College basketball: Iowa's Fran McCaffery suspended 2 games
![Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffrey talks to the referees after being called on a technical foul in the second half of their game at Schottenstein Arena in Columbus, Ohio on February 26, 2019. OSU beat the Hawkeyes 90-70. [Brooke LaValley/Dispatch]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2019/02/28/NBUX/ghows-OH-82f36853-a40f-7971-e053-0100007f737b-f250d43b.jpeg?width=660&height=455&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Iowa suspended men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery on Wednesday for two games for yelling obscenities at an official in a hallway leading to the visiting locker room after Tuesday’s loss at Ohio State.
Athletic director Gary Barta said McCaffery will miss games against Rutgers and Wisconsin. The Big Ten said it supports McCaffery’s suspension, and the conference tacked on a $10,000 fine for the university along with a public reprimand.
Barta called McCaffery’s comments “unacceptable.” The coach, in his ninth season with Iowa, was was heard saying, “You cheating (expletive). You’re a (expletive) disgrace,” after the 90-70 loss to the Buckeyes. The exchange came after both McCaffery and his son, Connor, were assessed technical fouls within a minute of each other during the second half.
The 22nd-ranked Hawkeyes (21-7, 10-7) have three games left in the regular season. McCaffery also was suspended for one game in 2014 for arguing with officials.
NO. 14 PURDUE 73, ILLINOIS 56: Carsen Edwards scored 23 points, Matt Haarms had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Purdue (21-7, 14-3) used a 12-0 run in the second half to pull away from visiting Illinois (10-18, 6-11) and move into a tie with Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten. No player reached double figures for the Illini, who led 33-32 at halftime.
PENN STATE 78, NO. 17 MARYLAND 61: Lamar Stevens scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, and host Penn State (12-16, 5-12) had an easy time with Maryland (21-8, 12-6) in a Big Ten game. The Nittany Lions were ahead for all but 51 seconds and led by as much as 29 in the second half. Aaron Wiggins led the Terrapins with 15 points.
NO. 2 VIRGINIA 81, GEORGIA TECH 51: Ty Jerome scored 19 points, De’Andre Hunter had 18 and Virginia (25-2, 13-2) took command with a 25-4 run in the first half to beat reeling Georgia Tech (12-17, 4-12) in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Yellow Jackets have lost nine of 10.
NO. 7 TENNESSEE 73, MISSISSIPPI 71: Grant Williams scored 21 points, including the go-ahead basket with four seconds left, as visiting Tennessee (25-3, 13-2) edged Mississippi (19-9, 9-6) to remain in a three-way tie atop the Southeastern Conference with LSU and Kentucky.
NO. 8 HOUSTON 99, EAST CAROLINA 65: Corey Davis Jr. scored 26 points to help Houston (27-1, 14-1) rout host East Carolina (10-17, 3-12) in the American Athletic Conference. Pirates coach Joe Dooley and guard Shawn Williams were ejected along with a fan during a second-half stretch that featured multiple technical fouls and had the home crowd irate with officials, with some throwing trash toward the court.
NO. 11 TEXAS TECH 84, OKLAHOMA STATE 80, OT: Davide Moretti had 20 points, including four free throws in the final 18 seconds of overtime, and host Texas Tech (23-5, 11-5) escaped Oklahoma State (10-18, 3-12) to move into a share of the Big 12 lead with Kansas State. Lindy Waters hit four three-pointers in the final 55 seconds of regulation and finished with 26 points for the Cowboys.