After a hot start for the Hawkeyes, it has been a rough stretch of games for Ben McCollum's guys.
Iowa dropped a game to unranked Minnesota at a tough place to play in "The Barn" in Minneapolis, followed by a heartbreaking loss to No. 15 Illinois, where it came back from as many as 18 down.
Star guard Bennet Stirtz had some scathing remarks after the loss to Minnesota, saying that the team gets way too negative when they get down, especially on the road.
McCollum was also very unhappy with multiple guys after the loss to Illinois, and stated he was "disappointed" in the slow start.
Things are tense in Iowa City for the men's basketball squad right now, and the news got even worse after tumbling out of the AP rankings.
NEW: College Basketball AP Poll🚨https://t.co/GimSx69r46 pic.twitter.com/8U5cgxBBpO
— On3 (@On3sports) January 12, 2026
After jumping to No. 19 in the rankings last week, back-to-back losses forced the Hawkeyes out of the top 25 as the program looks to get back on track.
Iowa has another challenging matchup against No. 5 Purdue on the road Wednesday.
The Hawkeyes' path has not been terribly difficult thus far this season, but it will definitely ramp up over the next few weeks.
Iowa has to get back on track against Purdue
While the game against Purdue is not a "must-win," it is a great time for the Hawkeyes to see what they are made of against one of the best teams in college basketball.
If they can hang with the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, it will go a long way to boosting the confidence of the entire team.
There is still plenty of time before the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, and Iowa has the potential to turn this around.
All is not lost, but they need to start the game strong and put together a complete game to have a chance to upset the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 14.