BEFORE WE JUMP INTO OUR DAILY DIVERSION THAT IS SPORTS. We want to take a minute to offer our thoughts and our prayers to Fran and his family today. Fran's son Patrick will undergo surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Fran, the father, will be with his son today. He'll head to Dayton via jet later to be the coach with his team. As a father myself, I can't imagine how difficult of a time this is for the McCaffery family. We are all with you in spirit.
THE SUPPORT FOR THE MCCAFFERY'S GOES BEYOND IOWA. Support, via Twitter, is coming in from all over the country.
Thoughts and prayers are with the McCaffery family. Hoping for the best! @IowaHoops
— Cyclone Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 18, 2014
Plz keep my buddy Pat McCaffery in ur prayers 2nite as he undergo's surgery 2moro morning. I'm stronger today after talking to him! #TeamPat
— Chris Paul (@CP3) March 19, 2014
Prayers out to Pat McCaffery, Coach McCaffery, and the rest of @IowaHoops. Hope surgery goes well tomorrow! #PrayForPat #AllOneTeam
— Purdue MBB Managers (@PurdueMBB) March 19, 2014
Praying for the best for Coach McCaffery and the @IowaHoops family.
— NU Men's Basketball (@NUMensBball) March 18, 2014
THERE'S AN EFFORT TO GET #TEAMPAT TRENDING ON TWITTER. It's certainly one way to show your support. The Hawkeye players wore t-shirts with #TeamPat on them last week at the Big Ten Tournament. It's likely they will again tonight in Dayton.
ABOUT TONIGHT'S GAME. Consider this:
- Seven year-old children will get to see Iowa play an NCAA game for the first time in their life
- Black Heart Gold Pants did not exist the last time Iowa played an NCAA Tournament game
- Neither did Twitter
- Flip phones were still popular
- Most of us watched Iowa's last NCAA game in standard definition and on a tube TV
- We still wrote things in cursive!
HAWKEYE SPORTS WAS THERE WHEN THE TEAM ARRIVED IN DAYTON.
THIS IS FRAN'S FIRST TRIP TO THE NCCA'S WITH AN IOWA TEAM. His players are no stranger to post-season tournaments though. Iowa has advanced past the first round of the NIT each of the last two seasons. The Hawks hope to draw from that experience tonight as they face Tennessee.
IOWA GOT THE FEEL FOR THE DAYTON GYM YESTERDAY.
THE NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF THURSDAY MORNING. Our own Tony Hager and RossWB will have you covered, of course. For a complete schedule, check our Hawkeye Sports' Championship Central page.
LISA BLUDER'S TEAM IS ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER.
Congrats to incoming Hawkeye @whit_jennings Named a Parade All-American!So well deserved,so happy 5 you&proud of you! pic.twitter.com/Y9CpLS678N
— Jan Jensen (@goiowa) March 18, 2014
FINALLY, AN APOLOGY. In yesterday's INP I wrote that the Iowa women host Marist on Friday. They do in fact play Sunday. A second round game would be Tuesday of next week. Yesterday's post has been corrected.
OTHER LINKS:
- McCaffery will be with son, then go back to Dayton
- Video interview: Bethany Doolittle
- Iowa-Tennessee capsule
- THE IOWA ‘MEDIA' LOATHES IOWA FANS
- NCAA tournament history doesn't bode well for Iowa Hawkeyes
- An Iowa win tonight earns the Big Ten some extra cash
- Big Ten Geeks: A Preview of Iowa vs. Tennessee
- Dienhart: My Big Ten NCAA tourney predictions
- Iowa shows some life entering NCAA tourney
- Game Preview: Iowa vs Tennessee
- The biggest factor in Tennessee's five game win streak
- Four Downs - The Defensive Line (spring edition)
- Practice in Dayton photo gallery
- Is Being Cursed To A "First Four" NCAA Game Actually A Blessing?
- Junior Gabriel Olaseni provides Hawkeyes with additional scoring chances
- Fran McCaffery will be with son for surgery, coach NCAAs on same day
- How Iowa State eliminated the mid-range jumper
- Transcript from Fran McCaffery news conference
- Ranking the NCAA Tournament coaches by playing career, 1-68
- Video interview: Melissa Dixon
- Marble-McRae matchup is one to watch when Iowa faces Tennessee
- Vols, Hawkeyes enter tourney on different ends of spectrum
- Iowa has another chance to get back on the winning track
- Women's tourney power rankings
- Tennessee Vols hope to extend thrill in NCAA tournament
- Iowa's Fran McCaffery has bigger issue than facing UT Vols
- UMass basketball players using upset talk as motivation