Iowa Men's Basketball Riding High with Four-Game Win Streak, Eyes Washington Showdown
Don’t look now, but Iowa men’s basketball is heating up at just the right time. After a mid-January stumble, the Hawkeyes have found their rhythm again, stringing together four straight wins and showing flashes of the kind of team that can make noise down the stretch.
Despite that recent surge, Iowa remains just outside the Top 25 in the latest Associated Press poll, sitting third among teams receiving votes with 39 points. The USA TODAY Coaches Poll tells a similar story - Iowa dropped out of the Top 25 despite not taking a loss, landing just one spot outside at No. 26 with 52 points.
That’s the kind of ranking limbo that says more about timing and perception than performance. Because on the court, Iowa is starting to look like a team that’s figured some things out.
Take their most recent outing - an 84-66 road win at Oregon that wasn’t just a win, it was a statement. Bennett Stirtz was the headliner, and rightfully so.
The sophomore guard turned in a career night, dropping 32 points on a blisteringly efficient 12-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He was locked in from the opening tip, attacking the rim with confidence and knocking down shots like he was in the gym alone.
But it wasn’t a one-man show. Iowa’s bench came up big, with Alvaro Folgueiras and Brendan Hausen combining for 26 points and providing the kind of spark that separates good teams from great ones. Hausen, in particular, has been a steady presence lately, and his patience in carving out a role is starting to pay dividends.
This recent stretch - wins over Indiana, Rutgers, USC, and Oregon - has been a complete turnaround from the team that dropped three straight earlier in January. And two of those wins came on the road, which speaks volumes about this group’s resilience and focus.
Now sitting at 16-5 overall and 6-4 in Big Ten play, Iowa is very much in the thick of things as we head into the heart of conference season. Next up: a trip to Seattle to face Washington on Feb. 4, wrapping up their Pacific Northwest swing.
Washington enters at 12-10 overall and 4-7 in the Big Ten, but don’t let the record fool you - this is a team with real size, athleticism, and enough talent to give Iowa problems if the Hawkeyes aren’t sharp. On paper, Washington is a tougher matchup than Oregon, particularly in the paint, where Iowa will need to be disciplined defensively and clean on the glass.
But if the Hawkeyes bring the same energy and execution they showed in Eugene - especially with Stirtz playing at this level and the bench contributing meaningful minutes - they’ll be in a strong position to keep the win streak alive.
The polls may not reflect it just yet, but this Iowa team is building something. And if they keep stacking wins, the rest of the country won’t be able to ignore them for long.