We still do not know the extent of starting senior guard Tavion Banks' injury, but some good news has surfaced regarding his status for the Washington game.
The Hawkeyes are in the midst of a four-game winning streak and have moved into eighth in the Big Ten Conference standings.
That includes a big 84-66 victory over Oregon, where Bennett Stirtz dropped a career-high 32 points.
Despite Stirtz's big night, a lot of the focus was on starting guard Tavion Banks, who played only 11 minutes in the win.
After the game, Ben McCollum was not forthcoming with what Banks was suffering from, but would only say he needed rest.
A few days later, we still don't have any specific details, but McCollum gave some good news about Banks' status for the game against Washington.
McCollum expects Banks to play on Wednesday
Even though McCollum would not commit to a definitive "yes" regarding Banks' playing status, he provided some more insight.
Ben McCollum expects Tavion Banks to play tomorrow against Washington.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) February 3, 2026
In a brief update, McCollum said he expects Banks to play against Washington, but nothing is guaranteed.
Banks has solidified his place as Iowa's second-best player behind Bennett Stirtz, and if he has to miss any amount of time, it would be a significant blow to Iowa's depth.
Banks is averaging 10.8 points, a team-leading 4.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game through Iowa's 21 games this season.
If Banks cannot play, Isaia Howard and Tate Sage are projected to play expanded roles, shortening Iowa's bench even more.
While it is never a good time to suffer an injury, Iowa can get past Washington without Banks, but his importance to the team cannot be overstated.