The Hawkeyes have started much better than everyone thought after the program had to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Iowa had only two returning players on the squad after Fran McCaffery was fired at the end of March, and new head coach Ben McCollum and his staff had the challenging task of replenishing the roster.
After a challenging offseason, the Hawkeyes have opened some eyes to start this season, going 12-3 (2-2 Big Ten), and jumping to No. 19 in the most recent AP Top 25 rankings.
Even though everything has been going better than expected, the early stages of the 2025-2026 season have not been without struggle for the squad.
All of Iowa's three losses have been on the road this season, and something has not been clicking for the Hawkeyes outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
McCollum knows everything isn't supposed to be perfect, but acknowledged that they still need to find ways to overcome adversity on the road.
Ben McCollum on playing on the road: "Things aren’t going to go perfect, and you have to still be able to win. That’s the thing that we have to continue to learn. Things just aren’t going to be perfect consistently.”
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) January 9, 2026
According to the Des Moines Register's Tyler Tachman, McCollum said that things won't be perfect, and you still have to find ways to win.
They have not overcome adversity early on in road games and are continuing to learn consistency as a team.
Coupled with star guard Bennett Stirtz stating that the team gets too negative when they get down on the road, the Hawkeyes have to find a way to respond as they get into the heart of Big Ten Conference play.
Iowa must right the ship during a crucial two-game stretch
The Hawkeyes' struggles on the road have haunted them in all three losses this season, and they must find a way to respond with back-to-back pivotal games against Illinois and Purdue.
The Hawkeyes are back home to battle Illinois on Sunday before heading to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers next week.
An upset win over Illinois at home would give the Hawkeyes a much-needed confidence boost, and they will need all the help they can get before trying to knock off Purdue in Indiana.
If Iowa can't find a way to be competitive in both games and go to 0-4 on the road, the squad will quickly learn how unforgiving the Big Ten Conference is.