Ben McCollum Knows How to Handle Iowa's First Loss

It had to happen eventually. After starting their first season under head coach Ben McCollum on a thrilling 7-0 run, including an in-season tournament victory at the Acrisure Classic, the Iowa Hawkeyes finally dropped a game.

In the wake of the slow death of the Fran McCaffery era that preceded him, McCollum has worked to rebuild Iowa's reputation as a program and reshape the team into a conference competitor like they haven't been in years. That appeared to be exactly what was happening, too, until the team traveled to take on the Michigan State Spartans.

Nov 20, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum reacts with guard Brendan Hausen (15) during the first half against the Chicago State Cougars at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

A Progress Report

That game ended up resulting in a blowout loss that, while not necessarily a surprise, certainly shook the confidence of many in and around men's Hawkeyes hoops. With the Spartans at the top of the B1G, as well as the Michigan Wolverines and Purdue Boilermakers, the conference appears simply unpenetrable, especially in the light of Iowa's loss to one of those perennial powers.

Then again, the 2025-26 campaign is still young, and Coach McCollum understands what it means to lose and, further, how his team can respond going forward as a result of the adversity. The Hawkeyes HC spoke about wanting to move on from the defeat:

"I'm probably more process-focused, but there's also a competitor in there that says, it's not okay to lose," said McCollum, following the 71-52 defeat against Michigan State in which the Hawkeyes scored their lowest point total of the year thus far.

Ben McCollum on moving on from the MSU loss: "I'm probably more process-focused, but there's also a competitor in there that says, it's not okay to lose. You've got to visit that part of it and fix it. But yet, you can't let it have an earth-shattering effect, like this is the…
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) December 5, 2025

"You've got to visit that part of it and fix it. But yet, you can't let it have an earth-shattering effect, like this is the end of the world," he continued. "You've got to find that balance between the two."

That supposed balance is exactly the sort of things that makes a team "even"; working through a conference as competitive and inevitably bumpy as the B1G guarantees losses, surprises and all the adversity that any competitive-hopeful team could imagine.

The Incoming Challenge

Thankfully for Iowa, assuming they take care of business, the Hawkeyes' next opponent are coming to Iowa City, in the form of the unfavorable Maryland Terrapins. At 6-3, the red and yellow have struggled mightily against ranked opponents this season, and given their double-digit loss to the unranked Georgetown Hoyas, also present a potentially redemptive opportunity for Iowa at home.

So long as the Hawkeyes learn the correct lessons from their first loss and respond appropriately, their still-exciting season is really just getting started.

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