Illinois and Iowa are two basketball programs that simply do not like one other, and Illini head coach Brad Underwood had no problem fueling the rivalry following his team’s big win on Sunday.
After Iowa defeated Illinois earlier this season, Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffrey got into a verbal altercation with an Illinois assistant and told his players to skip the handshake line. Of course, Illini fans did not forget it.
Illinois closed out the regular season with a thrilling 78-76 win over Iowa on Sunday, and Underwood went out of his way to autograph a sign that mocked McCaffrey over his blow-up earlier this year. The sign said “triggered” and featured a photo of a heated McCaffrey. Underwood autographed it right on McCaffrey’s forehead.
Brad Underwood signed a "Triggered" Fran McCaffery poster. #Illini pic.twitter.com/PBn82vS5dL
— Alex Aguilera (@alex13aguilera) March 9, 2020
You can see the sign more clearly in this photo:
Love it, @TheOrangeKrush !! pic.twitter.com/HnxHqbkaRk
— Donna Isaacson (@DonnaIsaacson7) March 9, 2020
Illinois enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 4 seed, while Iowa is the No. 5 seed. The two teams could very well meet in the quarterfinals, and that is something all college basketball fans should be rooting for.
