The Iowa Hawkeyes seemed like a team on the rise when they won four of five games early in Big Ten play, including a huge win over the Indiana Hoosiers, but then they went on to lose four of five games, but they were just handed their biggest loss of all, and it wasn't the loss of a game.
The Hawkeyes men's basketball social media account announced that star forward Owen Freeman, who is also the leading scorer for Iowa, would miss the rest of the 2024-2025 season due to having to have surgery on his right hand, his finger, to exact.
HC Fran McCaffery announced today that Owen Freeman will miss the remainder of the season with a finger injury.
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 3, 2025
Here’s to a speedy recovery, 32! 🖤 pic.twitter.com/xxXrrPSkpb
Freeman has been the lifeline of the Hawkeyes team as just a sophomore, leading the Hawkeyes in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. Freeman averaged 16.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. The good news is that fellow forward Payton Sandfort averages 16.0 points per game, right behind Freeman, but he averages a full rebound less than Freeman does.
This news could not come at a worse time for Iowa as they are 13-8 on the season, and any hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament seem to be slim to none. Head coach Fran McCaffery is probably in jeopardy of losing his job after this season, but the news of Freeman getting hurt is so much bigger at this moment.
The Hawkeyes will have to regroup with all of this, but with the way things have gone of late with losses to USC, UCLA, Minnesota, and now Ohio State, it just seems like the train has come off the rails, and the loss of Freeman certainly won't help that.
Here is to hoping that Freeman makes a speedy recovery and chooses to stick with the Hawkeyes going forward after he recovers and is healthy enough to play again.