBasketball

Fans shared their thoughts on the Fran McCaffery era in Iowa, with many hoping to move forward from it.

"I think it’s time to move on. Hopefully he reads the room and retires on his own terms. The Fran era of Iowa could be summed up in one phrase: "Teams good enough to be really disappointed by,'" one fan wrote.

Comment byu/ExpectedOutcome2 from discussion inCollegeBasketball

"I feel like it has to be time. He deserves credit for making Iowa competitive for most of his tenure, though. Only winning one game as a 2 seed in 2021 was a huge killer. That was Iowa's chance to do something special. It's been downhill since, and there aren't many signs of a positive recovery," another commented.

"No Sweet 16s in his tenure. It’s time to cut bait," a fan wrote.

Most fans seemed to have the same thoughts, hoping for a new coach to take over and change the Hawkeyes' trajectory.

"Time for the McCaffery clown show to fade into the sunset," a fan commented.

"Iowa loves to keep mediocre coaches in both of their revenue sports," another wrote.

"He’s the definition of high floor, low ceiling. ... There’s no point right now with the men’s team because they’re going nowhere," one user opined.

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Michigan State coach Tom Izzo offers Fran McCaffery his support

Fran McCaffery began coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2010. Since then, the team has made it to the March Madness seven times, with the furthest they have gone being the second round.

As the noise surrounding McCaffery's tenure continues to get louder, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo offered his support. After the win on Thursday, he addressed the media, saying:

"I look at some of the players he's had and what they've done, you get lucky and unlucky. I just went through a three-year period where everyone wants to ship me out. I mean, it's just the way it is. They don't have the resources here. I'm going to say what I think. This ain't what Fran thinks.

"Everybody has different amounts of resources. They're not on the middle or high end. I love Fran. I think what he's gone through here with his own kids and everything. Watch what you wish for."

Iowa will travel to Nebraska for their final regular season game on Sunday.