Staring Down the Greatest Comeback

In a dramatic comeback victory on February 25, 2023, Iowa defeated Michigan State 112-106 in overtime. Trailing 91-81 with 1:29 left in regulation, Iowa's head coach Fran McCaffery received a technical foul and engaged in a memorable stare-down with official Kelly Pfeifer. McCaffery, visibly frustrated, stared at Pfeifer for about 20 seconds before returning to his team. This intense moment seemed to ignite the Hawkeyes, as they outscored Michigan State 20-10 in the final 1:29 to force overtime. Kris Murray led Iowa with 26 points, while Payton Sandfort and Tony Perkins each added 22 points.

Payton Sandfort's game-tying 3-pointer that left Sparty with just 3 seconds to work with, was a moment of pure elation. With just five seconds left on the clock and Iowa trailing by 101-98, the ball was handed off to Sandfort from Connor McCaffery in the left corner. He took a quick step to create space, and released a high-arcing shot just before the buzzer sounded. The ball sailed through the air, seemingly in slow motion, and swished through the net as the crowd erupted in cheers. Caitlin Clark celebrated along the apron in the north end which was a pre-cursor to her own buzzer-beater the very next day against Indiana.