The Iowa Hawkeyes had a golden opportunity to stretch their win streak to seven and put one foot firmly in the NCAA Tournament door. Instead, they stumbled - and not just a little.
In a tough road loss to Maryland, Iowa delivered what was arguably their flattest performance of the season. It wasn’t just a missed chance - it was a momentum check, and it came at a time when the Hawkeyes were starting to look like a team ready to surge into March.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a season-derailing loss. Iowa still has a strong tournament résumé and remains firmly in the “should be in” conversation.
But this one stings - not just because of the loss itself, but because of what was at stake. With a win, the Hawkeyes could’ve taken another step toward locking in an at-large bid.
Instead, they’re still hovering just outside that bubble-lock status, according to ESPN’s latest projections.
The good news? Iowa’s body of work still holds up.
The Hawkeyes are sitting comfortably inside the national top 30 in résumé metrics, and they’re flirting with top-25 territory in predictive analytics. That’s the kind of profile that earns you a seat at the table in March - especially in a year where the bubble is as soft as it’s been.
Coach Ben McCollum’s squad has shown enough over the last few weeks to suggest this is more of a misstep than a meltdown.
But here’s where it gets real. The road ahead?
It’s no cakewalk. Iowa’s remaining schedule is about to crank up the difficulty - big time.
According to BPI, the Hawkeyes are jumping from the 64th-toughest schedule so far to the ninth-toughest in the country the rest of the way. That’s the fourth-hardest stretch in the Big Ten.
Translation: there’s no room for error.
The good news is that Iowa doesn’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption. They head back to Carver-Hawkeye Arena this Saturday for a marquee matchup against Purdue - tipoff set for 4 p.m.
CT on FOX. It’s a massive opportunity to bounce back, reset the tone, and prove they belong in the upper tier of the Big Ten.
From there, the Hawkeyes enter a critical closing stretch that includes two games against Nebraska, plus showdowns with Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan. Every one of those games carries weight - not just for seeding, but for confidence, chemistry, and momentum heading into March.
Bottom line: the Hawkeyes still control their destiny. One bad night in Maryland doesn’t undo the progress they’ve made. But with the stakes rising and the schedule tightening, it’s time to show they can respond like a tournament team.