We are now nearing the end of Year 13 of Fran McCaffery, meaning he has reached the Tom Davis retirement year. As many remember, the Iowa fan base was growing fatigued with the lack of winning under Davis, but a quick comparison shows that Davis has actually had more success than Fran over his 13 year stint.
Big Ten Record:
Davis: 125-105 (54%)
McCaffery: 126-118 (52%)
Overall Record:
Davis: 269-140 (66%)
McCaffery: 257-173 (60%)
NCAA Appearances:
Davis: 9
McCaffery: 8 (Counting 2020 and 2023) (Also counting First Four appearance in 2014)
Tournament Wins:
Davis: 13
McCaffery: 5 (Counting 1 for 2020) (2023 TBD)
You can argue that Davis started in a much better spot, and his most successful season was his first season with players he didn't recruit. If you remove the first 2 years of each coaching stint, the numbers are a little closer. But it does seem like Fran doesn't really have much job pressure right now, even though the team has largely failed to deliver, especially in March.
Looking ahead, we are clearly in a rebuilding mode, as Murray is likely gone to the draft and Connor and Rebraca are graduating. I don't expect this team to be a tournament team next year.
So how long of a leash does Fran have? This year would be the 5th straight year of making the tournament (counting 2020), which is impressive and hasn't been done since 1979-1983. But that streak has so far only translated into 2 tournament wins.
Big Ten Record:
Davis: 125-105 (54%)
McCaffery: 126-118 (52%)
Overall Record:
Davis: 269-140 (66%)
McCaffery: 257-173 (60%)
NCAA Appearances:
Davis: 9
McCaffery: 8 (Counting 2020 and 2023) (Also counting First Four appearance in 2014)
Tournament Wins:
Davis: 13
McCaffery: 5 (Counting 1 for 2020) (2023 TBD)
You can argue that Davis started in a much better spot, and his most successful season was his first season with players he didn't recruit. If you remove the first 2 years of each coaching stint, the numbers are a little closer. But it does seem like Fran doesn't really have much job pressure right now, even though the team has largely failed to deliver, especially in March.
Looking ahead, we are clearly in a rebuilding mode, as Murray is likely gone to the draft and Connor and Rebraca are graduating. I don't expect this team to be a tournament team next year.
So how long of a leash does Fran have? This year would be the 5th straight year of making the tournament (counting 2020), which is impressive and hasn't been done since 1979-1983. But that streak has so far only translated into 2 tournament wins.