Ben McCollum didn't mince words when he was discussing how the offense played against Nebraska.
Even though the Hawkeyes finally found a way to shoot over 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range, they ran out of gas down the stretch in a crucial game to end the season.
Nebraska has an opportunistic defense that pressures the ball and gets multiple deflections with its activity, and that was clear against the Hawkeyes in the 84-75 overtime win.
Despite Nebraska forcing multiple turnovers and creating havoc on Iowa's offense down the stretch, McCollum stopped short of giving the Cornhuskers' defense all of the praise.
McCollum called Iowa's offense "inept" in the loss
McCollum does not hide his true feelings about the way his team plays, and he was clearly frustrated in another close loss.
In a portion of his postgame comments (posted by "The Hawkeye Report"), McCollum started by saying close is not good enough, and they now have their backs against the wall heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
In the loss, the Hawkeyes had 19 turnovers, the most they have had this season since their first game against Nebraska, but McCollum did not fully credit Nebraska's defense for causing them so many problems.
He credited the Cornhuskers' defense by saying they are "really good" and fly around, but he also said his offense was inept.
They made multiple passes they shouldn't have and were careless with the ball, leading to a high number of turnovers.
The squad did not make the easy passes, and it cost them.
After losing four of its last five games to close out the season, Iowa has an uphill battle in the Big Ten Tournament, where it will have to win some games to solidify its chances at making the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa is a nine seed and will play the winner of Maryland and Oregon on Wednesday, March 11. To make it to the championship game, Iowa will have to win four games in five days.