3 Takeaways From Indiana Basketball's 74-57 Loss To Iowa

A 10-point halftime deficit with fans booing at Assembly Hall against Iowa marked a low point for Indiana this season, only to be outdone by an even worse second half performance.

With a 74-57 loss Saturday against the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers fell to 12-6 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play. Following its lowest-scoring game of the season, Indiana has lost three straight and still lacks a Quad 1 win midway through January.

That puts its first season under coach Darian DeVries in a troubling spot, with four road games and a home game against No. 5 Purdue coming over the next five games. Here are three takeaways from Saturday's loss to Iowa.

Bennett Stirtz controls the pace

Iowa ranked 335th in adjusted tempo going into Saturday's game, according to KenPom. But that's not a bad thing when Bennett Stirtz is running the point. Quite the opposite.

Stirtz kept Iowa organized and initiated its half court offense all day, picking apart the Indiana defense with 14 points our assists in the first half. He also drew three first-half fouls on Indiana guard Conor Enright, who picked up his fourth foul early in the second half while colliding with Stirtz on a 3-point attempt. And by the end of the afternoon, Stirtz had a game-high 27 points and five assists on 7-for-13 shooting.

It's a methodical approach, but one that led to serious success at previous stops. Stirtz has played for Iowa coach Ben McCollum since the 2021-22 season at Northwest Missouri State, and then followed him to Drake and Iowa. Perhaps no one knows McCollum's offense better than Stirtz, the 6-foot-4 senior and 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference player of the year.

Iowa builds lead by limiting Wilkerson early

Lamar Wilkerson Indiana Basketball — Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson (3) scores against Chicago State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hoosiers rely on major offensive production from Lamar Wilkerson game in and game out, so they're in trouble whenever he hits a rut. It didn't seem that way initially, as Wilkerson scored Indiana's first basket.

But his next field goal wouldn't come until the 2:18 mark of the first half. And by then, Indiana found itself in a 10-point hole going into halftime.

Wilkerson tried to shoot Indiana back into the game, but finished with just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting. Tayton Conerway picked up some of the slack with 16 points, but Indiana doesn't have enough scoring options overall to withstand long scoring droughts from Wilkerson.

Tucker DeVries' cold streak continues

Tucker DeVries Indiana Basketball — Indiana Hoosiers forward Tucker DeVries (12) shoots against Iowa at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Tucker DeVries looked like an All-Big Ten player when he dropped 27 points in a win over Marquette and shot 33-for-80 (41.2%) from 3-point range in his first nine games as a Hoosier. His track record as a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Drake and a 47.3% 3-point shooter at West Virginia suggested more of that was in store.

But over the last nine games, something has been off with DeVries. Since Dec. 9 against Penn State, he's scored single digits in five of nine games, while shooting 33-for-89 (37.1%) from the field and 15-for-66 (22.7%) from 3-point range.

Indiana Basketball On NCAA Tournament Bubble Yet Again

Mendoza And Cristobal Share Unique Connection in Indiana vs Miami National Championship

Indiana Gets Commitment From All-Big Ten Cornerback Transfer

Is Indiana A Football School? Basketball Legend Steve Alford Chimes In

Curt Cignetti Contract Bonuses Triggered Amid Historic Season With More To Come