Iowa's Fran McCaffery discussed officiating with Big Ten

IOWA CITY — Following his ejection in the first half of Iowa's game at Maryland on Sunday, head coach Fran McCaffery had a discussion with the Big Ten's associate commissioner Rick Boyages about the officiating in that game.

McCaffery was ejected for two simultaneous technical fouls late in the first half, as he objected to how multiple calls were made.

One play he didn't actually see, though, might've been one he'd have been most upset about in the moment. While setting a screen for Jordan Bohannon, forward Cordell Pemsl was hit in the back of the head and neck with an elbow from Maryland's Anthony Cowan.

This is the cheap shot that got Fran pissed initially January 8, 2018

This is the cheap shot that got Fran pissed initially pic.twitter.com/lNwajYwntV

— HeavensBarstool (@HeavensHawkeye)

McCaffery said Tuesday he discussed that play with Boyages — whom he called 'a really professional guy,' — as well as the rest of the game.

'Our league does as thorough, if not the most thorough job of postgame analysis on officiating,' McCaffery said. 'So I think it was a very healthy discussion. He was disturbed by the play, as was I. I didn't see it at the time.

'Normally I'll see it. I was watching J-Bo with the ball and I didn't see it. It was an unfortunate situation, obviously.'

McCaffery added that Boyages offered a suggestion for that situation in the future, one McCaffery relayed to Pemsl and his players in turn.

'What he encouraged me to do was make sure if the officials miss something like that or we miss it — Cordell just kind of played through — that he should alert us and get the officials to go to the monitor,' McCaffery said. 'I talked to Cordell about that (Tuesday).'

The Big Ten has not announced any discipline for McCaffery or Cowan coming out of that game, and none is expected. Iowa plays Illinois on Thursday at 7 p.m. on FS1 at State Farm Center in Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

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