Iowa dropped the final game of the regular season in overtime to Nebraska, and the frustration is mounting.
No one has given up on the season, but everyone knows that they have backed themselves into a corner for the Big Ten Tournament and will have to win four games in five days to make it to the title game.
Iowa's offense continues to struggle, and while its defense has kept them in games, it has not found the necessary firepower on offense.
One of the lone bright spots for Iowa's offense against Nebraska was Cooper Koch, who has finally found his shooting stroke.
After pouring in 18 points, including six three-pointers, Koch did not return to the program for moral victories.
Koch doesn't get confidence from playing Michigan and Nebraska close
Iowa was not expected to beat either Michigan or Nebraska, but after a three-point home loss to the Wolverines and an OT road loss to Nebraska, Koch isn't about moral victories.
Cooper Koch on whether he gains confidence from taking Michigan and Nebraska down to the wire: “Not really. We want to beat those teams. We don’t want to play close with them. We know we can beat teams like that. We’ve just got to go out there and do it for the full 40 minutes."
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) March 9, 2026
In his postgame comments, Koch said the goal isn't to play top teams close, but to beat them, and they know they can beat teams like Michigan and Nebraska.
The problem is they have gotten close, but haven't put together a full 40 minutes, often running out of gas in the late stages of games.
Koch did not hold back when he was asked about gaining confidence from taking Michigan and Nebraska to the wire, and he isn't about racking up participation trophies.
He wants to win, and expressed confidence in the team's ability to beat some of the best teams in the Big Ten and in college basketball.