Mark your calendars - Iowa’s rematch with Purdue is officially set. The Hawkeyes will host the Boilermakers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 14, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on FOX.
This one’s been circled for a while. Iowa came close to pulling off a statement win in the first meeting back on January 14, pushing Purdue to the brink at Mackey Arena before falling 79-72. It was one of those games where the Hawkeyes showed they could hang with the conference’s elite - they just couldn’t close the deal.
Since then? Iowa’s been on a tear.
Ben McCollum’s squad has rattled off four straight wins, and they’re not just padding the win column - they’re doing it with authority. The streak includes road victories at Indiana and Oregon, plus solid home wins over Rutgers and USC. That’s a stretch that’s starting to reshape the narrative around this team as we hit the business end of the season.
Their most recent outing was arguably their most impressive yet. Iowa rolled into Eugene and left with an 84-66 win over the Ducks, powered by a breakout performance from Bennett Stirtz.
The sophomore guard was lights out, pouring in 32 points on a hyper-efficient 12-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was the kind of performance that turns heads - not just because of the numbers, but because of how in control he looked throughout.
And it wasn’t just Stirtz. Iowa’s bench came through in a big way, with Alvaro Folgueiras and Brendan Hausen combining for 26 points and giving the Hawkeyes a much-needed spark. That kind of depth is going to matter as the grind of February sets in.
At 16-5 overall and 6-4 in conference play, Iowa’s starting to look like a team that’s finding its rhythm. They’ll get a short breather before wrapping up their Pacific Northwest swing with a matchup against Washington on February 4.
But make no mistake - the Valentine’s Day showdown with Purdue looms large. It’s a chance for Iowa to prove that the near-miss in West Lafayette wasn’t a fluke. With Carver-Hawkeye Arena behind them and momentum on their side, the Hawkeyes will look to deliver a signature win against one of the Big Ten’s heavyweights.