Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, March 19, 2014

Fran McCaffery's son, Patrick, 13, underwent surgery to remove a thyroid tumor Wednesday morning, and the coach said the surgery "went as planned." After the surgery, McCaffery headed to Dayton, Ohio, for Iowa's first NCAA tourney game since 2006. The Twitter world showed incredible support for Patrick, to the point that #teampat was trending nationally, and here is a (large) sampling of some of our favorite tweets.

[ MORE: Tennessee fan board shows support for #teampat ]

McCaffery released this statement early Wednesday afternoon:

?Today?s surgery for my son Patrick went as planned. Doctors will continue tests in the coming days to determine further treatment. Patrick was in good spirits after the operation.

Our family would like to thank the surgeons who performed the operation and the doctors and nurses at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics who have helped treat Patrick during this process.

The outpouring of support and encouragement Patrick and our family have received this past week has been overwhelming; words cannot express how genuinely thankful we are to everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers.?

IOWA RIVALS

IOWA FAMILY

IOWA MEDIA

NATIONAL PERSONALITIES