IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hey, Illinois fans, don't despair. There is hope for the basketball future.
Just look at the Iowa team that rolled the Illini 95-71 on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
A year ago, Fran McCaffery's team finished 4-14 in the Big Ten. There were all sorts of reports of Franger, the term used by locals to describe outbursts by the sometimes volatile coach.
He is much more chill these days. Not as many Francon5 episodes. A 16-3 start will do that.
The Hawkeyes are on their way back to the NCAA tournament after a two-year break.