A familiar face with deep ties to the Iowa program is making his return to the Big Dance.
Old friend Fran McCaffery is back in the Tournament after being fired by the Iowa program a year ago and being replaced by Ben McCollum.
McCaffery was a breath of fresh air for a Hawkeye program that was in the doldrums under Todd Lickliter, but after 17 seasons, it was time for both parties to get a fresh start.
After two seasons of being on the outside looking in, McCaffery was hired by the Penn Quakers (his alma mater) to bring them back to the tournament, and in one season, he did just that.
McCaffery has the chance to knock off former Big Ten foe Illinois in round one
Time to CUT THE NETS 🎉 pic.twitter.com/uUJLcTjeFP
— Penn Men's Basketball (@PennMBB) March 15, 2026
After a surprise run through the Ivy League conference tournament, the Quakers received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and were given a 14-seed by the committee.
Not only did they make the NCAA Tournament, but they were also placed in the same region as the Hawkeyes and will face off against the three-seed Illinois Fighting Illini in the first round.
McCaffery has a chance to knock off a former Big Ten foe, one who gave the Hawkeyes a lot of trouble during his tenure in Iowa City. Even though he is no longer the head coach at Iowa, there is no doubt he would love to upset the Illini.
If Fran and his squad can somehow knock off Illinois, not only would they remove a tough team from the South region, but they could also face Iowa in the Elite Eight if a miracle allowed both teams to make it that far.
McCaffery proved he can still coach at the highest level, and while it is a long shot, what a storybook ending to this season it would be if the Hawkeyes and Quakers somehow made it to the Elite Eight and his former and current teams faced off with extremely high stakes.
Get ready for some March Madness!