Iowa Men’s Basketball Keeps Eyes Forward After Indiana Win, Prepares for Rutgers Test
IOWA CITY - For a team still adjusting to the rhythm and rigor of Big Ten basketball, the Iowa Hawkeyes are showing they belong. The journey hasn’t been without bumps, but it’s also been filled with moments that remind this group just how far they’ve come - even if they don’t always have time to soak it all in.
“I think sometimes when you're sitting down relaxing, you're just like, ‘whoa, I'm playing in the Big Ten,’” said forward Cam Manyawu. “But I think when you're in the games, you kind of forget about it.”
That sense of awe was hard to ignore last week as Iowa walked into two of the most iconic venues in college basketball - Mackey Arena and Assembly Hall - for a challenging road swing through Indiana. The Hawkeyes dropped a tough one to No. 5 Purdue but bounced back with a gritty win over Indiana, snapping a three-game skid and showing the kind of resolve that head coach Ben McCollum has come to expect.
McCollum wasn’t surprised by the response. His teams, dating back to his days at Drake, haven’t lost four straight games in over a decade. That’s not by accident - it’s a product of preparation, focus, and a refusal to get too comfortable with being “close.”
“You still have to throw a few curve balls at them to make sure that they're fully focused on the next opponent,” McCollum said. “Because sometimes you get close to Purdue, you get close to Illinois, and you can kind of fall in love with close. But there’s no real place that you're supposed to arrive.”
That mindset is what’s driving Iowa as they turn the page quickly from Saturday’s win in Bloomington. The celebration was short-lived - the team returned to Iowa City with Rutgers already on the radar. The Scarlet Knights come to town for a midweek showdown, and while their 2-5 Big Ten record might not raise eyebrows, McCollum isn’t letting his team overlook what’s still a dangerous opponent.
“This is a Big Ten team, very well coached,” McCollum emphasized. “They've got a lot of talent, and we need to make sure that we bring our best effort to be able to give ourselves a chance.”
Rutgers has struggled to put together a signature win this season - still searching for a Quad 1 or Quad 2 victory and yet to notch a road win - but this is the Big Ten. Nothing comes easy, and Iowa knows better than to expect anything less than a dogfight.
“Every single one of those guys is still a Division I player,” said guard Tate Sage. “You take them as a Big Ten team, and you take them as Division I players. We're gonna go into the game just like every single other game, and prepare for them like that.”
The Hawkeyes aren’t chasing a “made it” moment on Tuesday night. They’re chasing consistency, growth, and another Big Ten win before a well-earned week off. For McCollum, that means staying locked in on the daily grind - whether it’s a recovery session to shake off the soreness or a high-intensity practice to fine-tune the game plan.
“Yesterday we had a meeting, but not resting - we had to get a sweat and get the soreness out,” McCollum said. “And then today is, we’ve got to get after it, try to get better today, and obviously, prepare for Rutgers.”
This Iowa team isn’t just happy to be here. They’re learning how to win here - and that’s a different level entirely.