Bennett Stirtz was apologetic after a blowout loss to Purdue in Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa had a prime opportunity to add a signature win to its resume and knock off a top-15 team at home against Purdue.

It definitely did not go the way they planned.

Another slow start, combined with another poor offensive performance, ultimately doomed the Hawkeyes in a 78-57 loss at home on Valentine's Day.

Nothing went right for the Hawkeyes, and apart from Bennett Stirtz's 19 points, nothing was clicking on offense.

The squad knows they did not play well, and Stirtz was apologetic for the performance after the game.

Stirtz apologized to the fanbase for their poor performance against

Stirtz has been Iowa's best player by far this season, and probably hates to lose more than anyone.

During postgame interviews, he apologized to the sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd and acknowledged they were "not ready to play" against a tough Purdue squad.

Stirtz finished the game with 19 points and five assists on an efficient 58 percent shooting from the field, but the rest of the squad could not say the same.

He was the only Hawkeye to finish in double figures, and as a team, they shot 38 percent from the field and 27 percent from three-point range in their second consecutive poor offensive game.

Iowa inexcusably followed up its worst loss of the season with a 21-point loss to Purdue at home, with some of its biggest flaws starting to bite them.

The Hawkeyes do not have another playmaking guard to pair with Stirtz, and they do not have a true big man outside of freshman Trevin Jirak, who has rarely played this season.

Iowa is beginning to get exposed on both ends of the court, and they must find a way to get back to the efficient offense they were playing a few weeks ago in order to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.