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Iowa basketball: Men and women’s team fall in latest rankings

By Andrew Wade

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes and teammate Joe Wieskamp attempt to block Paul White #13 of the Oregon Ducks during the first half of the game against Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes and teammate Joe Wieskamp attempt to block Paul White #13 of the Oregon Ducks during the first half of the game against Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2k Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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After both the men’s and women’s Iowa basketball teams suffered losses this past week, each fell in the latest AP Rankings released today.

After hot starts to the season causing both Iowa basketball teams to sky-rocket up the rankings, the men’s and women’s team both suffered defeats to ranked teams this past week. Today, when they AP Rankings were released, both teams such a dip in their stock.

The men’s Iowa basketball team started the season unranked before winning their first six games including a huge win over a previously ranked Oregon in the 2K Empire Classic. This hot streak had the Hawkeyes climbing up to #14 in the rankings.

As the men opened up Big Ten play against conference rival Wisconsin, they were unable to continue this winning streak. The #22 ranked Wisconsin Badgers walked into Carver Hawkeye Arena and stole a victory 72-66 over the previously undefeated Hawks. This game had quite the impact on the rankings with Wisconsin making the biggest jump this week up to #12 and the Hawks dropping four spots to #18.

With the men’s Iowa basketball team taking on #10 Michigan State tonight and a strong Iowa State team (that is currently receiving many votes for top-25 inclusion) Thursday night, there is an opportunity for the Hawks to make up the lost ground or drop out completely. Needless to say, it’s a big week for the program as they want to maintain the momentum established early.

The women’s Iowa basketball team, however, took a slightly different path to where they are now. The Hawkeyes, fresh off a NCAA Tournament qualifying season were ranked #13 in the preseason, and have essentially maintained the status quo through the first month of the NCAA women’s basketball season. After two straight losses, one being a close loss to unranked Florida State, and the other being a crushing blowout defeat at the hands of the #2 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This two-game losing streak was snapped Sunday evening when the women defeated Robert Morris University by 29 points. When the women’s rankings were released today, the women saw a slight dip dropping from #14 to #16. Unlike the men, the women have a slightly easier path for rebounding this week. They have three straight games against unranked opponents before squaring off in an in-state battle versus the #21 Drake Bulldogs.

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Despite the slight drops, it’s fantastic to have both Iowa basketball teams sticking around in the rankings a month into the season. It’s going to be a fun winter as we continue watching these two teams make a mark in the Big Ten and the NCAA.

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