Two major contributors to the program played a part in Alford's departure, indirectly by indicating their willingness to help buy out his contract. Now whether that had a causal relationship to Barta giving Alford the ultimatum is merely conjecture.
The most important of donors and supporters are not (yet, at least) unhappy enough with Lickliter to want him gone. Far from it. More the opposite, as some of the most influential have broader priorities IAT athletics, and like the way in which Lickliter is cleaning up the program, the way he is attempting to regain the good reputation of the program, and the quality of academics & citizenship of his recruits.
There is a weathervane that provides a good insight into the program from Barta's perspective. One of the principal contributors just make a big gift toward the renovations & upgrading of Carver-Hawkeye, and several others are currently in the process of the legal. tax, etc stuff for major donations. All in all, even in the midst or recession, fund-raising is going very well, ahead of schedule, and the annual athletic dept budget is in excellent shape, anticipating another ten plus million dollars surplus--all this in the immediate aftermath of the end of the annual subsidy to the athletic programs from the university general fund, and now Barta is in the early stages of the discussion that will conclude with an end to compulsory student fees funding athletics (which will make Iowa virtually unique among Division 1/BCS athletic programs).
If you're yearning to see the money guys bring a premature end to Lickliter's contracted years at Iowa, you are almost certaianly due for disappointment. Odds probably are better that a year from now Barta will be announcing some kind of contract extension--unless the team is gutted by transfers again and there is virtually no improvement on the court.