Ben McCollum and his team will learn, and learn very quickly, that you cannot sleepwalk through the first half and win in the Big Ten.
The Big Ten Conference is a gauntlet in men's basketball every year, with six teams currently holding a spot in the AP Top 25 rankings.
A day after being the biggest riser in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes were in Minneapolis to take on a Golden Gophers squad that has already knocked off a ranked opponent at home (73-64 against No. 22 Indiana).
Iowa came out extremely flat on both ends of the court, allowing Minnesota to shoot 54 percent from the field and only scoring 24 points.
Bennett Stirtz got in early foul trouble and had the lowest scoring half of his career with zero points as he spent most of the first half on the bench.
There is no doubt that McCollum laid into his squad at halftime, because after going down as many as 14 points in the second half, the Hawkeyes stormed back, even taking a brief one-point lead very late in the game.
Iowa's comeback attempt ultimately fell short, even with three good looks at the basket at the end of the game that would have forced overtime.
Stirtz overcame his slow start to lead the Hawkeyes in scoring with 21 points, with Kael Combs adding 14, and Isaia Howard adding 10 points and six assists off the bench.
Iowa's inconsistency on offense cost them the game
When Stirtz isn't scoring, or is on the bench in foul trouble, the Hawkeyes have a hard time scoring.
It's hard to say that one player makes all the difference, but Stirtz is the engine that drives the Iowa offense.
In back-to-back games, Iowa has been plagued by prolonged scoring droughts, and that has been exacerbated when Stirtz leaves the game.
It ultimately did not come back to bite them against UCLA, but during the disappointing loss to Minnesota, Iowa's offensive inconsistencies cost them the game.
Horrendous Big Ten officiating aside, you cannot shoot under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from three-point range and win many games in this conference.
Iowa has to find more consistency on offense in its next two games against No. 16 Illinois (January 11) and No. 5 Purdue (January 14), or it will be run out of the gym in both games.
Other players besides Stritz have to show up, and while it was great to see Howard and Combs step up on Tuesday, the squad needs more consistency across the board.
Everything is not lost in Iowa City, and the team fights hard every night, but that will only go so far in one of the most challenging conferences in college basketball.
Next game: Sunday, January 11 vs. No. 16 Illinois (11:00 a.m. Central Time)